Question

What are the best ways to take your money?

22 Jun 2010 asheee asked

Hello!

I'm doing the Grand Explorer on the 30th of Dec, and I'm looking into the most convenient ways to take my money to NZ and hopefully avoid the massive fees banks can charge.

I would just like some advice based on what everyone else has found easiest? Such as a Travelex Cash Passport?

Thanks

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Answer this question 14 answers so far

22 Jun 2010 NaHdz said

Cash Passport 100% is the way to go! I always always use mine lol it’s $3.75 per transaction to withdraw money from an ATM, Travel Agents charge a small fixed fee to load money on for you about $20 depending on the agency, the post office and banks charge 1% of whatever you load. You get 2 cards so if you lose 1 you’ve got a backup  and it’s not connected to any of your bank accounts back home..

Cash Passport 100% is the way to go! I always always use mine lol it's $3.75 per transaction to withdraw money from an ATM, Travel Agents charge a small fixed fee to load money on for you about $20 depending on the agency, the post office and banks charge 1% of whatever you load. You get 2 cards so if you lose 1 you've got a backup <img src="http://connect.contiki.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smiler" width="15" height="15"> and it's not connected to any of your bank accounts back home.. or Cancel
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29 Jun 2010 apriljune said

i did cash passport nd it works good. i have no problem in it.

i did cash passport nd it works good. i have no problem in it. or Cancel
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10 Jul 2010 Kas said

I just took my band card and withdrew cash as I needed it. Just remember they dont take Maestro over in NZ in the ATM’s – only visa or mastercards will work. I just took money out of the ATM’s as I needed it and had no problem.

I just took my band card and withdrew cash as I needed it. Just remember they dont take Maestro over in NZ in the ATM's - only visa or mastercards will work. I just took money out of the ATM's as I needed it and had no problem. or Cancel
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17 Jul 2010 Clare said

quote:
Cash Passport 100% is the way to go! I always always use mine lol it’s $3.75 per transaction to withdraw money from an ATM, Travel Agents charge a small fixed fee to load money on for you about $20 depending on the agency, the post office and banks charge 1% of whatever you load. You get 2 cards so if you lose 1 you’ve got a backup Smiler and it’s not connected to any of your bank accounts back home..

That sounds like it could get expensive….or am I just reading it wrong?! I have a Visa Debit card, will I be ok with that? And if so, what fees am I looking at?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Cash Passport 100% is the way to go! I always always use mine lol it's $3.75 per transaction to withdraw money from an ATM, Travel Agents charge a small fixed fee to load money on for you about $20 depending on the agency, the post office and banks charge 1% of whatever you load. You get 2 cards so if you lose 1 you've got a backup Smiler and it's not connected to any of your bank accounts back home.. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>That sounds like it could get expensive....or am I just reading it wrong?! I have a Visa Debit card, will I be ok with that? And if so, what fees am I looking at? or Cancel
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18 Jul 2010 asheee said

I’m still deciding between a cash passport or the national bank offers a debit card with no overseas fees, which sounds good.

Which bank are you with Clare? I’m with the commonwealth at the moment and their fees for overseas transactions with debit cards are a total rip off! haha.

I'm still deciding between a cash passport or the national bank offers a debit card with no overseas fees, which sounds good.<BR><BR>Which bank are you with Clare? I'm with the commonwealth at the moment and their fees for overseas transactions with debit cards are a total rip off! haha. or Cancel
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23 Jul 2010 Clare said

I’m with NAB Asheee…I hope a debit card will do the job, I’m not too keen on getting a credit card just for this trip

I'm with NAB Asheee...I hope a debit card will do the job, I'm not too keen on getting a credit card just for this trip or Cancel
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24 Jul 2010 chaebee said

I took some cash over as well as a Cash Passport.

I found it worked really well. As for transaction fees… yes they can add up but if you make sure you’re taking out a good few hundred to last you a longer period of time then that will reduce your fees

I took some cash over as well as a Cash Passport.<BR><BR>I found it worked really well. As for transaction fees... yes they can add up but if you make sure you're taking out a good few hundred to last you a longer period of time then that will reduce your fees or Cancel
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29 Jul 2010 leisioz said

depending what bank your with, i used an ATM in every major city we went to (as some of the smaller towns dont have them so you need the cash) and i only got charge a small amount compared to my everyday use. but i used my credit card to pay for the options and large purchases that way i could track the transaction.

depending what bank your with, i used an ATM in every major city we went to (as some of the smaller towns dont have them so you need the cash) and i only got charge a small amount compared to my everyday use. but i used my credit card to pay for the options and large purchases that way i could track the transaction. or Cancel
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29 Jul 2010 NaHdz said

quote:
Originally posted by Clare:
quote:
Cash Passport 100% is the way to go! I always always use mine lol it’s $3.75 per transaction to withdraw money from an ATM, Travel Agents charge a small fixed fee to load money on for you about $20 depending on the agency, the post office and banks charge 1% of whatever you load. You get 2 cards so if you lose 1 you’ve got a backup Smiler and it’s not connected to any of your bank accounts back home..

