Denar - Money

Glejte Wikivoyage: Valuta za smernice za urejanje valutnih izrazov.

Informacije o z uporabo denarja je zajeto v nakupovanje, in Nakup odsek ciljnih vodnikov. Ta članek vsebuje splošne informacije o pridobivanje denar v različnih oblikah za uporabo na številnih destinacijah, pogosto z valutami, ki niso doma.

Obstaja več načinov za pridobivanje in menjavo denarja med potovanjem. Vedno trgujete s stroški, tveganji in udobjem. Na žalost so organizirani in drugi kriminalci razvili številne načine, kako vzeti denar. Kreditne kartice imajo zakonske omejitve glede odgovornosti, če jo uporabljate nezakonito. Debitne kartice in kartice ATM imajo druga tveganja in koristi. Ta članek razpravlja o tem, kako jih uporabljati, o tveganjih in kako pridobiti valuto ali gotovino.

Menjalni tečaji

Prijavite se s tečaji v Kazahstan

Menjava tujih valut je podobna borzi; vendar so zelo velike vsakodnevne spremembe stopenj redke. Pred potovanjem in med potovanjem morate poznati relativne tržne vrednosti domače valute in valut, v katerih boste potovali. Menjalni tečaji so na voljo v številnih virih, kot so kanali za poslovne novice, poslovni odseki časopisov, spletna mesta bank, finančna spletna mesta, spletna mesta za menjavo valut in priljubljeni iskalniki, kot so Google, Yahoo in drugi, bodo pretvorili neposredno v iskalno vrstico. Lahko tudi prenesete različne aplikacije ali uporabite vnaprej nameščene aplikacije za pretvorbo, ki so priložene nekaterim pametnim telefonom. A kot bo razloženo spodaj in v naslednjih poglavjih, bo dejanski tečaj, ki se bo uporabljal za pretvorbe na drobno, pogosto za nekaj odstotnih točk slabši, saj so devizne stojnice podjetja in morajo najti način zaslužka.

Bistveno je vedeti, ali je določena stopnja število tujih enot v vaši domači valuti ali obratno. Če ga dobimo nazaj, bi to lahko bilo zelo draga napaka. Ta napaka se najverjetneje zgodi, če sta vrednosti obeh valut dvakrat ali trikrat druga od druge. Najboljši način, da se izognete kakršni koli zmedi, je ugotoviti, ali je vredna ena enota valute na vašem cilju več ali manj kot domača valuta. Za groba navodila lahko uporabite tudi spletna in mobilna orodja za pretvorbo, opisana v prejšnjem odstavku. Britanski funt je na primer vreden več kot en ameriški dolar, japonski jen pa veliko manj kot ameriški dolar. Valute, ki so vredne več, bi morale imeti stopnjo večjo od ene - uporabite ta multiplikator. Nasprotno, valute, ki so manj vredne, se morajo začeti z decimalno številko (na primer: 0,2345) - uporabite tudi ta multiplikator. Če imate le stopnjo v drugo smer, se vzajemna ali inverzno tipka na kalkulatorju (običajno 1 / X) jo bo vrnila nazaj. Če imate na primer stopnjo 4.264, vendar veste, da je vredna manj kot vaša domača valuta, jo bo vzajemni ključ spet preklopil na 0,2345 (približno). Kot preverjanje napak morata biti obe obliki tečaja, pomnoženi skupaj, tesno enaki eni (0,9999, 1 0001 ali podobno). Če imate eno stopnjo za nakup in obratno za prodajo, upoštevajte širjenje spodaj.

Obe obliki menjalnega tečaja sta namenjeni. Po prejšnjem primeru boste ob prihodu prejeli 4.264 enot tuje valute za vsako enoto domače valute (brez provizij). Ob odhodu boste za vsako enoto preostale tuje valute prejeli 0,2345 enot domače valute (še enkrat manj provizij). Prav tako pomnožite z 0,2345, če želite pretvoriti tuje cene v domačo valuto.

Na borznih okencih bo prikazana cena "kupi" in "proda" za domačo valuto. Bolj ko so ti med seboj bližje (imenovani "širjenje"), boljši je dogovor. Objavljeni mednarodni tržni tečaji (na voljo samo tistim, ki si izmenjujejo protivrednost milijonov USD) bi morali biti sredi nakupne in prodajne cene. Manj pogosto menjane valute se bodo verjetno močno razširile, zato je nakup in prodaja precej draga.

Poleg menjalnih tečajev na menjalnem pultu tudi upoštevajte vse pristojbine, zaračunane za katero koli transakcijo. Nekatere so lahko fiksne, druge spremenljive in vgrajene v uporabljeno stopnjo. Neto stroški menjave valut so pogosto bistveno višji kot pri pridobivanju valute na bankomatih (odvisno od provizije vaše banke), saj so stroški za bančne blagajne in pisarniške prostore (zlasti na letališčih) večji.

Če boste denar zamenjali za nakupovanje, je obrestna mera tista, ki vključuje provizije. Dobite ga tako, da znesek tujega denarja delite z zneskom domačega denarja, ki ga plačate. Ker ne želite ves čas uporabljati kalkulatorja, je dobro najti grobo oceno, s katero lahko računate z malo truda. Če v tem primeru zaokrožite na 5, lahko pomnožite s pet (ali delite z dve in premaknete decimalno vejico), da dobite konzervativno ceno v svoji valuti. Nato zavrnete vsako ponudbo, ki ni cenejša kot doma po tej stopnji - dejansko 15% cenejšo - ali uporabite kalkulator za ponudbe, ki se približajo. Če ste dobri v matematiki in ulomkih, lahko običajno najdete nekaj, kar se približa.

Gotovina

Gotovina z vsega sveta

Gotovina je tradicionalno in vsestransko plačilno sredstvo, ki se še vedno lahko uporablja za plačilo najbolj splošnega blaga in storitev, ki jih potrebujete med potovanjem. Vendar gotovine ni mogoče uporabiti za vse nakupe. Obstajajo tudi omejitve za prenos ali pošiljanje denarja čez državne meje (glej spodaj).

Izogibajte se zapiskom prevelike vrednosti. Če je vaša opomba vredna tedenske plače, bo le malo mest omogočilo spremembo. Če obiskujete območje, ki je revnejše od vaše države, bodo morda uporabne le presenetljivo majhne note. Tudi v bogatih državah majhne stojnice, avtobusi itd. Morda ne želijo delati velikih zapiskov. Če igraš slabo, kdaj pogajanja, pri plačilu ne želite pokazati velikih zapiskov. Ponekod je trik brez sprememb je pogosta prevara.

Večina držav zahteva, da imate gotovino v lokalni valuti. Vendar pa boste v nekaterih državah v razvoju kot turisti morali uporabljati trdno valuto (glej spodaj) in ne lokalna valuta - običajno ameriški dolar ali evro ali regionalna tržna valuta. Na nekaterih turističnih območjih, letališčih, letalih in obmejnih regijah se boste morda lahko znašli s katero koli glavno valuto ali valuto države, ki meji. Pogosto bo to povezano z dodatnimi stroški, vgrajenimi v menjalni tečaj. Makao s patako praktično sprejema hongkonške dolarje v razmerju 1: 1 in razlika ni opazna pri manjših transakcijah. Vendar pa je zamenjava denarja Macaua nazaj v hongkonške dolarje zunaj Macaua precej draga, če ne celo nemogoča, tudi v Hongkongu. Stroški čezmejnega prevoza iz Malezije v Singapur sprejemajo singapurske dolarje v razmerju 1: 1, saj menjava koristi prodajalcu. V obratni smeri ne bo delovalo.

