SOOOOooo
I am going on exchange to Malaysia soon and want to know which travel bank card i should use
Right now i m considering the following;
HSBC Global currency
28degreescard
CITI GLOBAL CURRENCY ACCOUNT
I will be spending most of the time at Malaysia
Plzz tell me which one i should go with
so cash is good enough for everything? How much was it for the atm fee
CIMB is fee free for Westpac.
Exchange rate is fine too.
Do they have a similar setup in China? Heading there this year.
Cheers
@EightImmortals: Ask you bank.
This is for Westpac.
https://www.westpac.com.au/international-travel/access-money…
I used my Citi card when I went, pretty easy as I would just use it on EFTPOS most of the time. I don't particularly like carrying cash and constantly thinking about cash levels. Could also withdraw when I needed cash (some ATMs have no fees just make sure to look for the Citi logo amongst all the logos).
There are no additional Malaysian bank charges (unlike in Thailand and elsewhere), so the only charges you'll receive will be by your Australian bank. Chose any that doesn't charge foreign withdrawal fees and you'll be right. I go to Malaysia all the time and ING works perfectly.
Many SEA countries (Singapore exempt) are notorious for card scams/bamboozles/hoodwinks/gambits…
Stick to cash. Get a card for major transactions but keep it minimal. For those few transactions, 28 degrees is fine.
28Degrees is a credit card, so you wouldn't be able to use it at ATMs. I would go Citibank or ING, as neither of them charge foreign transaction fees. Westpac charges 3% on any transaction done outside of Australian dollars.
Which of these bank does a better saving account, I might open one while I'm at it
I believe the ING savings account is pretty good, I have it (although I haven't compared it to other banks). I would suggest doing some of your own research too.
I'm with ING as it's the only one that offers fee-free withdrawals even when the overseas ATM operator charges a fee. But there's a catch - you need to deposit $1000 a month and do 5 payments form the card. If this doesn't happen normally, you can transfer $1K out and in again, and do 5 * 1c transaction with Beem It, or split a shop into 5 payments at Woollies or Coles, or similar methods.
Otherwise, Citi and Macquarie are good options but they don't refund operator fees.
I'm with Westpac and just take cash out at CIMB ATMs, and just use cash for almost everything.
I usually take out about $1,000 AUD (two withdrawals of $500) and it easily (usually) lasts the whole month for me.