Hey everyone,
So basically I am travelling through SE Asia and would like to have at least $25-50 of each currency ready before I land.
I refuse to accept TravelMoneyOZ's horrendous exchange rates.
I have a Citibank which I will attempt to use as much as possible and to try and withdraw cash where possible.
So if anyone around Perth has any THB/LAK/KHR/VND and would be happy to exchange at a decent exchange rate that'd be awesome :)
Cheers in advance
I didn't think there was a Citibank ATM at the airport. Surely I would be slugged a few for using any other ATM?
I know there are Citibank ATM's in the middle of town which I would be able to use fee-free (my understanding at least)
While having local currency is ideal is the effort worth it? Unless you can get a great local deal and have a lot of time on your hands to make the relatively minor exchanges worthwhile, you'll get a much better exchange rate in SE Asia and will generally be able to exchange AUD directly.
The one exception is Cambodia, where you may need USD for the visa on arrival and photocopies if they randomly ask for one and you forget to bring one etc. I haven't been in 3 years but Cambodian currency (KHR) was basically play money and you use USD for any meaningful transactions. The AUD was 1:1 with the USD so they were good times…
But you're probably aware that the ATM fees are often crazy (~$7 these days in Thailand and Laos). You could previously avoid fees with some ATMSs in Cambodia and Vietnam but that may not be true anymore. Some machines in SE Asia don't even tell you the fee beforehand…happened in the Philippines and Vietnam.
I land into Thailand, so I'd prefer to have at least $25 just in case.
SE Asia is half way into my trip, so I am conscious of holding onto AUD/USD around through other countries.
But it sounds like the way to go to get a better FX rate.
Thanks.
Ooh, a long trip. Exciting!
Ironically, the poor countries often charge more for foreign cards on ATMs.
The only issue I find is the more I carry on my body in cash the harder I find it to sleep on trains and some hostels.
If you have no credit cards (like myself) then make sure you have a backup debit card and a backup person who can send you Western Union/MoneyGram payments at short notice (preferably who doesn't need an SMS OTP to pay back quickly, or ring the bank if possible). Australian banks are not very helpful to people who lose debit cards.
Use the atm overseas at airport.