The joy of getting new foreign currency

[Jean C]

@MMDown Under, it sounds awful for you, not nice when cards are declined. A good cautionary tale, thank you for the reminder.  I'm glad your daughter was able to save the day for you 👍 If all else fails, Picton is pleasant to walk around.

[MicCanberra]

I once found that I couldn't make a purchase in Argentina, I didn't  have enough pesos, I didn't want to use my Visa card due to fees, I offered USD but the exchange rate they wanted was horrible, so I walked out. The next day, they saw me walking past and  offered me a much better rate. It was too late, I had found another shop.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We had a problem with.one of our debit cards in Japan. It worked fine first time but not the second. We had to use the other one which charges foreign transaction fees. 

 

We rang the bank but they couldn't see any reason why that card hadn't worked and it wasn't blocked. It worked OK in Thailand though.

 

Very strange.

[ceeceeDee]

12 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Hi everyone I am currently cruising on Resilient Lady towards Picton.  Please remind me details of recommended half day cruise tour in.Picton.

 

i am awake because I’m watching the Australian Open.

 

I’m writing to let everyone know my credit card has failed me yet again, as it did last time I was in UK on my own.

 

i have spent the $400 NZ cash, still have Aust cash I can convert.  My daughter has lent me her second credit card, so I’m financially OK.

 

Knowing how and why it happened doesnt

help me and doesn’t stop me feeling very annoyed.  The amount of time family and I have spent trying to fix my card being refused had the potential to spoil my holiday but we won’t let it.  Needless to say I will be getting a new credit card on my return to Australia

i just want to share don’t rely on credit cards totally, esp if you travel alone overseas, as I do.  you can take up to $10,000 Aust cash out of the country legally. 

Oh, Marion. How awful for you. We usually carry 2 cards (1 credit, 1 debit) and a bit of cash. I think last time we were in the States, we took about $US800 in cash and used that for most purchases and tips. Everything else we paid in advance (hotel accommodation, transfers, excursions, etc) before leaving Australia. From memory, the only things we paid via credit card were restaurant bills at the hotels before and after our cruise. We didn't experience any problems with the credit card, thankfully. We were travelling with friends and I suppose if the worst happened we would all have had access to at least 3 credit cards. Glad we didn't have to find out.

[mr walker]

Just so we can all understand what caused the problem to be aware ourselves, what was the thing that initiated the problem? Did you incorrectly enter your PIN which started the chain of events ie needing to answer security questions etc? It seems unusual for the problem to occur in NZ.

 

Most are conscious of needing a fallback to our 'primary' card, without the need to carry large sums of cash. We have a debit card, and a travel money card as backup should something go wrong. I don't want to spend my holiday washing dishes if my card is declined 😮

 

Glad you were able to get through it with your daughter's help

[Gwendy]

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I once found that I couldn't make a purchase in Argentina, I didn't  have enough pesos, I didn't want to use my Visa card due to fees, I offered USD but the exchange rate they wanted was horrible, so I walked out. The next day, they saw me walking past and  offered me a much better rate. It was too late, I had found another shop.

I had the opposite problem at the Buenos Aires zoo.  I tried to pay with a 100 peso note, but she didn’t have enough change for me so I had to stand aside till some more people paid and she had change. Lol The exchange rate at that time meant 100 pesos was worth approx $25 AUD.

[arxcards]

7 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

When cash is no longer available I will stop travelling overseas!!

Two credit cards failed in London for different reasons.

This time it was a large hold put on twice in

error fixed immediately but too late!!

I failed answering both security questions 

Name of first car?

First house?

how one could fail either question is beyond me.  I still have my first car in my backyard to be used in Landscaping.

As for first house such a big unforgettable occasion. 

My daughter said it was because I replied Hillman Minx instead of just Hillman. ??

I spent hours just finding out how to call the bank in Aust from NZ

There is room for improvement by banks to improve their systems to be more user friendly to Seniors.  When my daughter said she was coming with me to Auckland for the weekend to see I got on the ship safely I laughed out loud.  Well she proved to be a life saver, even having to pay for our Auckland accommodation.  I discovered things I thought I had paid only had credit card holds on them.

when card was presented it was refused. Tried again a day ago and it still got refused.

im going into detail so travellers understand the potential pitfalls.

 

Enjoy your cruise and don't revisit any of this while you are relaxing at sea.

Yes, knowing before you go is important, including overseas call numbers for bank, card services, travel insurance etc. You mentioned previously about finding another bank, but they are all connected via Visa or Mastercard services and have the same processes and policies and it is just a matter of luck of who is on the other end of the phone on the day.

 

Holds do suck. That angry phone call from a wife stuck at the checkout while doing the post holiday shopping - I'm not going there again. Holds are prevalent for hotels, cruise ships, car rentals etc - a pseudo security deposit. For locked in accommodation, we pay as much as we can before we leave Australia. That also includes adding packages or OBC to the cruise so there is a minimal spending overseas. That way we are mostly using our cards/cash on meals and touristy incidentals.

[lyndarra]

I take two CCs, a Visa and a Mastercard. Got caught out once, due to cruise holds still there on the last day of a post cruise 7 day tour to Fairbanks, Alaska. I needed to pay for an extra night stay in a Fairbanks hotel as my TA had miscalculated the number of nights we were staying. The reserve card came in handy then.

Once, in Morocco, I needed some cash. (We had to pay equivalent of USD50, cash only, for a pre flight COVID test before flying to Doha).The ATM rejected my Visa but was ok with my Mastercard.

I take very little cash. I took about USD30 cash, mostly $1 bills last June for an Alaska cruise/tour. Came home with $3 left over.

[MMDown Under]

17 hours ago, mr walker said:

Just so we can all understand what caused the problem to be aware ourselves, what was the thing that initiated the problem? Did you incorrectly enter your PIN which started the chain of events ie needing to answer security questions etc? It seems unusual for the problem to occur in NZ.

 

Most are conscious of needing a fallback to our 'primary' card, without the need to carry large sums of cash. We have a debit card, and a travel money card as backup should something go wrong. I don't want to spend my holiday washing dishes if my card is declined 😮

 

Glad you were able to get through it with your daughter's help

A NY accommodation house put through a big advance US payment $$$$ twice in error. They realised their error and reversed their charge, but too late bank had already taken the money.  I received a message from family that my bank has now reversed charge.  Good to know but I’m not wasting anymore time on

matter until I return to Australia.

 

Please understand the three times my cc failed overseas were outside my control. I have travelled my whole life and know to  some take cash.

what compounds my problem is my phone is not turned on.  My daughter can use her phone overseas (? Special package!) so was able to phone Australia.