Hi just been down local travel agent to look at sorting out money for august was asking for travellers cheques and was told i'm out of date as i've just hit 40 was not to pleased with that lol anyway they advised me to use a prepaid card ? anyone using one of these not too sure about this myself or am I just out of date old past it lol any advice much appreciated thanks peter
The exchange over here sits nicely at e1.23. Maybe bring the cash and play the market.
(Not megabucks but a twinge of fun watching the rate and deciding yeh or neh on the day0
Negg
Hi eggy thanks for reply but the idea of taking a big wad of cash is not a safe one thanks
My daughter was over last year & she reckoned that pre-paid cards weren't the best idea for Arillas as not every where takes cards for payment??
You can still get travellers cheques, that's what I intend to bring when we're over in two weeks time.
I was told the same by the travel agents (Thomas Crook) about pre-paid cards. I was then told by a friend who works for them, that they are on commission to 'sell' them!!
Travellers cheques and cash, for me.
You can go into any travel agents to buy T/Cheques or any bank, post office or building society...... they will all be glad of the commission they charge you.
Val x
Don't forget though if you pay by card your bank will charge commission. Best to pay with cash
Yes I forgot about the double charges....take cash out of a cash machine if you're buying from any place other than your own bank and paying by card. I think that maybe a bankers draft would avoid the double charges though.
Val x
We always take a wad of cash with us! My husband keeps most of it in his combat shorts's pockets which are safely zipped up just during our travelling.I keep what we are spending at the airport etc.in my handbag. When we arrive at our accommodation we put it all in a safety deposit box. (You probably don't even need one of those in Arillas!) and they're cheap to hire. We've been doing this for years and never had any problems (touch wood! ) We just can't be bothered with travellers cheques.
Have a lovely holiday.
Suzy x
We do the same, change all our money into euros, split it between us while we travel then safety deposit box and just take out each day what we think we will need. Done that for many years and no problem. If you change your money in Arillas it is a good rate but they charge commission so it's swings and roundabouts really.
Yeah we also change ours into euro first although people have said it's a better rate over there but as many have also said, you get charged commission...swings n roundabouts!
Suzy. x
It does all depend on your spending habits really. I use a pre-paid Thomas Cook card as backup. The exchange rate is good, and it is fine for using in some supermarkets and restaurants. It can also be used for cash, but I think you pay 2% commission. I take cash for the rest. I sometimes pre-pay in my favourite places to reduce the risk of having too much cash. Safety deposit boxes are a good option too. The one at Arillas Cars is very convenient. Whatever you use, I wouldn't put all your eggs in one box!! Cheers,
Nick
WOW what a nerve this has hit!
We have used Sterling travellers cheques in Arillas for years now. There are several places you can change them, and some business owners will as well. We get them from our bank and they cost us nothing, not a penny, for the security. We take the accommodation money to pay our hosts in euros, and a bit more to buy a day or so's essentials (you know - Mythos, cocktails, meals etc in that order) and keep the serial numbers in another place. We will do it again in 2 weeks' time.
And as a related note - I have to comment that over the last 12 years I can tell you that any theft or crime will be done by tourists, and since nearly all of the tourists are people like us, it is very unlikely to happen. I have never heard of a case in all the time I have been there. Leaving money or valuables in the room when you go out, they will still be there, intact, untouched when you return. It is a difficult aspect to promote, but still true.
Phil
I find a pre paid card the most useful as should the cashpoint be out of money the card is visa and can be used in any restaurant or shop with a visa sign without charges being incurred.
While I agree with you about the general honesty if you remember there was an apartment block a few years ago which had a spate of thefts though that was unusual it can happen as the song goes about one bad Apple.
Hi all so what I've learned from posting this is each to there own I was tempted with the prepaid card but as June said the ATM can run out and I like to pay cash for everything so I know exactly where I am i.e split money into piles for each day so I think the good old travellers cheque's for me well a 50/50 split .Phill hi my bank charges for the cheque's £1000 sterling cost £15 hsbc so where do you get yours from ? six week's and counting can't wait will be at the rainbow bar if anyone's up for a beer or two .
Pete
Hi. We use Lloyds where we have the current account, and order online or by phone, to collect from our branch. Hope that helps
And sorry, I had forgotten the problem at one accommodation a few years ago, but this was not done by a Greek person. As you say June, one bad apple....
Phil
Not wishing to sound pessimistic but I suggest that wherever you use safety deposit boxes you check how much their insurance covers you for.Some premises have a very low limit on their insurance and there have been reports of some people(not to my knowledge in Arillas)of not renewing their insurance due to financial restraints. With the costs of holidays inevitably increasing I would imagine that most people are taking more cash than they were a few years ago.
We do the same as everyone else. Take euro's and keep it in the saftey deposit box. The post Office is a very good idea and as I work for the post office would recommend it if going anywhere other than Arillas.Counting down now x
Quote from: justphil on June 21, 2014, 02:13:43 PM
As you say June, one bad apple....
Phil
I had a girlfriend like that Phil. - Rotten to the Corps but very good to the Artillery.
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If you have a UK Bank account, that gives you free Travellers Cheques then that could be the way to go.
Plastics are a good idea but , in the event of local machines out of order etc, you may be stuck and may have to travel around a tad to find a working one. An exchange of e1.23 here is very good even with that 2% commission, that is providing you get your TC's commission free.
Negg
Was showing 1.226 on our high street this week. As for the Post Office, we always find that they can never match the best rates where we live.
Got at 1.228 from Thomsons this morning, Thomas Cook & M&S were both at 1.222.
Tis all swings n roundabouts.
e1.235 in Sidari today , less the standard 2% commission.
Negg