Cathy, if you do decide to get some Australian and NZ dollars before leaving home, make sure you get

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I will be in Australia and New Zealand in September on a monthlong tour. I am planning on taking US dollars and two credit cards. One credit card will be used for most of my purchases. The second one is only if one card is lost or stolen. I am wondering if I should get some local currency for both countries before I leave the states. Or will they accept american money wherever we go. I plan to charge major expenses and purchases to the credit card. It does not charge the 3% foreign tax fee.
I am thinking of places that are not big cities-more rural-country like that may not accept foreign money. Some of the meals are included in the tour but there will be some that I am responsible for. Most other purchases will be for some admissions, excursions, or merchandise that I purchase. I will probably put these on the credit card. I would guess local money would be used for public transportation and taxis or the local markets.
So I shouldn't get the local money before I leave the states? We will have a long flight to Cairns as our first stop. I thought I should have some money to start with so that I wouldn't walt disney cruise tips have to look for an ATM right away.
It's completely walt disney cruise tips nuts, so be sure you know what currency you're being charged in and don't be afraid to refuse to sign the credit walt disney cruise tips card slip if the business has charged you in US dollars without asking you. Just tell them to re-run the charge in local currency.
Thank you for your suggestions and the link to the DCC. I understand to have all credit transactions made in the local currency. My credit card doesn't charge the 3% transaction walt disney cruise tips fee. So I save money both ways. I will use the ATM's and take out what is needed for the time as visiting places.
Agree with everything that's been said. One more addition,- since moving from New Zealand walt disney cruise tips to Australia to live I was initially surprised how often I was caught out with no cash and no eftpos / credit card facilities. Always have some local currency on you. This is mainly walt disney cruise tips when buying food / lunch rather than goods per see and has even happened with in big shopping centres - in NZ I was used to nearly everywhere having eftpos facilities... And just make sure you're cc isn't an Amex as they often have surcharges for use or aren't accepted.
We always get some local currency from our bank before we travel. When you arrive somewhere after a long flight, not having to bother with finding an ATM removes one chore before you can leave the airport and get to your accommodation.
Cathy, if you do decide to get some Australian and NZ dollars before leaving home, make sure you get small denominations like $5, $10 and $20. If someone wants to offer you all $100 bills say no. I agree with Di (above) that it can be a good idea to get a small amount of currency, maybe at the airport when you are leaving. That leaves one less thing to do on arrival and usually I feel disoriented and tired after a long flight and looking for an ATM is the last thing I want to be doing.
Also don't take coins home unless you want them for souvenirs. As far as I know, you cannot exchange foreign coins anywhere in the world, only notes. walt disney cruise tips In Australia walt disney cruise tips we have a $1 coin and a $2 coin so it can add up in your purse. Spend your coins on magazines, water, chocolates etc at the airport before your flight leaves for home.
I think it's much more trouble and much more expensive to order a small amount of foreign currency walt disney cruise tips before one travels. Whenever I travel overseas (including Australia and New Zealand), I just wait until I arrive in the airport and get my local currency from an ATM. This will be particularly easy as Cairns is your entry point. Cairns is a small airport and finding an ATM there should prove easy.
A couple more pointers: Australian ATMs require a 4 digit PIN, so if yours is longer change it before you leave. Also, the EFTOS system for debit purchases is different that what we have in North America, so you can't use your card in stores for purchases, only at ATMs at banks. Be sure to let your credit card company know you are travelling so they don't get suspicious and put a hold on your account.
As far as taking some local currency with you, I think this is a personal choice. I use a local currency exchange at home that gives good rates and find it convenient to have some money in my pocket when I arrive . I don't worry if the exchange rate is a bit higher.
When we were in Europe, Canada, San Francisco and the UK last year I used a Cash passport card with no probs. I was able to load 5 currencies on to the card, and when the exchange rate was good prior to travelling I would transfer money to each currency. I also have a card for Australian currency which I had no probs with the trips I have had there. Just a thought. For more info
"Australia's 800,000 merchant payment terminals will no longer accept walt disney cruise tips signatures as a way of authorising cards from August 1, 2014. The move will start at the big retailers and the full transition is expected to take a couple of weeks to come into effect nationwide".