Gotovine ni mogoče uporabiti za vse nakupe. Veliko transakcij na podlagi kioska (npr. Pri McDonaldsu) in transakcij, ki temeljijo na aplikacijah za mobilne telefone, ne sprejema gotovine. Večina podjetij za najem avtomobilov potrebuje kreditno kartico. Večji hoteli pogosto zahtevajo kreditno kartico ali veliko gotovinsko obveznico. Če imate samo gotovino, boste v čakalni vrsti za te vstopnice, medtem ko so vaši sosedje skočili v vrsto in odšli do stroja brez čakalne vrste, ki sprejema samo kreditne kartice, ali pa so vstopnice kupili prek poti. Nekatere cestnine na registrskih tablicah je mogoče plačati samo s kartico prek spleta, turist pa nima praktičnega načina plačila z gotovino. Z gotovino ne boste mogli najeti kolesarskega deljenja Washington DCali dopolnite svojo tranzitno kartico na postaji v Ljubljani Sydney. Večje hotelske verige v Nordiji ne sprejemajo več gotovinskih plačil, tako kot nekateri muzeji v isti regiji. Sistemi javnega prevoza po vsem svetu - tudi v krajih, kot je Managua - se popolnoma znebijo gotovine in namesto tega zahtevajo plačilo s kartico, izdelano po meri.

Druga pomanjkljivost gotovine je tveganje. Če ga izgubite, ga ne morete dobiti nazaj in če nekdo ugotovi, da imate veliko gomilu denarja, postanete potencialna tarča tatu ali roparju. Nekatere obrambe so obravnavane v žeparji članka, vendar ni popolne obrambe - nošenje gotovine vedno vključuje tveganje. Potovalno zavarovanje lahko krije izgubo ali krajo gotovine do določene vrednosti. Če prejmete ponarejeno bankovec ali dobite napačno spremembo od podjetja, imate običajno malo koristi.

Ko uporabljate lokalni denar, se seznanite z osnovnimi oblikami bankovcev in njihovimi varnostnimi elementi (vodni žigi, hologrami itd.) Ter pazite na ponaredke in zastarele valute. Pred začetkom potovanja poiščite menjalni tečaj in ga po možnosti poiščite iz dneva v dan, da ugotovite, ali zelo niha. Če ste to pozabili storiti in potrebujete okvirno številko, imajo letališča in menjalnice denarja ponavadi natančne (če včasih tudi slabe) menjalne tečaje. Ne pozabite: razlika med nakupno in prodajno stopnjo je njihov dobiček, zato nižja je, boljša je. Seveda vse to ne velja za države z "uradnim" tečajem, ki nima nič skupnega z dejansko vrednostjo njihove valute, ali države z ubežno inflacijo. (Venezuela in Zimbabve do leta 2015 so primeri tega.) Banke in menjalniki denarja (ki delujejo zunaj pisarne, ne puščajo denarja iz žepa plašča) so skoraj vedno na varnem, vendar lahko taksiste in drobne trgovce zamika dlan neuporabnih not. V dvomih zavrnite neznane zapiske. Bodite še posebej sumljivi do velikih zapiskov, saj so pogosteje ponarejeni.

Za nakup pri uličnih prodajalcih prinesite gotovino

Če nameravate denar zamenjati v tujini, s seboj prinesite bankovce iz lastne valute samo v dobrem stanju in samo najnovejši (pre) dizajn (razen če je res novo). Banke na vašem cilju ne morejo zlahka ali poceni zamenjati dotrajane valute za nadomestitev, kot to lahko storijo z lastno valuto svoje države. Obrabljena papirna valuta se lahko razvrednoti - če je sploh sprejeta. Tudi če so v dobrem stanju, prejšnji modeli vaše valute morda ne bodo sprejeti zaradi pomislekov glede ponarejanja. Če nameravate ameriške dolarje uporabljati v tujini, bodite pozorni na posamezne serije, ki jih sprejemate, in si zapisujte samo ostre zapiske. Če kupujete ameriške dolarje, da bi jih odpeljali v države, ki niso ZDA, o tem obvestite banko ali menjalnico, da vam bodo lahko dali novejše bankovce prave serije.

Običajno ni omejitev zneska lastne valute, ki jo lahko vnesete v ali iz druge države. Vendar morate prijaviti zneske, ki presegajo določeno vrednost. Običajno približno 10.000 ameriških dolarjev ali enakovredno - vendar pozorno preberite priseljenske obrazce. Nekatere države imajo omejitve glede zneska lokalne valute, ki jo lahko vzamete s seboj iz države. Preverite lokalne vodnike.

Kje dobiti ali zamenjati gotovino

Menjalnica, Tiraspol

Opomba: Razmere se razlikujejo v posameznih državah in celo v vsakem kraju. Kateri je morda najboljši način za pridobitev lokalne gotovine v eni državi, ni najbolj idealen način povsod drugje in obratno. Spodnji nasveti so možne splošne prakse, za več informacij pa se je najbolje obrniti na ustrezne vodnike po državah in mestih.

V mnogih državah je najboljša možnost (glede na priročnost in običajno dober menjalni tečaj) je uporabite bankomat v ciljni državi namesto da bi na izmenjavo prinesli večje količine gotovine. Običajno so višje provizije in slabši menjalni tečaji povezani z menjavo gotovine prek bankomata (glejte spodnji razdelek o karticah in uporabi bankomatov). Izjema od tega pravila je azijsko finančno središče Singapur, kjer majhni, neodvisni menjalci denarja pogosto ponujajo boljše obrestne mere kot banke ali izdajatelji kreditnih kartic, zlasti pri zamenjavi večjih zneskov.

Menjalnice delujejo na podlagi prodaje tuje valute po enem tečaju in nakupa po drugem. Prepričajte se, da poznate trenutni medbančni tečaj preden greš od doma. Kjer je večja konkurenca, bodo cene verjetno boljše. Najprimernejše lokacije izmenjav (na primer na letališčih, nakupovalnih središčih ali večjih hotelih) imajo na splošno najslabše cene. Če je mogoče, preverite razliko (ali razmik) med "prodajamo" in "kupujemo". Ko je to več kot 10%, vas zagotovo strgajo. Vendar nekateri menjalniki denarja ne ponujajo enakega razpona na obeh straneh srednjega tečaja. Na turističnem območju lahko prodajajo lokalno valuto dlje od srednjega cenovnega razreda kot nakup - vedoč, da večino transakcij opravljajo s turisti, ki morajo porabiti v lokalni valuti. Najboljše borze so lahko od 1,5% do srednjega tečaja. Preverite tudi, ali za vsako transakcijo obstaja dodatna fiksna provizija, in jo upoštevajte v izračunu. Bodite previdni, ko naletite na znak "brez provizije" ali "0% provizije": to lahko pomeni, da je običajno možna menjava tuje valute neposredno pri bankah. Običajno ste odvisni od banke, če ne boste imeli na voljo najboljših ali najslabših obrestnih mer. Nekatere banke vas bodo zabavale le, če imate velike zneske in / ali imate račun pri njih ali njihovih podružnicah v vaši državi, druge pa so svojo menjalno funkcijo oddale v menjalnico. Druga pomanjkljivost je, da imajo večinoma omejen delovni čas, tako da med vikendi in prazniki ne boste imeli sreče. Stojnice z valutami, pritrjene na zastavljalnice, se morda splačajo poskusiti po razumnih cenah. Nekatere institucije zahtevajo identifikacijo pred zamenjavo valute, zlasti za večje zneske.

V nekaterih primerih je morda bolje, da svoj denar zamenjate pred odhodom, v drugih pa je bolje, če to storite na svojem cilju. Praviloma imajo manj znane valute na svetu manj ugodne menjalne tečaje zunaj države, v kateri so zakonito plačilno sredstvo. Dejansko jih je mogoče pred pretvorbo najprej pretvoriti v dobro znano valuto, kot je ameriški dolar. nazaj v gostujočo valuto tudi po neugodnih tečajih. V tem primeru domačo valuto pred odhodom pretvorite v glavno valuto (običajno ameriški dolar), nato pa ob prihodu zamenjajte to glavno valuto v valuto gostitelja. Pred odhodom imate tudi več časa za nakupovanje po najboljših cenah. Iskanje menjalnika z najboljšimi cenami na vašem cilju vam vzame nekaj dragocenega počitniškega časa.

Danes je večina glavnih valut ponarejena. Preučite bankovce tuje države, da se seznanite s tem, kako naj bi izgledal in se počutil. Skoraj vse valute uporabljajo tehnologije za preprečevanje ponarejanja, vključno s črnilom za spreminjanje barve, vodnimi žigi, posebnimi nitmi, mavričnimi črnili, dvignjenim tiskom, hologrami in drugimi funkcijami. Bodite seznanjeni z njimi, da jih boste lahko hitro preverili, ko boste dobili nov bankovec, ne glede na to, ali gre za spremembo večjega bankovca ali zamenjavo denarja. Če niste prepričani, ne bojte se reči, da bi raje dobili drugačno opombo, ali pa recimo, da boste raje dobili dve manjši opombi. (Če na primer dobite desetico v menjavi, ki vam ni všeč, namesto tega prosite za dve petici.) Če na koncu dobite ponaredk, po odhodu ne boste dobili odškodnine s strani tistega, ki ga je dal vi in boste na koncu morali to razložiti policiji.

