|
MrLV, While it is true that in the past TC's were the preferred financing mechanism of veteran international travelers, that is not nearly so true any more in this age of cheap satelite communications and international banking networks. The old advantages of security and convenience can just as easily be met with the various forms of plastic (credit, debit and ATM cards) as most are on one international network or other that can be found nearly anywhere (and certainly in CR).
That said, I too still sometimes include TC's in my mix of funds. Maybe we're just oldfangled. I never understood the appeal of text messaging either, but everyone else seems to be doing it.
OTOH, I think ID and Orange are vastly overstating the case against TC's. Let's look at some of the charges:
1) Long lines at banks? RARELY if ever have I encountered a wait of "up to an hour" at a CR bank. Maybe, Orange has done all his banking at lunch time, when things can get that backed up. But for us, being on vacation, we're not restricted to doing our banking at the times that most tico's are. BTW, you'll also see some appallingly long and slow lines at many ATM's at those times too. If I have to do any banking in CR, I'll usually pop in around mid-morning or midafternoon and if there is a line of more than 1-2 people, which usually there isn't, I'll just come back or go to another bank. Its not like there is any shortage of them in the downtown area. In terms of waiting, I've always found the tedious bureacracy (eg document copying, supervisor approving, etc.) once you start being served as annoying a delay as any wait getting up to that point. If you have to wait 35 minutes in line then you've simply gone to the wrong bank at the wrong time. More often when I've gone there is no wait at all getting up to the window. But is there so much to do in SJ during the day that even 35 minutes is that big a deal. That is gringo thinking, leave that in the USA, and just go with the flow when in CR, your blood pressure will thank you, Pura Vida.
2) Getting frisked by a tico? Again, I don't have any idea what Orange is talking about here. He made it sound like they make you put your hands up against the wall and spread your legs so the bank guard can reach between them and feel your balls. I can't recall a time when I've been patted down at all. They use wands and, apparently, even if the things go off they don't always even ask you to empty your pockets. If you have a daypack, they'll usually ask you to unzip it so they can take an extremely cursory peek inside.
3) Getting mugged coming out of the airport vs a bank. Last time I checked, you could catch a cab in front of a bank too. But you usually don't have hordes of screaming ticos to distract you, or a load of luggage to weigh you down, when you're coming out of a bank. And coming out of a bank all you have is the $100-200 you just cashed, not your entire stash.
4) Tellers tipping off would be theives (I think this was ID's argument)? Yes, this certainly happens particularly if you're stupid enough to cash several hundred (or even thousand) dollars at a time and NOT get right into a cab as soon as you leave the bank. For smaller withdrawals, you're a correspondingly smaller target. And what makes you guys think that these crooks don't watch the ATM machines carefully or pull schemes at them (e.g. try googling "Lebanese Loop")?
5) Having to bring your original passport? Big deal. So you break your passport out of your room safe for an hour or so during the day when you go to the bank a couple of times during your trip. Its not like you're going to be taking it down a dark alley or into a crowded market place or keep it with you when you go out later that night. This is a relatively safe time and you'll be in relatively safe areas and it will be for a relatively short period of time. IMHO, the amount of increased risk from having to bring your passport with you is extremely minimal.
6) Only government banks cash them? While it is certainly true that TC's are virtually unusable with merchants in CR, you're probably not cashing those checks so you can buy souvenirs and I've yet to meet a chica that accepts credit cards either. Private banks not taking them? I'm not sure what constitutes a private bank, but every branch of any large banking chain that I've ever been in has taken them and, as I said before they aren't always crowded with long lines.
7) Fees for cashing TC's? There are also international transaction fees for using US ATM and debit cards and cash advance fees for using credit cards. Of course each bank is different, so which financing mechanism works best for each guy depends as much on which bank they use as much as any of the above. I also use BoA at home. Why I use them is no mystery. I have a sufficient balance so that I normally have no fees at all while I'm at home. There seem to be branches or ATM's every mile or so, so I never have to pay any ATM fee's. TC's are also completely free. The only big downside is that, as has been pointed out is the large international transaction fee when I use it on a foreign trip, but they're hardly alone in that department. But I don't choose my bank just on how well it works for me on my 2-3 1-2 week trips that I take per year. If someone can suggest another US bank with low fees for BOTH US and foreign banking AND with good coverage in my area, I'd love to hear it.
------------
I think a lot of this discussion tries to make it sound that one method of finance or the other is the best and that is the "only" way to go.
1) Personally, my main mechanism IS cash like it is for so many other guys. I try to bring the minimum amount I'm pretty sure I'm going to spend. All in 20's that are in good condition. Once you get beyond 1-2 grand that starts to get a bit bulky and even having a money belt is a bit harder to hide (and a little scary to have lying around).
2) In determining that minimum amount, I deduct planned expenses for which I can easily (and fairly safely) use my credit card (such as day tours and often my hotel bill). I try to save my cash for things that require it (like chicas). Some guys will also use their CC's for cash advances and maybe their bank fees are better than mine, but I try to avoid that like the plague.
3) LAST come the TC's, which I bring to keep down the amount of riskier cash I need to bring. If I keep my expenses in line (ie don't go much over my "optimistic" budget), I won't even have to cash any of them. But when I do it is normally only a couple of hundred at a time once or twice towards the end of my trip. I find the added inconvenience vs. cash to be minimal and the cost less than the alternative secure mechanisms like plastic.
BTW, CR_Miko, "3-4 thousand in cash [PLUS] a few thousand in travelers checks"? WTF, are you doing in CR?!?! That much would last me a few months, particularly if my hotel expenses was all going on my credit card.
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Calendar
allowed. 
Pura Vida 
