I'm an American traveling to Manila, Philippines, should I take cash, traveler's checks, or debit/credit card?

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âœ¿ einchen âœ¿

Hi knobtown, whenever I go back to Philippines, I always exchange my dollar bills to peso to pay whatever goods and services I use. When traveling abroad, It is always ideal to carry more than one form of money so I always carry my credit card but as much as possible I avoid withdrawing money at the ATM because of overseas transaction and currency conversion fees. Btw, don't forget to inform your bank that you might be using your credit card overseas, many banks, credit unions, and credit card companies "freeze" customer's card used beyond certain range of their domicile.

Have a safe trip.

HappyMom

My husband and I travel all over. We always bring a little American (mainly for the airport and transportation stuff here) but use an ATM once we get to our destination. We only take out $100 or so at a time so we don't have alot of foreign money left over. We use a credit card for large purchases. We've never had a problem doing any of that. We've never been to the Philippines but I'm sure they have ATM's. Don't like traveler's checks, big pain.

Joe

You will have a hard time cashing travelers checks there. I dont think they know what that is. Dont bring much cash at all with you, maybe $100. There are atm machines everywhere and they dispense pesos. The exchange rate will be better than any you will find there. Make sure you have your bank remove the international restrictions on your cards. They all have that now and you have to call them so your cards will work over there. If you bring dollars, dont ever use the street money changers to exchange to pesos. Their hands are trickier than david copperfield. Good luck. Bring raincoats.

islandlife

I DONT recommend travelers cheques. I have had difficulty using them the past few years. I think because they would be the easiest form of money to duplicate. Many places will not take them anymore.

Iris

hey im going there this month but been there last yr.
Bring some dollars and have them exchanged at the airport they give higher rates and the rest just bring ATM. As long as your atm has a master/visa logo then you should be fine. Before you travel out of country call your bank and let them know you're going out of country and tell them you're going to use them in the Philippines so they can activate your ATM international access without activating it , you wont be able to use your ATM in the Philippines. Make sure you call them twice or 3x to verify that it will be available in the phil. just to make sure.
Dont bring travellers check.

SNL

i regretted the last time i brought traveller's check there. banks gave me a hard time like they're saying it will take weeks to exchange it. from that time on, i bring US dollars and a debit card. banks have ATM's where you can w/draw money from your US account. advise your bank that you will be using your ATM outside of the country. credit card works too and the same thing advise your credit card company that you will be using your credit card outside the country. hmmmppp!!!

Charles W

bring new looking $100 bills, lots of them, dont run out of money, also bring atm cards, credit cards, yes the atms do work with american accounts, forget the travelers checks as they are almost worthless seems, put your passport and money in the safe at the hotel and take small portions as you need it

Flavio B

that depends on your stay of visit.... if you are staying for 30days i suggest $1,000 dollars in cash because the exchange rate is low. then $500dollras in debit card to spend for emergency fund. And you can bring debit cards populars are Bank of America they have a property building in Makati city. another type of popular debitcard is WellsFargo. and make sure it has a visa logo on your debit cards. I used mine debit card to pay my grocery items at a major grocery stores. but if you are staying for just 15 days 500 in cash & 500 on the card for emergency money.

Nu-Nu;;*

You Should Take Some Of Everything, Just To Be On The Safe Side. =]

`â™¥â€¢Debbie the PINAY`â™¥â€¢

just bring cash doesn't matter if it's dollar or peso, you can have them exchanged anyways. You can carry major credit cards like visa/master card, debit cards are seldom accepted. yeah us accounts can be accessed via ATM can be used in some banks

Sanmigsean

I didn't even know they still have traveller's check's - that's so 80's.

Anyhow, the best exchange rates are at ATM's, but some will charge a fee (like $2). If you take a few hundred bucks each withdrawl, the fee is usually less than the spread a money changer charges. Even if it isn't, you won't have the risk of carrying cash.

I would bring a few bucks (like 100 - 300) cash to change upon arrival in case you can't find an ATM right away.

If you have an account at Citibank, there are Citibanks in Manila and they don't charge fees for foreign account holders at the ATM.

paolylo

i would suggest debit/credit cards or Philippine pesos. leave your checks home.

card fraud doesn't exist (or rarely happens) in the Philippines. as for Philippine Pesos, you'll get a better rate in foreign exchange stalls in small towns or at malls than banks.

Kaliana

You should definitely bring peso, since it is the Philippines and that's what is used here but usd is ok. I think travelers checks are not so good idea. I think people have trouble using them sometimes. Credit cards are fine also. I have seen an ATM that has usd before here but for me not too many.
Hope this helped

Mohamed

yea, you should, some gas station charge you more if you use credit Card

Rachel

ALL OF IT! it's good that you bring it all just in case. bring a safe place to put it.

Purple Tactics

Cash is king... anywhere!

Big P

I suggest giviing yourself many options. All you to need to do is pay attention.
Philippines is a great place to save money. I love it here.

nang.amie

traveler checks definitely, it is safer, leave your credit cards at home to, although many stores claim to accept international credit cards, very few do.

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