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First time non AI. I think we have our budget nailed down for 2 of us 7 days, but it brings a question: How much cash on hand to take and where do you stash it while on the beach? I have planned to avoid having to use ATM's and bring plenty, but the concern is leaving a big stash in the room. Veterans, please give me an idea how you handle this. I have searched previous threads but don't find the info I am looking for.
We always use the room safe. Haven't had any problems yet.
Many private Hotels have safes. I would seek one out that has in room safes as it is the best and safest way to store valuables. Hopefully as demand increases all will offer in room safes.
I have gone the other route hiding it in the room but if I give away all my secrets here they wont be any good anymore.
Yes,DEFINATELY the room safe,also cut the amount of clothes you're bringing in half and double the amount of cash!ya mon,be safe,have fun,soon come
Thanks Striper! I am planning on 3 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of swim trunks, a few shirts and a daily change of skivvies! My wife is the one that needs convinced that less is more when packing. Staying at CCLP and the debate is whether to bring enough cash for the whole trip, or just a few days and rely on the ATM. Some of the ATM troubles reported here make me nervous about running out and introducing stress to the trip.
I'd be curious to hear from the Veteran's about this, too. We know enough to leave the valuables home, but we do need to bring id, a credit / debit card and some cash.
How the heck do you secure this stuff in a not-so-safe hotel room safe and on the beach? There are a TON of gimmicks and gadgets out there. Some, I feel, just draw attention and scream "Hey, all of my junk is in this giant purple box tied to my left ankle!"
We hadn't an issue with our last two trips to Negril; yet any crafty advice to better secure our "stuff" would be appreciated.
SDisy, your quote below....
"Hey, all of my junk is in this giant purple box tied to my left ankle!" cracked me the hell up ;)
We use the safe in the room. Never have had a problem (knock on wood).
Only problem I had was at sea splash one year,there policy was clearly stated,loose the safe key and it's a $250 charge as they have to have the lock drilled out,yep lost the dang key in the ocean and 250 later,yuk yuk
I used the room safe and when the dog went nuts at security on our return, after much searching of our bags, they decided it was probably residue on my wallet that I put in the safe that was making the dog go crazy since lots of people kept their "stash" in the safe as well:) Never forget the look from my now ex, "what the hell have you brought back".
I typically bring about US$500 cash for emergency and secure it in a hotel safe. I rely of ATM to get all cash I need in Jamaican currency - I recommend ATM to get best possible exchange rate. I never had any problems getting cash out of ATM last month, except I had to go to Scotia bank at downtown circle a couple time when Time Square ATM was out of cash. My wife carries another debit card for me as a spare, but never had that problem in our 25years of travel to Ja.
Advise letting all your credit card and debit card providers know you will be in Jamaica, and be aware of your maximum daily ATM withdrawal limit (typically can be anywhere from US$300-500 per calendar day).
What frankk said!
Our daughter stayed at Sea Splash one year and forgot to give the safe and room key back because she was leaving pre daylight to go home! Soooo luckily for her it was only the cost to send it back when she got home! I think it was about $35.00?Quote:
Originally Posted by STRIPER
Prolly not the best idea to say one is traveling with a ton of cash and where they are staying. Pro tip if you do.... Divide your money up into several hiding places and make a map in case you inhale too much or drink too much so you can find your stash. Also not a horrible idea to have a big wad of $1 bills in an easy to find place in case someone comes looking for your stash.
Not a good idea to tell ANYONE how much cash you bring, or where you stash it...even if it's in the room safe.
Personally I bring all cash and a higher limit C.C. for emergency's. I bring a lot of denominations as well. (1's, 5's, 10's). I also exchange for local currency. With that being said it tends to be a lot of bills on hand. Usually I use the in room safe's. Many place's that don't have them in room will have safes in the office. I also always bring a pacsafe with me as it can come in handy. http://www.pacsafe.com/travelsafe-5l-portable-safe.html There are different sizes available depending on your needs. Between both I can secure my cash and valuables. I simply take a little of both (US & J) for the day and I'm on my way.
Thanks for all the input! Sounds like its best to limit cash on hand and trust the ATM.
Surprised no one has said this yet, but on the other hand, they are becoming harder and harder to find … we bring travelers cheques. Treehouse cashes them for us no problem. That way we don't have to worry (much).
We use them too!! Have never had a problem cashing them, however, some folks consider us "dinosaurs" for still using them. But, if stolen, money is not LOST. That is good for us! We always have our debit card, a credit card and some cash...the travelers cheques are an insurance of sorts. I heard from our bank that they may soon make them like a debit card, but not sure if that is valid or yet available.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs Wilson
We did travelers checks also but about 5 years ago or more. Since then no issues at all with atm's , no need to carry wads of cash, we just go to Scotia every other day or so and all is well.
jamb
For us it is cash and hotel safe.we are from ireland and getting it from the ATM is very expensive,with all the charges.
