Cash, credit or travellers cheques?

[avujic]

This is not strictly DL related, but I'm hoping someone will be able to help.

My partner and I are from Australia and will be heading to the US in November (LA, NY & Washington DC).

Our plans are almost finalised and I'm happy with how things are looking, however I really don't know what to do about the money situation.

Here's my question: Is it best to carry cash, credit or traveller's cheques in DL (and the US in general)? Or is a combination of all three the best bet?

When I say cash, I mean we will convert our Australian dollars to US before leaving and only take what we need for each day. I also hear it's a good idea to carry a bunch of one dollar bills around for tipping, but I'm not familiar with that as we don't really tip here.

To make things a little more complicated, the banks charge something like AU $4 every time you withdraw cash from an ATM in the US. Crazy eh? So I guess I'm trying to avoid the fees associated with that.

Anyway, I appreciate any advice you may have for me.

Thanks heaps!

[PeoplemoverMatt]

^ Personally I would figure out a way that your bank would let you bring a debit card with you. Either you have one or get one, that way you can charge everything you buy, including food & (I think) parking, and it gets taken out of whatever account you connected it to immediately. Plus, hopefully, there are good security measures that could be taken in case of it being lost or stolen. Then all you'd need is 1 card for everything. Except of course if you wanted to play an arcade game. :wink:

-- Peoplemover "I likes my VISA debit card :cool: " Matt

[ryguy222]

i think u should bring a credit or debit card and cash (at least $50.00) cuz when your around disney land somtimes its cheaper to go to the mcdonalds next to the park for meals and they do take credit cards but its more of a hassle travlers cheques would also probably be a hassle also

[PeoplemoverMatt]

^ Debit cards aren't a hassle when your picture is right there on it. Most places don't even make you sign anything. If they did, you had to sign a little paper, darn. Still a very easy way to keep track of money & keep yourself on a budget.

-- PMM :cool:

[eryn the pooh]

A (maybe) silly question first? Do you have a debit card?/canyou get one? That would be the best to use if you didn't want to have to deal with much. My neighbor and I drove down (canada) last year and we couldn't pay for anything with our travellers checks anywhere. Gas, food, hotels, nothing. And most of our money was done in TC. Boy, were we surprised! But at the DLR they do take TC so we were fine once we got there. Good luck!

[disney41]

When we go to DL I bring half in cash and use my debit card for the rest. They both come in handy. We did Travelers checks one year and it was a hassle because you have to fill them out similar to a regular check however if they are stolen you are covered. The vendor carts in DL dont take debit cards so cash or a travelers check will work. It took us a few times going to DL to figure out what works for us. I know not everyone can do it that way, In my opinion read all the Visions replies, call the DL resort tell them your plans and they will do their Disney best to answer your questions, also research the DL resort website so you can familiarize yourself with the parks, Downtown ect. so you can plan out where you plan to go before you call anyone because the more specific you are the easier it is to assist you in your planning. You can do this for all your destinations. Then when you have pieced every ones opinions together, it really just come down to personel preference and what you feel will work for you. I called DL resort many times and they really do try to assist as much as they can in my personal experience. Good luck have a great trip and please let us all know how the trip went and what you finally decided to do.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

A (maybe) silly question first? Do you have a debit card?/canyou get one?

My advice would be to get one from your bank before you leave & get everything set up with them first if you do not already have one. If you have one, you know how it works, just place your trip budget on it & then you're assured to stay on budget no matter what. :smile:

-- Peoplemover "Going to Disneyland: Fun. Going to Disneyland & staying on budget: Priceless" Matt

[snoozy]

I always bring a credit card, and travelers check. You will get change back in US $$ when using travelers check. Although I am thinking about getting one of those American Express traveler check card this time around. If I do that then I will also bring some cash with me.

[ToeJam]

American Express now offers a travel card. It is basically a prepaid AmEx card that has the same protection as the paper travelers checks. I think I will be using one of these for my next trip.


http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif/cda/page/0,1641,18622,00.asp