That sounds like it could get expensive….or am I just reading it wrong?! I have a Visa Debit card, will I be ok with that? And if so, what fees am I looking at?

No it really isn’t, it’s cheaper then banks debit cards or credit cards..they charge between $6 and $10 per transaction, depending on the bank. lets just say you take out $300 from your Cash Passport, that’s a $3.75 fee and it’ll probably last you a couple of days..

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Clare:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Cash Passport 100% is the way to go! I always always use mine lol it's $3.75 per transaction to withdraw money from an ATM, Travel Agents charge a small fixed fee to load money on for you about $20 depending on the agency, the post office and banks charge 1% of whatever you load. You get 2 cards so if you lose 1 you've got a backup Smiler and it's not connected to any of your bank accounts back home.. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>That sounds like it could get expensive....or am I just reading it wrong?! I have a Visa Debit card, will I be ok with that? And if so, what fees am I looking at? </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>No it really isn't, it's cheaper then banks debit cards or credit cards..they charge between $6 and $10 per transaction, depending on the bank. lets just say you take out $300 from your Cash Passport, that's a $3.75 fee and it'll probably last you a couple of days.. or Cancel
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9 Oct 2010 allyspreadsherwings said

can i sound like a newbie and ask what is a cash passport? and how/where do you get one? how does it work?

can i sound like a newbie and ask what is a cash passport????? and how/where do you get one? how does it work? or Cancel
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9 Oct 2010 Rizos79 said

Cash passport is travel money service offered by travelex, they should be available at post offices, travelex outlets and the like. Basically a pre-paid, reloadable debit card, it’s not linked to any bank accounts so its safe and secure, it’s likely to be cheaper than using visa debit or credit cards and unless I’m mistaken it can hold multiple currencies so you can budget a holiday pretty easily if you’re going to multiple countries. I’d look around at some banks too because they’ve gotten in on the act of offering travel passport-esc services and their rates can be quite similar and they may have free initial loads, higher limits or lower rates depending on what currency(s) are in use. So if you are really committed to getting the absolute cheapest service I’d say have a quick look at what your bank has to offer. If you can’t be bothered doing the legwork you can’t go wrong with travelex’s travel passport.

Cash passport is travel money service offered by travelex, they should be available at post offices, travelex outlets and the like. Basically a pre-paid, reloadable debit card, it's not linked to any bank accounts so its safe and secure, it's likely to be cheaper than using visa debit or credit cards and unless I'm mistaken it can hold multiple currencies so you can budget a holiday pretty easily if you're going to multiple countries. I'd look around at some banks too because they've gotten in on the act of offering travel passport-esc services and their rates can be quite similar and they may have free initial loads, higher limits or lower rates depending on what currency(s) are in use. So if you are really committed to getting the absolute cheapest service I'd say have a quick look at what your bank has to offer. If you can't be bothered doing the legwork you can't go wrong with travelex's travel passport. or Cancel
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10 Oct 2010 dholdenfreak said

Hi there how are you?

I just took my commonwealth bank keycard which worked well. They have anz over there so i would open an account with them as i dont think they would charge as its the same bank.

Hi there how are you?<BR><BR>I just took my commonwealth bank keycard which worked well. They have anz over there so i would open an account with them as i dont think they would charge as its the same bank. or Cancel
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2 Jan 2011 Chelle79 said

I’ve lived in New Zealand and ANZ Bank NZ is a not connected with ANZ Bank Australia so u will still get charged the same fees.

Only thing I found was I could never get a balance on my Australian Visa Debit card and never knew the exchange rates so I found getting a travelex card easier as I knew how much NZ dollars I had.

I've lived in New Zealand and ANZ Bank NZ is a not connected with ANZ Bank Australia so u will still get charged the same fees.<BR><BR>Only thing I found was I could never get a balance on my Australian Visa Debit card and never knew the exchange rates so I found getting a travelex card easier as I knew how much NZ dollars I had. or Cancel
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21 Aug 2011 StephJ07 said

I live in NZ and its safe to walk around with cash or a credit card but use common sence and dont leave cash lying around. Visa debit cards work fine as well as normal Visa and Mastercards but be aware some dairys or small shops dont take credit cars and some shops dont take AMEX so would advise you to ask before going to make a purchase, if you dont have a visa debit then it would be wise to take out cash.

There is ATM’s everywhere so you should have no trouble getting money out. Exchange rates and withdrawl rates are different for every bank so would be wise to check with them before you leave home

Hope this helps =D

I live in NZ and its safe to walk around with cash or a credit card but use common sence and dont leave cash lying around. Visa debit cards work fine as well as normal Visa and Mastercards but be aware some dairys or small shops dont take credit cars and some shops dont take AMEX so would advise you to ask before going to make a purchase, if you dont have a visa debit then it would be wise to take out cash. There is ATM's everywhere so you should have no trouble getting money out. Exchange rates and withdrawl rates are different for every bank so would be wise to check with them before you leave home Hope this helps =D or Cancel
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