Črna borza

V nekaterih državah je uradni menjalni tečaj določen na povsem nerazumen ali nerealen tečaj. V teh državah je Črni trg bo zagotovil veliko bolj realistično oceno vrednosti valute in je praktično neizogiben. Na primer, leta 2007 je bil uradni tečaj 250 Zimbabve dolarjev za ameriški dolar, medtem ko je tečaj črnega trga dosegel 600.000: 1.

Vendar tveganja črne borze so velika. Najprej in predvsem črna borza je nezakonito in tako kupec kot prodajalec se lahko ujameta s strogimi sankcijami: prodajalec je lahko celo policist (ali sodeluje z njim), da ujame turiste. Drugič, tveganje za goljufije je visoka: lahko dobite zastarele bankovce, ponarejene bankovce, manjše od obljubljenega zneska ali pa nič. Dobro premislite, ali morate najprej zamenjati, saj bodo podjetja v državah z valutami košaric pogosto več kot z veseljem sprejela trdno valuto namesto tega (čeprav je tudi to pogosto nezakonito) in morda boste dobili vse lokalno valuto, ki jo potrebujete za spremembo.

Spremenite le malo na enem mestu, ostalo pa drugje, tako da bo, če vas bodo prevarali, manj izgube.

Ključno vodilo za uspešne transakcije na črnem trgu je prejemanje denarja preden predate svojega. Preštejte zapiske, jih natančno preglejte, primerjajte z vsemi, ki jih že imate, in, šele takrat, predajte lastni denar prodajalcu. Ne dovolite jim, da vzamejo nazaj denar, ki so vam ga dali, saj je tu mogoče potegniti različne trike s spretnostmi, da zakoniti sveženj nadomestijo s povsem drugim.

V državah, kjer so devizni tečaji razumni, se je najbolje popolnoma izogniti črnemu trgu: tvegate, da boste izgubili ves svoj denar za največ dobička.

Izjema lahko velja v državah, kot je Nepal in Indija pri opravljanju zakonite menjave v banki lahko zapravite uro ali več, vendar vam bo večina hotelov takoj in dokaj varno zamenjala denar. Stopnja morda ni veliko boljša, a udobje je.

Zamenljiva valuta

(Tradicionalni trg) Tunis

A konvertibilna valuta je valuta, ki jo je mogoče enostavno pretvoriti v valuto druge države; nasprotno, an nekonvertibilna valuta je teoretično brez vrednosti zunaj države izvora. Nekaj držav, kot Kuba, še vedno izdajajo eno konvertibilno valuto za turiste in eno nekonvertibilno valuto za domačine. V nekaterih državah, kot je Tunizija in Indija, prepovedan je uvoz ali izvoz (nekonvertibilnih) dinarjev in rupij, čeprav se takšni predpisi redko izvajajo za majhne zneske. Kljub temu, izvedeti zakoni vnaprej in sledite jim.

Zamenljivost je določena z zakonom in se ne odraža vedno v resnici: nekatere valute, kot je Indijski rupija v teoriji ni mogoče pretvoriti, vendar je v praksi dokaj enostavno trgovati z njo, medtem ko je drugim všeč Svazi lilangeni so v teoriji popolnoma kabrioleti, vendar jih je skoraj nemogoče prodati ali kupiti v večini sveta.

Kljub imenu so pogosto nekonvertibilne valute kupljeno s popustom zunaj države izvora, ker se jih ljudje, ki jih držijo, želijo znebiti. Iskanje nekoga kupi jim je težje. Tudi državne trgovine v nekaterih državah bodo vztrajale pri pridelavi turistov menjalna potrdila da dokažejo, da je bil njihov denar pridobljen iz zakonitega vira, kot je lokalna banka, po uradnem (običajno slabem) menjalnem tečaju, takšna potrdila pa so pogosto potrebna tudi, če želite v državi vrniti nepotreben denar.

Če potujete v državo z nekonvertibilno valuto ali tisto, ki je v praksi ne morete kupiti ali prodati v svoji državi, morate svoj denar pretvoriti v glavno mednarodno valuto, preden zapustite državo. Z naslednjimi valutami, ki kotirajo na borzi, se zelo aktivno trguje na deviznem trgu in so kot take široko dostopne in jih je mogoče zamenjati pri bankah kjer koli na svetu:

Seznam je v prednostnem vrstnem redu, v resnici pa so prvi 3 na seznamu običajno zamenljivi tudi v najbolj oddaljeni menjalnici denarja. Čeprav se z njimi ne trguje tako z osmimi zgoraj naštetimi valutami, Kitajski juan postaja vse bolj dostopna menjalcem zaradi naraščajočega statusa Kitajske kot glavne gospodarske sile.

Trdna valuta

V mnogih revnejših državah z inflacijskimi, nestabilnimi in / ali nekonvertibilnimi valutami se lahko tuja trdna valuta izkaže za bolj koristno kot lokalna valuta. Čeprav njegova vrednost niha, "zlati standard" za valute ostaja ameriški dolar. Domačini ga lahko sprejmejo kot plačilo neposredno, čeprav ne nujno po dobrem menjalnem tečaju. Dejansko je več držav v Karibi, Ameriki in Jugovzhodna Azija uporabite kot njihovo de facto - ali celo uradna - valuta. The evro je tudi vse bolj dobro sprejeta, vsaj v regijah z veliko evropskimi obiskovalci, revnejše države z ekonomsko močnimi sosedami pa lahko sprejmejo tudi trde regionalne valute (kot je Tajski baht v Mjanmar, Laos in Kambodža, Avstralski dolar ali včasih Nova Zelandija dolar v večjem delu Oceanija, Južni Afričan rand v južni Afriki in na Indijski rupija v Južna Azija). Nekatere valute imajo fiksni tečaj glede na evro, ameriški dolar ali drugo valuto. Medtem ko so nekatere "vezane" 1: 1 (Panaman balboa za ameriški dolar, falklandski funt za britanski funt), kar pogosto pomeni, da sta obe valuti enako sprejeti, druge, kot je npr. Bosanska konvertibilna znamka, pa druge menjalnih tečajev (v tem primeru 1 evro za 1.95583 znamke) in jih je treba zamenjati bolj verjetno kot ne. Kljub temu je te valute težko zamenjati za kaj drugega, razen za valuto, na katero so vezane, včasih pa je menjava mogoča le v državi, kjer je navedena valuta zakonito plačilno sredstvo. Ta "klin" se prav tako ponavadi zlomi, če vladi, ki je izdala ta denar, zmanjka trdih evrov, dolarjev ali funtov, s katerimi lahko odkupi lokalno valuto. Na kratko: balboas, falklandski funt ali bosanske znamke ponavadi niso nič drugega kot spominek, ko zapustite območje, kjer so uradno.

Če niti vaša matična niti ciljna država ne uporabljata svetovno znane valute, vzemite najpogosteje zamenjano trdno valuto na svojem cilju. Na primer, nekdo, ki potuje iz Singapurja v Mehiko, bi moral vzeti ameriške dolarje. Čeprav gre za dvojno pretvorbo, se bo skoraj vedno izkazalo za cenejšo od ene konverzije (tj. Menjalni tečaj v Mehiki za singapurske dolarje ali v Singapurju za mehiški pezos bo verjetno grozen).

Trdno valuto lahko uporabite tudi pri trganju z domačini, tako da namesto lokalne valute ponudite trdo valuto. Izkoristite menjalni tečaj v svojo korist in ponudite v trdi valuti. Če boste med postopkom pokazali nekaj ameriških dolarjev, boste morda pomagali pokazati le, kaj ste pripravljeni plačati. Če nameravate barantati, morate imeti na voljo majhne zapiske, da ne boste potrebovali veliko drobiža, še posebej, če ste ravno barantali ceno, ki je precej nižja. Za izdelek, vreden 5, ne želite prodajalcu podariti 50; prodajalca boste povabili, da vam poskuša prodati več stvari ali, še huje, obvestite bližnje žeparje, koliko imate.

