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Money in America

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Rosiebee Sun 31-Jul-11 14:56:09

We're going on our first trip to America in the New Year, taking in San Francisco, Honolulu, a cruise round the Hawaiian Islands, back to Waikiki Beach and finishing up in Las Vegas. We'll be away for nearly 4 weeks so we're each going to take a credit card with a higher limit than normal. What is the best way to take dollars for small purchases, tips etc? Do people still take travellers cheques, or is it possible to use ATM machines in America without having to pay large fees? Because we'll be travelling a lot, we don't really want to set off with lots of cash on us.
Very excited, but just a tad nervous!
Rosie

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JessM Sun 31-Jul-11 15:15:05

It has been a few years since i was in the states. I was shocked to discover that a bank would not change sterling into dollars. You'd think I was offering them Martian currency. It is tricky dealing with dollars because all the notes are the same size and same colour. Advice is usually along lines of "don't put all your eggs in one basket"
Up to date advice will arrive soon...

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Annobel Sun 31-Jul-11 15:26:22

You can take a card that's pre-loaded with any amount of dollars that you think you will need. This should not cost you anything to use in an ATM. Several companies provide these. I've got a euro one that works well in the EC. You might try the money saving expert web site.

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Annobel Sun 31-Jul-11 15:30:08

I was wrong: there is a withdrawal fee, but not for purchases.
see this web site:
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money#prepaid

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sylvia2036 Mon 01-Aug-11 08:29:35

Don't take just one card though - if something were to go wrong with the one card you have you could have a problem. It could be refused, could be stolen etc. Best to take two/three if you have them and certainly inform your card company(ies) that you are going overseas so that they can put a marker on your card. As a side note, always do the same if you are going to buy a really large item on your credit card in this country.

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