aaJoe wrote:
> > 1. Traveler's checks? I have not used them in the last ten years. ATMs
> > are much easier.
>
> I would guess that the exchange rate for travellers checks is far better
> than ATM. Maybe 3% or more different. I guess it depends on your
> bank's exchange rate. Do ATMs in Latin America spit out American cash?
> If they do, that would be better.
You are assuming the banks will even cash traveler's checks. It's a
royal pain in the butt to cash traveler's checks here in Honduras and
the banks make it an absolute miserable experience. You can count on a
bank visit of up to two hours to make the exchange in some places if
they decide to cash them for you. The ATMs dispense local currency and
using debit cards to pay for things, even if it is a US debit card is
usually not a problem. The only place you'll get dollars out of an ATM
is in a country that has adopted the US dollar as it's official
currency (like El Salvador). Why would you want to deal with changing
money when you can get local currency out of the ATM?
SD
|
|
|
|