The Travel Money Dilemma: Cash Or Card?

When thinking about how to take travel money abroad, there are a number of options. You can either exchange your money before you go, use your debit or credit card, get travellers cheques or use a prepaid travel card. Mostly, the issue revolves around the question of whether to take cash or card and how to find a sensible balance between the two. As you’ll see, there are advantages and disadvantages to all of these methods so make sure you do your research before deciding on which travel money to take.

Disadvantages, disadvantages

At first sight, every option at your disposal seems to come with own problems and limitations. Let’s have a look at them in turn:

Cash

Exchanging your money before you go is a popular option, but make sure you are getting the best exchange rate and look out for hidden fees. Once abroad, make sure not to carry too much cash around with you to prevent theft.

Traveller’s cheques

Compared to cash, travellers’ cheques are a far safer way of taking travel money abroad. They can be inconvenient, though, and are no longer widely accepted. Today, generally speaking, they are no longer a wise choice for your holiday abroad.

Debt- and credit cards

Using your debit card may be convenient, but it can be expensive. You may be charged per transaction as well as a fee each time you use the ATM. A credit card can be a good way of spending your travel money but again, look out for hidden fees and be careful that you don’t spend too much and get into debt!

In response to the issues of these three traditional payment tools, banks have started offering specialised credit cards, which offer free ATM withdrawals and fixed currency rates during your stay. Unfortunately, it is anything but easy to determine whether or not they make sense for you and which of the many cards on offer is best. Is there really no solution to the travel money dilemma?

Well … there just may be

A travel card (sometimes also called currency card) can be the ideal payment alternative for you. You load your travel money before you go and get the best possible exchange rate. You can use the card at any location where Visa and MasterCard’s are accepted and it will offer you a safer, alternative way of carrying a lot of money with you on holiday. A travel card usually lets you make your purchases for free unlike a debit card and you will not risk getting overdrawn as the travel card does not have a credit facility.

Of course, you will still need to take some cash with you for small purchases such as ice creams or taxi fares. Perhaps the best way, therefore, is to take some travel money as cash and use your travel card for the more expensive purchases. Before you do this consider how you tend to spend your money when on vacation:

• Are you likely to be eating out at restaurants a lot or do you tend to buy snacks from street vendors whilst on the go?
• Do you go to large pubs and clubs that will take a card or do you tend to go to smaller beach front bars that will only take cash?
• Are you planning on hiring a car where you can pay for petrol with a card or are you going to use taxis or other methods of public transport which will require a cash payment?

Essentially, when considering which type of travel money to take you have to consider what type of vacation you are going on. This, however, presents you with practical questions you will find a lot easier to answer than the abstract choice between cash or card. Investing time into these matters is sure to pay off: Get the balance right and you can have an even happier, worry free vacation.

This article was written in association with Tuxedo, a leader in the field of currency cards and prepaid technologies.

Tags: atm withdrawals, banks, best exchange, credit card, credit cards, currency rates, dilemma, exchange rate, free atm, payment tools, travel money, traveller, travellers cheques, wise choice

Category: Travel Tips