Currency Questions for Southeast Asia

[crawford]

Will be on the Sapphire Princess next month, visiting Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

 

As we are doing private tours and I understand that many merchants take only cash, what is the best way to juggle all of the currencies?

 

Further, do the tour operators direct you to "big bank" ATM's for local currencies or is it expected that you have cash in hand, prior to the tours?

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

Mike 

[Hoyaheel]

We did a SIN-HKG trip in 2016. We used ATMs in each country to get money we wanted. The tour companies we used were very happy to make sure we got to an ATM so we could pay them 😉 I asked ahead of time, while arranging the tours. In places we didn't use tours and amused ourselves, it was usually pretty easy to find an ATM. HCMC was the most difficult - took us a few tries to find an option that worked, but eventually we did....

[crawford]

On 11/16/2018 at 9:23 AM, Hoyaheel said:

We did a SIN-HKG trip in 2016. We used ATMs in each country to get money we wanted. The tour companies we used were very happy to make sure we got to an ATM so we could pay them 😉 I asked ahead of time, while arranging the tours. In places we didn't use tours and amused ourselves, it was usually pretty easy to find an ATM. HCMC was the most difficult - took us a few tries to find an option that worked, but eventually we did....

Thanks for your reply. We have prepaid a few tours but not all.

[Hoyaheel]

Even for tours we paid ahead of time, we wanted money for tipping, shopping, whatever....

[diesel1973]

When I travel abroad I usually obtain about 2-300$ worth of the local currency at my local bank. When you arrive at their airport you never know what you might need it for. In my early travels I learned my lesson when arriving at airport and needing a taxi to hotel. I had to deal with the airport currency exchange which was no bargain. Also some businesses don't accept CC's and it comes in handy for tips. I believe Wells Fargo is the best bank to deal with for foreign currency. Hope this helps and happy travels!

[iancal]

It depends on how much money you need.  Withdrawing money from ATM's in SE asia can be expensive.  In Thailand, for example, most banks charge 200b ($6) for service.  

 

You will be better off taking your home currency and then converting some at an in country fx shop.  Currency will be at a considerably better rate if you buy it in country vs buying at home and taking with you.

We found this to be true in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam over the each of the past few years.

 

Absolutely avoid FX exchange stores in airports, etc.  BUT...if you do this make sure that your bills are in good condition.  No rips, no writing on them, etc.

Edited November 21, 2018 by iancal

[PCWalton1]

Back in April we went to 7 countries and picked up currency (about $100 per country) at the bank just to make it easier. If you are more comfortable with local ATMs go for it. I am probably stating the obvious but just be sure to let your credit card company know you are traveling there. 

[diesel1973]

Funny you mention about CC's. I used to alert them before I would travel out of town. Lately when I call them they say there is no need for it as the new cards have chips. I traveled recently and used my CC and I got an e-mail asking me if transaction was valid. I responded but what if I had no access to internet? I still notify them!