Pametno je shraniti trdno valuto v sili, ločeno od vseh drugih stvari in dragocenosti. Nekatera podjetja, ki se ukvarjajo s številnimi tujimi turisti, lahko sprejemajo tudi tuji denar, vendar skoraj vedno z nižjim menjalnim tečajem, da bi omogočili nevšečnosti.

Kovanci

V večini primerov ne morete zamenjati kovancev, ko zapustite državo. Pred odhodom jih zamenjajte, odložite v dobrodelno škatlo ali jih spomnite. Če se seznanite s kovanci in valuto za ciljno državo in ne mešate kovancev iz različnih držav v torbici ali žepu, boste lahko prihranili preveč kovancev, preden odidete. Da bi se izognili kopičenju preveč kovancev, jih čim bolj uporabite za plačevanje (namesto bankovcev) med gotovinskimi transakcijami. Nekatere države imajo kovance, ki imajo relativno veliko vrednost (na primer 2 evra, 5 Švicarski frankov, 2 Kanadski 500 dolarjev Japonski jena ali 5 Bosanski konvertibilnih mark), ki jih je priporočljivo porabiti najprej.

V ZDA, Veliki Britaniji, na Irskem in v Kanadi lahko najdete a Coinstar stroj v mnogih supermarketih. To bo zahtevalo majhno spremembo in se bo pretvorilo v e-potrdilo za nekatere trgovine ali kot kupon, ki ga boste porabili v trgovini, v kateri ste. Ker je kupon za porabo v trgovini zaračunan 10%, je to manj ugodno kot preprosto zapravljanje kovanci se shranijo po njihovi nominalni vrednosti, vendar je to morda vseeno bolje, kot če veliko kovancev vrnete v domovino.

Debetne, kreditne, bankomatske in predplačniške kartice

Za dvig gotovine lahko uporabite debetne kartice, kreditne kartice in predplačniške kartice avtomatski blagajni (Bankomati), plačujejo restavracije in hotele ter kupujejo, kjer so sprejeti.

Debitne kartice so včasih znane tudi kot "čekovne kartice" ali "bančne kartice", ker dvigujejo denar z vašega bančnega računa, ko jih uporabljate. Kartice ATM so debetne kartice, ki lahko dvignejo gotovino samo iz bankomata. Z računom so povezani na enak način kot z debetno kartico, vendar z različnimi tveganji. (Glejte "Debitne kartice in kartice ATM: Tveganja / kompromisi" spodaj.)

Kreditne kartice niso povezane z računom, na katerem so sredstva, temveč se zaračunajo s kreditne linije, ki jo je treba pozneje odplačati.

Predplačniške kartice, ki jih včasih imenujejo tudi "denar za potovanje", so kartice s shranjeno vrednostjo, ki jih dopolnite in nato izvlečete. Na kartici lahko pogosto hranijo več različnih valut.

Vse te kartice so običajno blagovno znamko ene od znamk kartic, kot sta Visa ali Mastercard. Ta podjetja olajšajo sprejem kartice. Kartice, ki nosijo samo blagovno znamko vaše banke, so običajno le kartice ATM. Te kartice je mogoče uporabljati na bankomatih vaše banke, pa tudi v omrežjih bankomatov in nakupovalnih omrežjih na prodajnih mestih, katerih članica je vaša banka.

Kreditne in debetne funkcije so pogosto združene v eni sami kartici, tako da vsakič, ko jo preberete, izberete, ali želite uporabiti bančni račun ali kreditno kartico.

Uporaba bankomatov

Čakalna vrsta do bankomata, Azerbajdžan. Izogibajte se bankomatom, kjer morate PIN vnašati s preblizem.

Uporaba bankomatov (ali bankomatov) je lahko najprimernejši način pridobivanja katere koli valute ko niste doma, doma ali v tujini. Razen v nekaterih državah so kartice Mastercard, Visa ter Cirrus in Plus povezane v skoraj vseh bankomatih po vsem svetu. Z uporabo bankomata ali debetne kartice bo denar prišel neposredno z vašega bančnega računa in to je ponavadi najcenejši način za pridobitev lokalne gotovine.

Provizije se razlikujejo glede na vašo banko, operaterja bankomatov in njihov odnos. Informacije, objavljene na bankomatu ali prikazane na zaslonu, bodo pokazale, koliko vam bo zaračunal operater bankomata; izdajatelj vaše banke / kartice lahko doda svoje provizije in doplačila, zato so lahko skupne provizije višje od tistih, ki so navedene na bankomatu. Provizije so lahko določene glede na uporabljeni menjalni tečaj ali ne, lahko pa so tudi fiksni stroški: za več informacij preverite provizije banke / izdajatelja kartice. V Evropski uniji so pristojbine regulirane, zato je pridobivanje evrov z računa v evrih pogosto brezplačno - vendar ne pri vseh karticah in ne pri vseh bankomatih.

Bankomati po vsem svetu večinoma sledijo ustaljenemu vzorcu za dvig gotovine. Vstavite kartico in se potrdite z osebno identifikacijsko številko (PIN), preden določite znesek vašega dviga. Mogoče je mogoče intuitivno uporabljati bankomat v lokalnem jeziku. Toda novejši bankomati ali tisti iz večjih bank ali na turističnih območjih vam lahko omogočijo, da izberete drug, znani jezik na začetnem zaslonu ali po vstavitvi kartice. Preden odprete zaslon za dvig, se prepričajte, da ste seznanjeni s trenutnim menjalnim tečajem, saj je vaš znesek dviga običajno v lokalni valuti.

Upoštevajte varnostne ukrepe, ki bi jih uporabili doma: zavedajte se, da lahko ljudje ali skrite kamere vidijo kodo PIN, ko jo vnesete, in na varnem mestu uporabite bankomat. Bankomati na letališčih, v avlah bank in v nakupovalnih središčih imajo običajno boljšo varnost (tam je težje namestiti lopovsko kamero ali čitalnik kartic, varnost pa bo posredovala v primeru ropa bližnjih tatov). Bankomate je mogoče vdreti, zlonamerno programsko opremo pa namestijo kriminalci. Uporaba teh naprav lahko nato drugim omogoči, da izpraznijo vaš račun. Uporaba kartice z nekaterimi garancijami za goljufije, na primer s kreditno kartico namesto z debetno kartico, lahko nudi nekaj zaščite. Uporabljajte tudi stroje, ki jih upravljajo večje ustaljene banke, ki imajo verjetno boljše sisteme za preprečevanje goljufij.

Predplačniške kartice, ki se prodajajo za potovanja, lahko običajno uporabite na bankomatih. Nekatere predplačniške kartice so lahko omejene samo na nakupe. Še enkrat preverite pristojbine.

V razvitih državah je bankomate ponavadi enostavno najti v večjih mestih, vendar ne nujno na podeželju. Običajno se lahko zanesete na bankomate, vendar si boste morda bolj prizadevali, da jih poiščete, in bodo morda bolj nezanesljivi. Države z gospodarskimi sankcijami lahko ne delajo z mednarodnimi karticami. Nekateri bankomati držav v razvoju lahko izdajajo samo lokalno valuto, če turistični obrati sprejemajo samo ameriške dolarje ali podobno. Zaradi tega je tam bankomat dejansko neuporaben. Oglejte si članke o državah. Nekateri bankomati ponujajo več valut, pogosto na podlagi njihove lokacije in baze strank.

Pazite se kloniranje kartice v državah z velikimi goljufijami. Tatovi lahko na čitalnik kartic bankomata postavijo napravo, da zajamejo podatke o vaši kartici ali prestrežejo podatke, ko kartico uporabljate v restavraciji ali trgovini, nato pa ustvarijo dvojnik kartice, ki jo lahko uporabijo sami. Če želite zmanjšati tveganje za kloniranje vaše kartice, poiščite bankomate na lokacijah, ki so dobro osvetljene in vidne zaposlenim. Preden ga začnete, preglejte bralnik kartic na bankomatu - če je nenavadne oblike, ima ohlapno komponento ali se ne ujema z drugimi bankomati v bližini, ne uporabljaj ga.

