How much cash to bring?

[CPT Trips]

5 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

WHO has cash anymore?

It’s always wise to have some Tinklegeld. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[ural guy]

If you tip your cabin steward with USD, I figure they'll consolidate with the other tips they get, and convert them to Euros or Philippine pesos or whatever when they get home.  The extra hassle for them is much better than no tip at all, which is the alternative if you have no other cash.  For good or bad, the Yankee Greenback is used all over the world, and holds value better than other currency.

 

My only new piece of advice I haven't seen mentioned is always have them charge you in the local currency.  The card machine can have this option to be charged the home currency of your card, or local currency.  It is sometimes worded poorly.  The difference is that paying local currency your bank sets the exchange rate, otherwise it is the local merchant/owner of the ATM getting a nice conversion fee.  Some places can be pretty annoying with this. and tell you they are doing you a favor.  They're not.

 

A better explanation:  

https://www.investopedia.com/dynamic-currency-conversion-dcc-term-4769305

 

[Canal archive]

In years past over our many trips to the USA my DH made sure he had a sufficiency of dollar bills and when I joined him it was one of his first priorities to ensure I had the same. So no problem Asia to a certain extent the same but in whatever local tender. Although I agree that Europe can for regular tippers be somewhat problematical. To tip or not to tip that is the question whether it be safer to do so and therefore avoid embarrassment or to do so and throw caution to the winds. U.K. don’t worry unless it’s the doorman at say Claridge’s  Hotel  London note the position of his hand it’s a clue. Most restaurants have a service charge and any server if asked ‘do you get an included tip’ will answer. Although these days the youngsters are very happy to accept recognition for good service and I for one don’t blame them. Most people these days earn a living wage, tipping came about because this was not always the case. 
Wherever your traveling to in this world Europe included a few pennies in the local money is most probably a sensible precaution if not used put it in a safe place to be used or not on your next visit across the pond.

[Daisi]

16 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

As Europe converts to plastic-only, the restaurants are going to have to give up the insistence on cash tips.  WHO has cash anymore?

 

 

I think the only time we use cash here is when we go to our hairdresser's. She works from home, and doesn't have a card machine. Other than that, we use our card, because they pay us to use it. 

 

[Canal archive]

I’ve never used a card in my hairdressers only cash but then he’s in a very small Wiltshire village used to be a hairdresser in the film industry until he met his soul mate, retired and then started up again. He’s a well kept secret, cash only!

[AnhaltER1960]

On 9/29/2024 at 6:33 PM, btregoning said:

 

Do you find that the ATM fee is less than the exchange fee for getting foreign currency from the bank?

Yes.

[gnome12]

12 hours ago, Daisi said:

 

 

I think the only time we use cash here is when we go to our hairdresser's. She works from home, and doesn't have a card machine. Other than that, we use our card, because they pay us to use it. 

 

For me I use cash regularly for 2 things only. My cleaning woman, who, when I asked about e-transfer looked at me blankly so I continue to pay her in cash, and I go to monthly concerts by a band of mostly retired musicians and music teachers, and they are still cash only.

And, just tonight, I bought a box of Girl Guide Cookies (the chocolatey mint ones) that were being sold at my singing session.

[Canal archive]

Thanks for supporting your Girl Guides but I’m surprised they’re not more entrepreneurial but I expect they make up for it in other ways. We hosted a group of Canadian Girl Guides some few years ago now - what a mistaka to maka - what one group didn’t think of the other did and supported each other whatever happened and this was way before Girl Power - they had it in spades.

[gnome12]

3 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Thanks for supporting your Girl Guides but I’m surprised they’re not more entrepreneurial but I expect they make up for it in other ways. We hosted a group of Canadian Girl Guides some few years ago now - what a mistaka to maka - what one group didn’t think of the other did and supported each other whatever happened and this was way before Girl Power - they had it in spades.

This was actually an aunt bringing some boxes of cookies to our singing group. I have no idea what (or if) the guides do anything differently when they sell them as a group.

[Daisi]

Maybe because of the distance here, but most GG cookies here are sold over local FB pages - someone lets everyone know what is coming up and when they will be available, and we all put in our orders. Once in a while when we drive into town, we will see the girls out selling them at grocery stores, but they just can't go "door to door" as they do in urban areas. I have a feeling that thanks to the FB pages, sales in the area have increased significantly. When you only get them 2x a year, people order them and freeze them. 🙂

 

[gnome12]

5 hours ago, Daisi said:

Maybe because of the distance here, but most GG cookies here are sold over local FB pages - someone lets everyone know what is coming up and when they will be available, and we all put in our orders. Once in a while when we drive into town, we will see the girls out selling them at grocery stores, but they just can't go "door to door" as they do in urban areas. I have a feeling that thanks to the FB pages, sales in the area have increased significantly. When you only get them 2x a year, people order them and freeze them. 🙂

 

When I was working (pre-Covid) there would always be someone with a kid in Guides who would bring them in, put them out in the kitchen, and sell them. (It was considered impolite to go office to office, but leaving them in the kitchen avoided anyone feeling pressured to buy.) I have on very rare occasions seen a group of girls selling at a mall, but never door-to-door.