Money

[AngAskins]

My daughter is going to Australia at the end of the month. Is a debit card a good way to go for money? If not, what do you suggest?

[everyann]

I'm not sure what your bank offers but you should definitely check with what the convenience charge is for each transactions. Though, I've heard that with debit cards it may not be the ideal situation because there are a bit more fees involved with the banks and ATMs. Though, your bank may not have this. How long is she staying there? You'll want her to carry at least a little cash, definitely not wads of cash where she could lose it. The cash would be more for the markets and areas where she wouldn't be able to purchase with her debit/credit card. Personally, I've used my credit card overseas and it's not so bad. Just your standard interbank exchange rate and an additional surcharge of about 1%.

[Chikurin]

Check out an aussiedebitcard
https://aussiedebitcard.com/

[Geoff]

Hi AngAskins,

I am from Australia. The debt cards are a good idea. The PLUS network is popular in Australia so check with your bank and see if their debt card is on the PLUS network. There is info on that at wikipedia if you want details. Make sure you check on the fees so she can get an idea of what it will cost to get money out from an ATM. I can not post the direct link to the info because this forum tells me I need 10 posts before I can send a link, sorry can't be more help than that.

Hope that helps! Hope she enjoys Australia!

Geoff