Banka vam bo morda zaračunala provizijo za preverjanje stanja. Včasih pa bodo vaše stanje na računu za dvig gotovine natisnili brezplačno; zadnji korak vas lahko vpraša, ali ga želite. Pri različnih menjalnih tečajih in provizijah znesek na zaslonu morda ni točen. Najboljši način za preverjanje stanja brez plačila je uporaba internetnega bančništva ali aplikacije pametnega telefona banke. Ko si ogledujete dejavnost računa v spletu, se dvigi in nakupi na bankomatih pretvorijo v domačo valuto. Običajno niste prejeli stanja na tujem bankomatu ali pa je prikazano samo v tuji valuti. Vendar pa bodo številni sodobni bankomati prikazovali vaše trenutno stanje v lokalni in domači valuti in vam celo prikazovali menjalni tečaj, ki se uporablja ob dvigu.

V Kitajska, UnionPay je najprimernejša vrsta kartice, čeprav ni težko najti trgovine ali bankomata, ki bi sprejel bolj globalne vrste, kot sta Visa ali Mastercard.

V vsakem primeru opravite potrebne raziskave, da boste izvedeli več o bankomatih, kamor potujete. Vodiči večine držav bi vam morali biti sposobni povedati, ali so brezplačni bankomati norma. Uporabite tudi varnostno kopijo, če bankomati izgledajo tvegani.

Vzpostavitev bančnih računov pri banki, ki je prisotna po vsem svetu (kot sta HSBC in Citibank), ponuja nekatere prednosti. Pogosto brezplačno uporabljajo bankomate v tujih podružnicah iste banke, boljša povezljivost in varnostne funkcije pa jih naredijo bolj zanesljive. Čeprav vam običajno ne bodo mogli pomagati na blagajnah, vas pogosto po telefonu povežejo s klicnim centrom vaše banke, ki lahko reši kakršne koli težave.

Bankomati pogosto izdajo čim manj računov (bankovcev). Na primer, dvig 150 EUR bo verjetno ustvaril tri račune za 50 EUR. Številni ljudje nočejo spreminjati velikih računov, zato je priporočljivo dvigniti znesek, ki ga ni mogoče ustvariti samo z velikimi računi, v tem primeru npr. 160 €, da dobite nekaj računov za 20 € za majhne nakupe. Katere račune proizvajajo bankomati in kako velike račune sprejemajo, se od kraja do kraja razlikuje. V ZDA so številni bankomati opremljeni le z računi za 20 USD.

Uporaba kartic na prodajnem mestu

The acceptance of debit and credit cards by business varies by country and area, so check the local guides. Acceptance is generally more common in more developed countries, but on the other hand, don't be too surprised if a market stall holder in a the remotest of small towns produces a credit card terminal from under the counter.

By far, the most accepted cards worldwide are Visa and MasterCard. If you are acquiring a card for travel, you should get one of these two brands of cards; most issuers should offer either of these cards by default. American Express and Diners' Club cards have global networks but acceptance varies widely depending by country and merchant. Discover, JCB, China UnionPay, NYCE, Star, MAC, and Shazam are regional. Acceptance outside the region is usually limited to areas catering to visitors.

Discover, JCB, China UnionPay, and India's RuPay have an alliance with each other, which allows any of these cards to be accepted on any of the other networks in the home markets of each issuer. This is purely a network alliance, that largely serves to make Discover more usable in China, Japan, and India. This doesn't mean that if the Ugg boot store in Sydney accepts JCB, that it will also accept Discover. Sales personnel may not be familiar with this, but it will work if you can convince them to try. JCB has a separate network alliance with American Express that operates worldwide.

Even if your card is accepted worldwide, you may come across some points-of-sale (e.g. ticket vending machines) that only accept domestically-issued cards. This is manifested through the requirement to enter a postal or zip code of your billing address. If you don't live in the country you are performing the transaction in, you won't obviously be able to provide the postal code. A similar situation may await you when you try to buy local transport tickets using a transport operator's mobile app (this is more common in the US and when this is the case, such apps are not going to be available on your country's mobile app store anyway); in this case, you will have to use the vending machines or a manned ticket desk and possibly pay only in cash.

Debit/ATM versus credit cards

ATMs in Poznan

Debit/ATM cards are linked directly to a bank, checking or cash account and immediately deduct the amount of the purchase or ATM withdrawal from the account. Credit cards are not linked to an account with funds in it, but instead charge against a credit line, to be repaid later. Debit cards can be used for general purchases and for obtaining currency. ATM cards can only be used in ATMs for withdrawing currency. This means somewhat greater security for the latter, i.e.,

If your ATM card is lost or number stolen, thieves cannot use it in any way without its PIN.
If card and PIN are compromised, ATMs will dispense currency only in the general locations, dates/times and amount limits you arranged with your bank/credit union before travel.
If a debit card number is lost or stolen, thieves can use it (with a "cloned" card and phony identification) anywhere to buy goods or services less than a certain amount (for each use) set by your bank...often $100 (equivalent) or less.
If card and PIN are compromised, thieves can promptly empty the entire account, and may gain ability to use or steal other assets by examining account details.

When using any type of card to withdraw cash, your bank may charge a fee of 1–3% on top of foreign exchange, an ATM fee and perhaps others. In addition, most credit card users will be charged a cash advance fee and interest on any cash advance ("loan") from the day you withdraw it from an ATM until the credit card balance is fully paid. Credit cards sometimes also have a higher than normal interest rate applicable to cash advances. In some cases you can use a credit card like a debit card or prepaid card by making a payment into your credit card account in-advance, keeping the balance positive. In this case you can avoid the daily interest charge, but still may face other fees. Your bank may also limit its liability to the credit limit on the card if it is lost or stolen.

Such costs will be unlike and separate from those for retail purchases, and the interest rate for cash advances will often be higher than for purchases. In some cases, your bank may limit credit card cash advances or loans to an amount substantially less than your overall credit line.
While there is usually a grace period when using your credit card for purchases (you will not be charged interest if you pay off your balance in full within that billing period) there is usually no grace period for a cash advance using a credit card.
Your bank's liability in case of credit card or PIN loss may be limited by law, at worst equal to your credit limit and credit balance.

Despite the fees you or the merchant pays, when making point-of-sale purchases, your costs or fees will nearly always be better if you use a credit card than a debit card. If your card is stolen, your liability will usually be limited by law (for U.S. banks, $50 for all misuse), and you can dispute fraudulent charges made by unauthorized users on a credit card. But, a stolen debit card and PIN may be used to empty its account, and require many hassles to re-establish security and (perhaps) regain funds. See "Risks/trade-offs" below for ways to avoid this.

As above, credit card companies will protect you if you are charged more than you agreed to pay, if you pay for something and never receive it (strict deadlines may apply), or if your card is cloned (duplicated) without your knowledge and then fraudulently used without being physically stolen.

Credit cards may also include other benefits such as cancellation insurance for flights (usually only in the case of serious sickness), theft or loss insurance for goods (usually only if stolen within 90 days of purchase and a proper police report is filed), collision insurance for rental cars, and emergency health insurance in certain situations while you are traveling. Your card's issuer should fully describe those benefits and their limits.

Credit cards may also provide rewards programs that give you free flights or cash back after a certain (large) amount of spending. The cards may be linked to a frequent flier or hotel loyalty program. If you have an American Express card, in case of a lost or stolen card, you can obtain cash advances and replacement cards easily, by visiting an American Express office.

There are, however, a few merchants (mostly hotels and rental car firms) who abuse credit card clientele.

A hire car firm may attempt to rent you a vehicle with minor windscreen damage or small dents, then accuse you of causing that or more damage when or sometime after you return the vehicle. It may automatically charge claimed repairs to your card at questionable or inflated prices. This justifies action before you accept the vehicle for use, i.e., inspect the car thoroughly, inside and out, for damage or missing items, photograph/document any untoward condition seen, and have the condition noted with an agent's initials/signature on your contract at check-out. Consider taking similar photos as you return the vehicle as proof of its condition.
With hotels, examine the details of your bill before you pay and leave. It can be very difficult to get your bank to process a charge-back if you are careless about an overcharge or hidden charges at the time of booking, e.g. resort fees.

