[H & Rick]

We will be over on our job search trip in 2 weeks time and are wondering how best to carry out cash.

We thought 1/2 cash 1/2 travellers cheques.

The Post Office are offering a Money card that is suppose to replace the travellers cheques. You basically top it up before you go and can use it like a visa card when you get there. The lady at the post office seemed very vague as to if it could be used in NZ. You can top it up with Sterling, Euros or American dollars, but not New Zealand or Australian dollars. You then get charged a commission when you use it to convert your chosen currency to New Zealand Dollars......complicated :uhoh

The Travel Shop said they could do travellers cheques but were not sure if we should get Australian or Sterling. Australian are commission free where as Sterling travellers cheques have a 3% commission.

We were just wondering what other people have done?

[Angie and Mick]

Hi Heidi

We took some nz dollars but not a lot. We opened a Nationwide current account and visa card. They do not charge for transaction when abroad so we used the current account to pay for food, camping, trips etc. Just remember the pin number. When we opened the account we also had an approved overdraft limit just in case. Very good deal saves lots of money and you do not worry about carrying to much money around with you, just keep the cards close to you.

You will have to open asap to obtain the cards in time, but you could do it in time I think.

Enjoy your trip.

Angela. :)

[diforsyth]

I've found that the charges incurred by simply withdrawing money from an ATM are not too bad compared to all the hassle of trying get traveller's cheques sorted out etc.

Try to limit your transactions by withdrawing 3-4 worth of anticipated spend and put big bills onto your credit card.

All in all it will probably cost no more than £15 over a 2 week vacation and remember that the money markets move all the time so I recommend not comparing the rates. E.g. if the rates move by 5 cents, the difference for a £200 withdrawl is the equivalent of 3 heads of broccolli :laugh

[katandbob]

We did this too, and we have been very pleased with it, we get the days rate, and its easy to check online how much you have left in your bank, JUST tell them that you are planning to go to NZ/Hong Kong etc so that they can make a note on the computers and then they won't cancel the cards when your spending abroad :nice1

good luck, I think it took about 2 weeks for our cards and pin numbers to us.

Kat

Hi Heidi

We took some nz dollars but not a lot. We opened a Nationwide current account and visa card. They do not charge for transaction when abroad so we used the current account to pay for food, camping, trips etc. Just remember the pin number. When we opened the account we also had an approved overdraft limit just in case. Very good deal saves lots of money and you do not worry about carrying to much money around with you, just keep the cards close to you.

You will have to open asap to obtain the cards in time, but you could do it in time I think.

Enjoy your trip.

Angela. :)

[Smiler]

Used my Nationwide CC etc on our reccy trip and in our 1st few days here.

Better than that fiddling around with Travellers cheques etc. Soo last year. :laugh

Still have my accounts for UK and can't recommend them enough. :nice1