Do not recommend travelers checks. Someone in our group brought some to Ja a couple years ago only to find no place took them except inside the bank for an additional fee.
What kind ATM troubles have been reported here?Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa
ATM (ABM) is my preferred method of obtaining cash while in JA. I find that you get the best exchange rate and the fees are relatively low. Aside from that, I always keep my valuables in the room safe. Never had any problem with items disappearing from our room. Then again, we usually stay at places that have a staff of no more than 5 people, so if something is amiss in the room we have a good idea of who was in there.
Again, never had any issue with the ATMs in Negril. If security is a concern, then use the one inside Time Square. It's about as secure as an ATM inside any North American shopping mall. I also like the standalone one that is next to gas station by Rutland Point. The ATM at the ScotiaBank downtown can be annoying with the occasional beggar and random idlers watching you walk in and out, but often times they have a security guard standing outside the door. If not, you can ask your taxi driver to walk you to the machine and stand outside the doors.
I bury mine in the sand outside my room and put fake cat poop over it.
That's actually a pretty good policy. If they can open the safe what's the point in having the safe? Electronic safes just limit the number of people who have access, but there are still plenty of other people who can open the safe. That's why there are additional locks you can buy that fit on room safes.Quote:
Originally Posted by STRIPER
My style is bit less conventional...I bring one running sneaker from home...1....and put the cash in the sock under the sole of the shoe and keep my shoe in the bag....if someone were to still sneakers, surely they wouldn't take just one...lol...It's worked for years and kept my mind at ease Remember, theres always another key(s) to that safe!!!
I have always used travelers checks and cashed them at the FX Trader @ Bourbon Beach but after trying that last week I will now bring cash and leave it in the room safe. That FX Traders was closed the 1st two days we tried to get $ and the 3rd day they informed me that they had stopped accepting travelers checks in October. It turns out that the FX Trader @ Sunshine Plaza still accepts travelers checks but for how long? My bank, Chase, charges $5 plus a 3% fee on all ATM transactions so ATM use is not in the cards for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by frankk
I have rolled my cash up and used the insides of the shower curtain rod, in a water proofed baggie inside the water tank of the toilet, inside the front grill of the wall a/c, tapped in the back of a drawer, taped inside the oven at the top, and the list goes on.............and sometimes the best place is in plain sight :) in something absolutly worthless
I have heard that only banks accept tcs any more, so they are not that useful. I second the pacsafe - I always take a pacsafe - wherever I travel. I have a small one and a mid size and love them. Great to keep stuff locked up
Thankfully I trust the housekeepers at Negril Beach Club Condos - Dwight and Alicia.
I used to travel with travellers checks but found the smaller places are not to quick to accept them.
Concur with the "Pacsafe"as a great product! I use it for all my electronics that don't fit in hotel safe. It comes with a steel cable to anchor to bed frame or other big object that's difficult to move.
I hope there's no criminals on this post they getting first hand where folks keep there stash...IJS
No joke. Won't catch me posting my money handling habits on the internet...Quote:
Originally Posted by IRIEchic
Rob - can you confirm whether or not FX Trader will exchange Travelers Checks as reported in this thread.
They are becoming less used. The actual FX Trader by Hi Lo should take them. If they dont, NCB will just across the mall. They may attract a service charge.
Good common sense advice...Quote:
Originally Posted by TAH
Prolly could hide money in these fake tampons.....doubt many male badminds are going to break in and steal tampons.
Attachment 41096http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418dmAgo0LL.jpg
Pac Safe Fans also - we use it for all of our travel and in Negril we use it for our passports and emergency credit card. I also scan the passports in and email them to myself "just in case". I had posted on the board in January about a problem at the ATM - I had tried 3 times to withdraw cash and not gotten any, but it had debited my account each time. I was quite panicked when the Scotia Bank didn't even take my info - telling me it would "correct itself in 2 days" so turned to the board to get some peace of mind. That was given, and rightly so because the account was indeed credited in 2 days:) I did learn that the NCB bank where I went as a second choice, charged only a 1/3 of what Scotia Bank had and I was glad that my husband and I take cards from 2 different accounts because while mine failed, his worked fine.
I remember that story about the atm. Happy it all worked out~~ PAC SAFE~~Just saying! Just looked at the web sight today. Now they have wallets and such to protect you passport and credit card info. FYI
Good to know. I always used Scotia, just because of the trusted name. I will have to try NCB next time, if the fees are cheaper.Quote:
Originally Posted by plongdin
My home bank doesn't charge me to use an outside ATM, but I still have to pay the ATM "Owners Fee". At Scotia, I think it was around $5 per transaction on my last trip.