Many Visa or Mastercard debit cards (mostly issued by banks in Asia) are not embossed (no raised letters/numbers), hence they are indicated as "For Electronic Use Only." This means that they can't be used for transactions that require physically imprinting on a merchant's charge slip and/or manual authorization. Acceptance of these "Electronic Use Only" debit cards for online purchases may not be guaranteed even with sufficient funds, and may need clarification with the issuing bank. Consult the issuing bank about how to effectively use the card if going somewhere you've not yet used it.

Before you leave home

Payment by card in Taiwan

Advise your bank about when and where you are travelling. This can help avoid triggering its fraud monitors that may cause transactions to be rejected, or even freeze your card account. They may also need to get international support specifically activated for your debit or credit card.
Make note of what to do if your cards are lost or stolen. Note the numbers of your cards, the numbers to call. If your bank has an app that can freeze your card, download it.
If your bank detects fraud, they may try to contact you. Some banks will send you a SMS notification if they decline your card. If you don't have a phone where you can receive a phone call or a SMS, it may result in your transaction being declined or your card frozen.
Take a backup card or cards. Keep them separate from your primary cards. Make sure they are also activated for use where you are travelling to. Consider leaving a spare card with someone who could courier it to you in an emergency. Banks can charge large sums for this service.
Get a separate PIN for each of your cards, and remember them! You can and should choose PINs that you can remember easily. Choose numbers, as not all ATMs have or accept letters. Don't write any down, or make any obvious (e.g. 1234 and 1111).
PIN code lengths vary from country to country, but for maximum compatibility you should try to make each you'll use 4 digits before traveling. If you have a six digit PIN and can only enter four, try the first four.
Ensure you accurately enter the PIN when using an ATM. Some ATMs keep your card during your access, and might confiscate it if you make three incorrect PIN entries.

Most banks do not hold you responsible for any transactions made on your card that occur after you report it lost or stolen. So make sure you report any loss or suspected compromise immediately. Use of credit and debit cards is not recommended in a few countries due to high potential for fraudulent misuse, e.g. Nigeria. Your bank should be able to advise you.

"Chip cards"

A payment terminal which supports both chip and magnetic cards

"Chip cards" are credit and debit cards with an embedded chip in addition to or instead of the magnetic stripe. These cards are ubiquitous in Europe, Africa, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and are being introduced rapidly in the U.S.

A 'chip card' will generally need to be inserted rather than swiped at point of sale. Generally you will enter a PIN (cards with this configuration are called 'chip and PIN' cards), but sometimes the terminal will still generate a sales docket to be signed. In ATMs when you insert your card, there is no change. Some swipe ATMs will ask you to reinsert your card after you have swiped it.

In the U.S., all stores that display the Visa, MasterCard, or American Express logos must also accept the swipe-and-sign version of the credit cards; however, some may initially refuse to do so (be persistent, asking for the manager if necessary). Elsewhere however, with self-service machines such gas pumps and ticket vending machines, you may be out of luck. This is also the case in countries where 'chip and PIN' is the norm where chip cards that do not have a PIN may be declined.

As with all cards, check your statement regularly, and report any instances of unauthorized transactions.

Contactless cards and mobile phones/smart watches

Symbol for contactless payments

Chips on some cards (and passports) include radio frequency identification (RFID), made to be energized by a nearby (authorized) scanner. Often times, a signature and/or PIN are not needed for small transactions done through contactless. Cards that come with this technology and bear the contactless symbol (see the right hand side) and merchants that accept contactless payments will have that decal posted somewhere in their premises (either at the window/door or at the tills). Most of these use an entirely different technology from the debit or credit cards and have inadequate security, e.g. allowing almost any nearby wireless scanner to read data the card/chip holds. That can include personal and financial information, or enough data to gain access to it. This has spawned a small industry in RFID-protected wallets for cards and passports. Learn from each issuer how secure your RFID cards are, and carry and protect them accordingly.

Some mobile phones (notably iPhones released since 2014 and selected Android models), and by extension smartwatches linked to them, have a provision where users can input their debit and credit card information and 'tap' such phones on readers that accept contactless cards (Visa, Mastercard, and AMEX) to pay for a transaction. They work similar to contactless cards but have an added layer of security (e.g. fingerprint verification) before the transaction goes through. Once set up, the device doesn't need an internet connection for use in traditional brick-and-mortar merchants but information about the transaction will only be displayed once an internet connection has been established. Although in theory such technology is supposed to work anywhere with a contactless symbol, it may be difficult to use devices linked to European bank accounts in North America and vice versa due to technical differences between each region. Availability of this technology varies by country and bank. But if this is available to you and contactless is much more ubiquitous than cash in the country you are visiting, you may want to leave your cash and physical cards in your hotel safe.

One disadvantage of contactless technology using the contactless feature of a card or smart device may not be capable of withdrawing cash at cash machines.

Holds on funds

Most large hotels and all car rental companies put a funds "hold" on your credit card for a larger amount than the amount of your pending room or vehicle charge. A $100 car rental can render a card with a $3000 credit limit useless if the car rental agency puts a hold on an excess amount for the full $3000. This usually takes the form of a pre-authorisation, and the "hold" is removed automatically when the final transaction is put through. The "hold" can remain for much longer when the final transaction is never processed, and you have to wait for the pre-authorisation to expire before you can access those funds. This can happen if the hotel doesn't use the pre-authorisation code when you check-out, or if you prepay the hotel bill, and don't incur any charges while staying, there is no final transaction to clear the pre-auth. Usually a pre-auth will expire within 10 days.

"Cardlock" (pay at the pump) fuel pumps will attempt authorization for at least $75–100 on debit cards, even when a lesser amount of fuel is requested. Usually the pump will display the amount. The hold will be released when the transaction is finalized, but you may have to see an attendant if you want to buy $20 of petrol with a debit card with only $20 of funds.

Holds on funds can be more of an issue with debit cards than with credit cards - because your own funds are being held. It's usually best to pay for car rentals and hotels with credit cards where the only hold is on your credit limit.

ATM cards

Anti-skimming device installed on an ATM in Nemčija

If you appreciate the convenience and increased security of such a card, you can ask your bank or credit union for an "ATM only" card. It should (per your request) be networked with ATMs worldwide and only usable in ATMs (or permitted point-of-sale systems) and only with your PIN.

As long as your PIN is secure, this removes the possibility that your card can be stolen or copied and used without your knowledge. Your "ATM only" card also can't be used for phone or Internet purchases, further minimizing the risk someone can copy your card numbers and make unauthorized purchases.

Prepaid cards

Cards accepted!

It may be possible to get a Visa, Mastercard or American Express-branded prepaid card. This prepaid card works similarly to a debit card except that it is not a bank account. Since it is not linked to your bank account, your maximum exposure is limited to the amount of money you have transferred to that card's balance (minimum top up amounts apply).

Prepaid cards may or may not be capable of being topped-up, depending on the issuer's policies. If so, once the balance is completely depleted, the card can't be used anymore and should be physically destroyed. However for cards that may be topped-up, they can be done so in the issuing banks or online. You do not need to have a bank account with the bank that issued the prepaid card but having one has advantages such as more convenient options to top-up your card (e.g. online, via ATM). There is usually no minimum denominated amount for top-up. Still, you should only top-up the amount you need for a certain number of anticipated uses.

Availability of those cards within each country varies. Some countries like the U.S. have prepaid Visa, Mastercard and American Express available at the counter of pharmacies or grocery stores; they just need pre-payment and activation at the purchase point. Others will allow you to get them from well-known foreign exchange stands (e.g. Travelex). But a few will only make these cards available directly from participating banks.

Generally, these prepaid cards can be used worldwide unless indicated otherwise (most notably, generic Visa, Mastercard and American Express gift cards issued in the U.S.) However online use of prepaid cards depends on the issuer.

Fees can be levied on the card purchase, on top-ups, on withdrawals, on non-use, and on closure. The exchange rates used when converting to a different currency on the card, are ne the standard Visa or Mastercard rates and are determined by the issuer. These can easily be up to 10% from the "mid-rate".

Prepaid cards may or may not allow withdrawals from an ATM (depending on the issuer), and those that do may assess an additional fee on top of the usual fees imposed for withdrawals. That, because using a prepaid card is supposed to encourage electronic point-of-sale transactions.