I wouldn't count on our local shop staff being able to distinguish between an American and Australian card; we have come across this type of problem in other parts of the world, and the staff just flatly refuse to process the transaction if you can't comply with the local preferences.
di, what you call Swipe Go, is that what you understand as PayPass (MasterCard) or Paywave (VISA)? If so, I use both regularly, but it's for small purchases, i.e. under $50 (or less...?). Works well, but I often wonder what happens when someone else finds your card and starts buying themselves gifts with it. You just hold the card in front of the card reader (or whatever that apparatus is called) and it reads the chip and you can go. Never had to swipe for this, though....
Re Pay Wave: I read somewhere that there is a possibility that your card can be 'read' from a distance, e.g. when you pass by a terminal with the card in your purse or pocket. walt disney cruise tips No reports of this actually happening, just stating that this was technically walt disney cruise tips possible. As a result I thought of cancelling that feature on my card, but I find it so convenient I've stuck with it. I do keep a very close check on my accounts online, so if anything was amiss I would be able to notify the bank promptly. I'm not sure if the bank is responsible for unauthorized walt disney cruise tips use like it is with Visa--I should check.
It looks like the Cash Passport card can only be used in Aust, not in NZ. So I need to explore this more to determine if its worth it just for Aust vs. using local cash and credit card. I always call my credit card company before going overseas.
Libretto2-When I was in SE Asia last year, they accepted American dollars wherever we went. They were used mostly walt disney cruise tips for tips and small purchases. My friend had gotten more Bat than she needed for Thailand that I had to help her spend it down. I was planning on going to ATM's and using my credit walt disney cruise tips card. She did not want to be bothered with looking for ATM machines because she was afraid we would not find them or have to go out of our way. We found them wherever we went in the major cities. We did get a small amount of Vietnamesse money to pay for dinner at a local restaurant. We did this at the hotel because we were told the rate of exchange was lower than at the bank or ATM. That was the only time that we needed to get local currency. Otherwise, used my credit card or US dollars.
I am going to check with my bank to see what the charge is to get some Aud dollars. I can wait until NZ to get some there. I have been in touch with someone that just came back from three weeks in NZ. She told me that she used her credit card for all purchases and meals. She never used any NZ currency walt disney cruise tips at all. She did not have any problems and was aware of the DCC. She told me how it worked. But I think we will probably get a small amount or try to estimate how much we will need for the time that we are there.
It's true quite often developing countries will accept American dollars, but it would be very rare in the first world. I often take US dollars for transit in South American airports for that reason, but usually you don't get a very good exchange rate. You wouldn't want to use it as your main currency for a whole trip.
2) How do you reload the card when you are in another country? Do you do this online walt disney cruise tips and charge to your credit card? I understand this is not tied into your bank account but can money be transferred from your account to the card? Or are all charges made to your credit card?
I am wondering if I should get a Cash Passport-to load the amount of money that I think I would need for both countries. I could always reload or just get local from the ATM as needed if I use up the amount on the card. But the card could save me from having to carry large amounts of currency at a time. It seems like it would be safer to carry a cash (credit card)passport than a lot of cash.
For the last few comments: I do not know anything more than what had been my experience in SE Asia. I did not make a lot of purchases in Cambodia or Vietnam. When I did, I used my credit card. Most of our meals and the hotel was included int the tour. We did give tips to the drivers and their assistants. I did use American money for this. And they wanted walt disney cruise tips the American walt disney cruise tips dollar. It had more value than their local currency.I find Bokhara's comments inappropriate.We were in Bangkok for four days on our own. We paid for sightseeing tours with American Dollars because walt disney cruise tips they gave us a 10% discount if we paid in cash vs using the credit card. We used Bat for most of our time in Thailand because my friend had purchased them before leaving the states. I had explained this previously.
It seems from my research that they do not charge a service