I use credit cards for my hotel charges and hit up the ATM for local currency. I also bring down some cash to exchange at the cambio. The cambio down the street from where you are staying is called Banmarc. Any red plate cab can get you there.
I use credit cards for my hotel charges and hit up the ATM for local currency. I also bring down some cash to exchange at the cambio. The cambio down the street from where you are staying is called Banmarc. Any red plate cab can get you there.
Last edited by booger; 12-27-2012 at 11:50 AM.
Ditto on the marley advice about calling your bank. My bank shut my ATM card down one year the very first purchase I made.
I am with the cash crowd myself though. I take a couple of credit cards, but I generally go almost all cash while there.
The place next to hi-lo had rates which were significantly better than the exchange rates I saw in the USA or at the airport our last trip at the end of nov.
Go buy a prepaid credit card for like $1500.Dont use your bank card that has all your money in it and yes,avoid using the card for payment.Go to the HiLo(not the airport) and get Jamaican money.Much easier.
We bought some JA $ here before leaving and withdrew some from the ATM at the Scotiabank (I have a Scotia account here so no fees). The exchange was slightly better from the ATM, but not enough to make a difference. I used my main CC at the hotels, I don't pay any conversion fees, so that works out well. I also took another CC with a low limit to use, I only actually used it at the Mega Mart in Mo Bay. Cash is much easier, many places require ID when you use a CC. I'm not used to using cash at home, so I found it a bit of a pain to use cash. The ATM's also limit the amount you can take out, one day it would only let me take $25K (Jamaican), another day it was $15K (same ATM)...
You are being given a low exchange rate at HiLo if you use your cc. They convert your charges in J$ to C$. I could only give you US - J examples since I don't know what the Canadian - J exchange rate is. The rate they give you when converting $$$ is NOT in your favor, that's for sure. Unless Canadian banking fees are different, you're also being hit w/ a % fee for currency conversion regardless of the charge being in Canadian, US, or J$.Originally Posted by Saskgirl
Mega Mart put through the charge in Jamaican dollars and my bank converted to CDN. The rate is very close to the rate I paid at the ATM & to buy the Jamaican dollars before I left. No extra charges, sure the conversion is buried in the rate, but that is also the case when I withdraw cash from the ATM. These are the rates I paid, not a big difference at the end of the day:
JA$ bought in Canada .011700
Scotia ATM wd in Negril .011002 & .011038
Visa charge (Mega Mart) .011037
We have always used traveler's checks or cash. A small amount of U.S. for tips, transfers and day trips. Rooms are always paid with a credit card. I've never used a ATM in the 15 years we've been going to Jamaica. My bank has stopped selling travelers checks. So......looks like I will have to use a debit card and ATMs now. I have two questions......................
1. What are the ATM fees at the HiLo and the Scotia Bank.
2. Are there any ATMs on the West End?
This will probably work out better than travelers checks in the long run. My bank charged 4% and I usually was lazy and cashed a lot of them a M&L grocery at a terrible rate.
By the way......................We have less than a month til We Fly. Whooooopie!!!
Feb.1 - 16 Xtabi
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Husker John,
If you bank with Bank of America you have no fees if you use the Scotia ATM's. If you do not have an account you can open one for free.
my bank started charging for Travllers Checks but my credit union doesn't, I use TC or the ATM if necessary
I'd avoid the CC, I had one skimmed a couple years ago at a well known resturant. And literally within and hour someone had run it through at another hotel and took $240 dollars out. It even said "swipped" at the other hotel. These guys were pro's. If you use one, use one with a low limit, I have one like that for use there, and it was the one that got skimmed. The folks next to us at the same resturant weren't so lucky. The card was used to buy $3000 US of electronics in Mobay the very next day. They were staying at the same hotel as we were and asked if we had seen anything funny on our card. Thats when I check and sure as heck it had been skimmed.
Soon come!
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