Prepaid cards often have no PIN and therefore cannot be used for 'cardlock' pay-at-the-pump fuel purchases. They can still be processed manually by the fuel station attendant.

It will usually be cheaper to obtain and use a low foreign transaction fee debit card than a prepaid card for foreign currency transactions. The only disadvantage...you are subject to volatility in exchange rates, as your debit card only stores your local currency.

Specialist travel currency cards and fee-free alternatives

Consider purchasing currency cards such as Cash Passport. These are normally branded in a MasterCard and in some cases a Visa logo, and hence can be used in anywhere where merchants accept those cards. The normal currency cards being offered are denominated in U.S. dollars, euros, pound sterling, Canadian dollars and Australian dollars. You will top up in your home currency and it will be converted into the currency of the card.

Some currency cards are capable of containing multiple currencies at once. In this case, you may be able to change money between currencies offered by that card.

The rates usually fall between 1.0-2.5% of the base rate used by MasterCard or Visa, which is still better than using your everyday debit or credit card directly. In order to take advantage of the best rates, top up online and use the currency card only for transactions in the currencies of the card. When using a currency card having multiple currencies, make sure that the currencies have sufficient balance to cover transactions you wish to make. If you are offered a conversion to your home currency, reject it as well.

In some countries, it is possible to get debit cards that convert your transaction using the SPOT or interbank rate. This means you are going to be charged at or around the same exchange rate that you see on finance websites or business channels. These cards are usually associated with a mobile phone app, which you need to download in the first instance to apply for such cards. These apps can give you your transaction history, allow you to top up funds, convert between currencies, etc. Some cards on the other hand will not require you to top up funds; they will directly charge your "main" debit card or bank account but will use the interbank rate instead of your bank's rate, which may have foreign exchange fees or other surcharges associated with it. Other fee-free services such as Revolut, which is available in dozens of countries, act as virtual bank accounts where the account/card-holder can have accounts in as many currencies as the provider offers. This way, provided that the user tops up and converts local currency into each of his or her foreign exchange accounts beforehand sufficiently, the user will be protected from further fluctuations in the foreign exchange market. Whether these fee-free provisions extend to ATM withdrawals depends on the issuer.

EC Cards

If you have a European euro bank account you can obtain a V Pay card. This can be used as a debit card in shops and restaurants in other euro countries with no additional charge. Can also be used at European (but not worldwide) ATMs.

Card costs

Card usage fees

A self-checkout machine in a Houston supermarket

Transaction fees can be charged by the bank or institution that issues your card, the company that clears or processes the transaction, and the merchant or the ATM-owner where you use your card. These fees can be fixed, a percentage of the amount, or built into an exchange rate - or a combination of these.

Per the above discussion on card types, most card issuers will charge a foreign transaction fee of up to 4% of the transaction amount every time you make a purchase or cash withdrawal in a foreign country. This fee may be charged even if the transaction is in your home currency but with a foreign bank. Be careful purchasing other countries on the web, where the currency amount may be displayed in your home currency, but you still may pay foreign transaction fees. Try to find a card issuer that doesn't charge this fee or has a low fee.

In the United States: Capital One, Schwab, Discover Bank, and Varo debit cards. Most travel credit cards.
In the United Kingdom: Halifax.
In Australia: 28 Degrees or Citbank Plus.
In Canada: Home Trust, Scotiabank or Rogers Bank (which charges 2.5% exchange, but provides 4% cash back on foreign transactions).

This can save you a considerable amount on any extended travel. Card issuers may also charge a foreign ATM usage fees as a fixed fee. Check your banks fees well in advance of travel, and consider applying for a new card with lower fees for travel. Allow plenty of time for the application and to receive the card.

The processing company - Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc. - build a small margin into the exchange rate they convert at. You can find the exchange rate that Visa or Mastercard exchange rates on their website. American Express charges an exchange rate that is 0.0% to 0.5% worse than the rate charged by Visa and MasterCard. Generally the rate is 0.5% to 1% from the midrate. The exchange rate applied to a transaction is usually the rate on the transaction processing date, that can vary from the purchase date. Therefore, unless currency rates are fixed, it is impossible to know exactly what exact exchange rate will be charged until the transaction is posted to your account. Any exchange rate fluctuation may be in your favor, or against you.

When paying by a credit/debit card, different exchange rates might be used depending on your bank policies. Check which exchange rate does your bank use, the credit card company rate is usually much more favourable than the bank rate. Usual practice is that if your bank has an exchange rate available for a currency, they use that rate, and if they do not trade this currency, they use credit card company rate. Thus, exotic currencies might be actually cheaper then expected. However, if your home currency is not a first tier currency, the bank policy might be to use their rate to exchange the amount to hard currency, eg. Euros or Dollars, and then use the credit card rate to exchange it to the desired currency, meaning you will pay the exchange rate twice during one transaction. If going for an expensive or long holiday, the exchange rates are likely to be the most most expensive part of card usage costs.

As mentioned previously, some FinTech providers (e.g. Revolut) offer debit cards and virtual bank accounts with no (when the market is open) or lower foreign exchange transaction fees (during the weekend when the market is closed) than brick-and-mortar banks. This way you will be able to convert cash or perform card transactions at the real-time interbank rate.

ATM owners can charge a fixed fee' to use your card at an ATM, on top of what your bank charges you. This will usually be written on the ATM or displayed on the screen. Check for partnerships with your card issuer to reduce this fee; some ATMs may have partnership arrangements with your bank to have lower fees or fee free withdrawals. Consider larger withdrawals to reduce the impact of fixed fees. Before going to some country, get to know the local fees - so you will know that in Thailand it is normal to pay quite a large fee while in Europe this is unusual. If there are multiple ATMs next to each other, you can shop around for the smallest fee. ATMs of a local bank usually charge smaller fee than ATM only companies, such as Euronet in Europe.

Merchants may charge a surcharge or require a minimum purchase. Local laws can affect how common merchant surcharges are. Merchant surcharges can be a fixed fee or a percentage of the transaction, and they should be advised at point of sale. These can vary between card types, and between debit and credit cards.

Dynamic currency conversion

When you are paying by card for items or services priced in a foreign currency, some merchants will offer to convert your transaction into your home currency. This is called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). Unless you prioritise certainty (given that the actual amount in your home currency to be debited is disclosed), if this is offered, you should decline it. Merchants aren't disclosing one key point: their exchange rates are often worse than whatever your card issuer would have provided had you kept the transaction in terms of the local currency – sometimes up to 10% worse.

Always check your receipt and card terminal, and if you see anything involving your home currency in a country that doesn't use that currency, ask the merchant to redo the transaction in the local currency. Where DCC is offered, Visa requires the merchant to disclose the fee and must provide the consumer with a choice of getting the bill in the customer's home currency or the local currency.
Some credit card terminals will show you an amount in your home currency and ask you to accept or decline the amount. Declining the home currency option will process the transaction in the local currency, which means your bank or card issuer will do the conversion for you.
Some cash machines are also known to use DCC, much like credit cards at the point of sale, and should be declined. The machine will ask you if you would like the amount in your home currency or local currency; even though you will always receive the local currency. If you decline (cancel), some ATMs are programmed to automatically cancel the transaction, which is to say that the bank is forcing you to accept DCC. Your best choice is to just find another ATM that doesn't use dynamic currency conversion.
Merchants may try to convince you that paying in your home currency will avoid foreign transaction fees. This is not always necessarily true and instead, depending on the issuer, may still end up paying the foreign transaction fee on top of the unfavourable foreign exchange rate used for conversion.
Some merchants may force DCC on you. They may claim that the machine does it automatically. Insist that the merchant re-runs the transaction in local currency. If they refuse, clearly write "DCC Refused, Local currency not offered". Then dispute the charge with your bank.
Sometimes you may be asked to tick the currency on a receipt. Mark the local currency clearly and (optionally) write "Local currency selected".
If you have an American Express card and the merchant accepts it, use it. American Express prohibits DCC.

Cheques

Travellers cheque

A travellers cheque (or travelers check) is a cheque issued for a fixed amount in a specific currency that you purchase with your funds in advance. Once the most popular way of taking currency overseas, these are declining in popularity due to widespread adoption of payment cards; the number of businesses willing to cash a traveller's cheque is also in decline. There is often a fee (about 1% of face value) when purchasing the cheques at a bank; some automobile associations waive this fee as a service to their members.

