Discussion
9 US trips in the last 12mths and heading out again tomorrow for a couple of weeks.
Ive had zero real $ at all (well there is a $1 bill I've had in my wallet for many many years now but its defaced and un-spendable) for any of the trips, totally unnecessary if you have a Monzo / Revolution / Starling / Clarity etc....
Ive had zero real $ at all (well there is a $1 bill I've had in my wallet for many many years now but its defaced and un-spendable) for any of the trips, totally unnecessary if you have a Monzo / Revolution / Starling / Clarity etc....
I travel in the US quite frequently and would always suggest having some paper dollars on you - I always carry a couple of hundred. Yes, credit cards are almost ubiquitous but you will come across the odd place with a minimum $20 CC spend when you just want a quick drink, and you don't want to find yourself out on the road trying to pay at the only gas station for 50 miles and have your card declined. But in most places CC rule, and I use MBNA Horizons (or Revolut if I've built up a $ balance).
Who still "buys" foreign currency?
There are a load of cards out ther with no foriegn transaction fees. Credit cards for purchases and debit cards like Starling for purchases and cash withdrawals.
I've the starling card and it's been flawless. Cash withdrawals within a penny of the Mastercard rate.
There are a load of cards out ther with no foriegn transaction fees. Credit cards for purchases and debit cards like Starling for purchases and cash withdrawals.
I've the starling card and it's been flawless. Cash withdrawals within a penny of the Mastercard rate.
Hedgeman said:
I travel in the US quite frequently and would always suggest having some paper dollars on you - I always carry a couple of hundred. Yes, credit cards are almost ubiquitous but you will come across the odd place with a minimum $20 CC spend when you just want a quick drink, and you don't want to find yourself out on the road trying to pay at the only gas station for 50 miles and have your card declined. But in most places CC rule, and I use MBNA Horizons (or Revolut if I've built up a $ balance).
This, a card with no foriegn transaction fees that'll let you take cash out is the best of both worlds. one note about starling, I pulled into a petrol station about 80 miles out of vegas once (had just gone out for a day trip) and tried to use it, and the card wouldnt work, they wanted me to send a selfie with me holding my passport up. Given that this was quite some time after I'd had the card it was pretty random. Fortunately I had like $20 in cash on me, otherwise I'd have been screwed. So I basically dont like relying on Starling now!
HotJambalaya said:
one note about starling, I pulled into a petrol station about 80 miles out of vegas once (had just gone out for a day trip) and tried to use it, and the card wouldnt work, they wanted me to send a selfie with me holding my passport up. Given that this was quite some time after I'd had the card it was pretty random. Fortunately I had like $20 in cash on me, otherwise I'd have been screwed. So I basically dont like relying on Starling now!
Not sure why you're blaming Starling for that... It was the petrol station that had the problem. Not exclusive to Starling either. I've had the same thing with almost every card I've used at US petrol stations..many outright refuse non-US cards. Hence if you're going out into the sticks, carry some cash.
The US gets a lot of card fraud as a lot of merchants still do not have chip and pin. Especially the older pay at pump models.
We took Revolut cards to NYC last week, worked absolutely fine everywhere apart from when trying to buy MTA Travelcards from a subway machine (needed 3 so couldn't do contactless trips).
All purchases at the current rate with no fees so didn't really give it any thought, but unless you're buying something for thousands the typical fluctuations in exchange rate are really not worth worrying about.
All purchases at the current rate with no fees so didn't really give it any thought, but unless you're buying something for thousands the typical fluctuations in exchange rate are really not worth worrying about.
DaveGrohl said:
Surely the answer to a card being declined is to have other cards for just such an emergency, even if you have to pay a small fee for that emergency?
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I 100% agree with that principle. Always have a backup. .
But the situation HotJambalya describes wouldn't help as some American petrol stations flat out reject all non-US cards. A second card would be rejected as well.
There are still a lot of places where cash is king or card skimming is such a common occurance that you wouldn't want to use your cards for purchases (which is another reason to always have a backup) but I'm those cases I'd just use a local ATM to withdraw cash. I've not had my card rejected from a caahpoint yet.
captain_cynic said:
DaveGrohl said:
Surely the answer to a card being declined is to have other cards for just such an emergency, even if you have to pay a small fee for that emergency?
.
I 100% agree with that principle. Always have a backup. .
But the situation HotJambalya describes wouldn't help as some American petrol stations flat out reject all non-US cards. A second card would be rejected as well.
There are still a lot of places where cash is king or card skimming is such a common occurance that you wouldn't want to use your cards for purchases (which is another reason to always have a backup) but I'm those cases I'd just use a local ATM to withdraw cash. I've not had my card rejected from a caahpoint yet.
barryrs said:
Paying for fuel always used to be an issue for me too; however, on my recent trip most fuel stations had pre-pay at the pump and it worked fine.
Fuel stations were hit and miss for me, small independent on the FL/GA state border asked for a ZIP code, had to go inside to pre-pay. A big Shell by the I-95, no issues. Small station in Clearwater beach by my airbnb also no issue, but then the big Chevron further down the road, computer says no, go inside to pre-pay. Cash is for tips mainly and back up funds. If you’re driving then previous posters are correct - foreign cards rarely work (based on my experiences in Texas). I’ve found the local travel agent the best place to get cash dollars - in my case Hayes Travel, but I’m not sure where you are. Have a good trip.
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