It is one of the countless decisions to be taken when preparing for a trip and the longer and more complex the trip, the more the matter should be considered. What are the best options for carrying cash? What are the best ways to pay when abroad?
Will only one solution come or would it be better to resort to more? Is it better to risk one more incident with physical money and lose less with fees and commissions, or play it safe and have a good amount of money wasted? In this article, we are obviously not going to give you conclusions for each country.
Remember that there are more than 200. Let's clarify in a generic way what are the main advantages and disadvantages of each cash and payment system. Apply these advantages to what you know about each country and it will be easier for you to find the ideal solutions.
Money:
It is an ancient, universal form of payment that remains, in most cases, very convenient.
Main advantages
1- Simplicity and universality of use
2- Money wasted only during the exchange operation
3- Reduced risk of fraud
Main Disadvantages
1) countries with a high risk of theft or theft. Apply to this case, the pasis in which the difference between the official exchange rate and the black market exchange rate is abysmal, for example, today the Venezuela. This difference makes most visitors feel compelled to “illegal” money exchange operations on the street, potentially risky.
2) Funding limits for entry into certain countries.
3) Countries with very high inflation and exchange rates such as the Zimbabwe where 1 dollar was worth "a box full of dollar bills from the Zimbabwe".
Tip:
1- Don't keep all your money in one place.
2 – Whenever possible, order money in other currencies online in advance to get much better exchange rates than airports or city centers.
Credit card:
Easy to use and increasingly popular. Allows payments at the most sophisticated establishments and withdrawals from ATM machines around the world.
Main advantages
1) Avoid the risk of permanent loss of money
2) Insurance, miles, discounts and other associated benefits and privileges may prove useful
3) Many do not even have an annuity
Main Disadvantages
1) Cost of each use aggravated by the accumulation of two fees: one for exchange and one for the transaction. These fees vary widely from card to card.
2) Less developed countries may have little infrastructure – terminals, ATMs – for their use.
3) Not all companies are always accepted by all ATMs. Longer trips require using multiple cards from the most popular companies.
4) The ceiling can quickly be exhausted if you rent several cars in a row and use the same card to leave a deposit.
5) Countries in which the difference between the official exchange rate and the exchange rate on the black market is abysmal, such as Venezuela at present.
This difference makes most visitors feel compelled to “illegal” money exchange operations on the street, potentially but not necessarily risky. Every time you withdraw money with a credit or debit card, you are losing a lot of money compared to the real life exchange rate in the country.
6) Risk of fraud by cloning and other forms
Tip:
Look patiently for cards that charge reduced fees or do not charge fees for withdrawals or international transactions. If you do, you'll save a lot of money, even more on long journeys.
Debit card:
Not as universally accepted as credit cards. The money you have in your account is the money you can spend. If your account balance reaches zero you can no longer withdraw or pay anything.
Main advantages:
1) Avoid the risk of permanent loss of money
2) Insurance, miles, discounts and other associated benefits and privileges can prove very useful
3) Many do not even have an annuity
Main Disadvantages:
1) Less developed countries may have little infrastructure – terminals, ATMs – for their use
2) Not accepted at all establishments and ATMs
3) fees for possibly high withdrawals and associated payments that vary from bank to bank and from account to account, sometimes without much logic.
4) Risk of fraud by cloning and other forms
Tip:
If you are faced with the possibility of paying in your own currency, refuse. It is more than certain that you will pay with an unfavorable exchange rate.
Prepaid Card in a Certain Currency:
It has gained a lot of supporters lately in part due to à flexibility it provides. Allows online money transfer and subsequent use as if it were a credit or debit card.
Main advantages
1) Avoid the risk of permanent loss of money
2) Versatility of online use
Main Disadvantages:
Various fees that differ from card to card. They can be charged for activation, withdrawal at ATMs, and even for card inactivity.
Tip:
Set a maximum cap on the withdrawals you can make to get the most out of these cards.