Before buying travellers cheques, confirm they will be accepted where you are travelling. As there are many common scams involving forged or stolen cheques, many merchants no longer honor them; travellers buying travellers cheques before a trip sometimes return home having been unable to use them anywhere.

Be sure to get the cheques in the currency of the country to which you are travelling, or (if that's not possible) whichever one gives the best exchange rate there. Travellers cheques are available only in major currencies. For example, if you are travelling to the USA, you could purchase ten US$100 travellers cheques before you travel there, and use them when you arrive. You sign each cheque when you purchase it and again on the same cheque to redeem it.

One of the main advantage of travellers cheques is complete protection against loss or theft. Once you report them as missing, the issuing company will replace them. You must also keep a record of your used cheque numbers. Most travellers cheque issuers have arrangements to replace them around the world in a short time frame so you are not long left without cash. If you are unsure which cheques you have already cashed and which are missing, your refund may be delayed until the issuer can figure out which ones have been presented.

A second advantage is that travellers cheques in a foreign currency may allow you to lock-in an exchange rate without the risk of cash, or the fees associated with a pre-paid card. If you are travelling from Germany to the U.S. and know you are spending $1,100 to stay at your New York hotel that accepts travellers cheques, you can purchase that value (U.S. dollar denomination cheques) in advance with no risk of exchange movements at the time. That said, should the euro rise in value in the meantime, you paid more than you could have. Thus, it's a trade-off of stability versus possibly a better rate. Just make sure the hotel accepts travellers cheques before you purchase, or you have a way of cashing them elsewhere upon arrival.

Travellers cheques can be exchanged for cash at some banks and exchange bureaus. A hotel may sometimes provide this service to its guests. American Express travellers cheques can also be exchanged at American Express travel centers. Fees for cashing travellers cheques vary by destination and institution. Some banks will cash some brands of cheques free, but this is increasingly rare. American Express will cash their cheques free at their travel centers if they are in the denominated in local currency. More often, fees apply, a sliding scale or a flat fee that may apply only above a certain threshold. If you are cashing travellers cheques into different currency to their denomination, fees may also be charged for the exchange.

Travellers cheques can also sometimes be used for purchases at point of sale, although less widely than credit cards. In general, only the largest stores and hotels will accept travellers cheques for payment.

You will pay a fee to buy travellers cheques. If they are denominated in a foreign currency, this fee may be built into the exchange rate.

If you have travel insurance, you may care to compare the benefits under your policy. Credit card companies will usually offer a 48-hour emergency replacement or cash advance service for a fee, and these fees may already be covered under your policy. The policies may also cover the loss or theft of cash.

Personal cheques and bank drafts

A personal cheque (ali check) issued on a current account with your bank or credit union is not likely to be widely accepted for travel. Acceptance is typically confined to the travellers home country or region in local currencies and the cheque risks being worthless if the underlying account is overdrawn.

A bank draft ali cashier's cheque is issued by a banking institution, drawn on its own funds instead of an individual client's account. These are now so uncommon that they are unlikely to be accepted without special arrangements being made. These have been almost completely replaced by telegraphic transfers - funds transfer directly between international bank accounts.

Mobile payments

Japonska in Južna Koreja were the pioneers in mobile payments, with South Korea adopting its first mobile payment system in 2000, and Japan in 2004. The original South Korean and Japanese systems required the use of phones with a special chip installed, making them exclusively designed for the domestic market. Since the late 2010s, mobile payments have taken off in China, which unlike the Japanese and South Korean systems, were QR code based, and only required a smart phone. Today, China leads the world in the adoption of mobile payments, and these are accepted even by many street market stalls, to the point that they often do not have change for customers paying by cash.

Carrying or sending money across national borders

Countries track large movements of money across national borders. This is to help prevent money laundering, tax evasion, and transfers of funds to criminal and terrorist groups. If you transfer money between international bank accounts, or use your credit card in a foreign country, this is reported automatically, but if you carry large amounts of money (typically more than US$10,000, euro, or similar hard currency) you will need to declare it whenever you leave or enter a country. Don't forget monetary instruments such as traveller's checks count as well, as do personal cheques, bank cheques, postal orders or similar monetary instruments that are able to pay the bearer cash. If you or one of your travelling party could exchange them outside the country for cash, you should declare. This typically does not apply if you are abroad, but not the funds or the party to be paid (e.g. domestic online payment, internationally mailing a cheque both drawn and payable exclusively in your home country, etc.) If in any doubt, just declare.

Some countries, such as India in North Korea, do not allow the country's home currency to be imported or exported at all. Other countries may have such a low import/export limit in the country's currency that these limits effectively stop you importing or exporting the local currency. This means that you will have to bring all the money you need in a convertible currency and change it to the local currency when you arrive. Likewise, you must change all the local currency back to hard currency before you leave. Often, these laws are poorly enforced. At other times, they can be inconvenient when converting back to hard currency may require a receipt. Check local guides for likely issues.

If you need to use your pre-existing online bill payment from your bank or PayPal while abroad to pay bills back home, let them know a week in advance which countries you will be visiting. Banking and payment websites are aware of your access from a foreign country because they can track the origin of your Internet IP address, which is country specific. You will likely be blocked from your account to prevent fraud, unless prior arraignments were made.

Getting money in an emergency

You should have a plan for how you will get money in an emergency.

If you have a spare card that you left at home, you can use that card to do things like book prepaid accommodation online through an accommodation booking site. In some countries you can even use a spare card or a friends card to purchase eGiftCards, that give you a number or a bar code you can use at point of purchase in supermarkets, etc.

If you have a premium credit card, or an American Express card, contact their assistance numbers. The credit card assistance lines will often wire you cash as a cash advance on the credit card.

If you have travel insurance, contact their assistance line. Most insurance companies cover lost cash and cards, but most will have to process a claim before they will help you, which is practically useless in the short term.

If you have someone willing to send you money, there are several options for getting money fast in an emergency. These include the following:

Having someone back home directly depositing money into your bank account. You then use an ATM to make withdrawals. If you both have a PayPal account, this can be done online by computer. It will take a couple days for the money to transfer from your PayPal account to your bank account (longer over weekends and bank holidays), and don't forget to initiate this yourself on the PayPal website as soon as possible. However, if you have PayPal's debit card (MasterCard/Cirrus), the funds will normally be available immediately. (Don't do the aforementioned transfer in this case.) This is not without risk; as Paypal is not a bank and is not regulated as a bank, your recourse is relatively limited if they freeze your account or hold your funds for any reason. There are no fees for funds sent directly from bank accounts of family and friends (i.e. non-commercial transactions), but credit/debit card, and foreign exchange fees apply. Typically, these fees are similar to or somewhat less than what others charge. Although PayPal offers many foreign currencies for sending money, the funds must be in the same currency as your bank account back home. Only if you're relying on a trusted friend abroad, should the funds be sent in a foreign currency.

Moneygram is a private money transfer company with many franchise outlet around the world. Someone can pay in money at one office giving the name of the receiver and will be given a reference number. Within an hour you can obtain the cash anywhere in the world if you have the reference number and some form of identification. Fees are higher than interbank money transfer but it has the advantage you do not need an account in the sending or receiving country. There are some dedicated Moneygram shops but in most countries agents are in small supermarkets (often catering for expatriates), newsagents, tobacconists, and some banks, often in areas of high immigrant populations. In the UK and Canada the Post Office is an agent.

Get money from a friend via wire transfer services like Western Union. (similar to MoneyGram). If you know your credit card numbers, you can use it to wire yourself some money. However, this is quite expensive, since it will be treated as a "cash advance," in addition to the hefty Western Union fee.

XOOM ("zoom") is now owned by PayPal, and has wire transfer services similar to Western Union and Moneygram. Some countries have cash home delivery available.

Sending cash via an overnight courier service (this is reliable, but is sometimes not allowed in the courier company's terms of service.)

You could sell personal possessions such as a camera or sport watch.

Your embassy may be able to provide a short-term emergency loan. In many cases, the embassy may only offer help in obtaining a loan from a third party. They will certainly want to see that you have exhausted all other avenues open to you.