I recommend having some foreign currency before landing in that country. Especially if you're visiting for a few days and the country is cash heavy like Philippines. Its hard to used a credit card at most places. Usually about $200 USD. For local restaurants, transportation, tipping and small hotels. This allows you to skip airport exchange station.
One thing to consider is have an account for cash withdrawals only and keep a small amount in it (say less than $1000). And don't have that debit card tied to any other accounts. That way if someone steals your card and your PIN, they can't empty your main account.
@@spadger4695 you can easily make it one way if it's different banks. From your main account, set up external transfer to the small account. The main account can transfer in/out of the small acct, but your small account won't be able to access your main account. Another way is to deposit cash into your small account.
@@spadger4695 Many banks allow you to do inter-bank transfers directly through their web site. I do it all the time between Capital One and Ally Bank. For my banks, transfers are free.
WITHOUT COVERSION is the best takeaway from this vid. Also, I always look for a bank machine that has the “Exchange” logo on it. Service charges, if any, are low. Take note, flat rate service charges are the best. Five Euro for a fifty euro transaction is high, but five euro for a 500 euro is a good deal.
ATM at Southampton charged me 5 pounds for a maximum withdrawal of 50 pounds. I took our 100 pounds and I was charged 10 pounds service charge. This is high way robbery.
I'm not big on international travel so I may not be a typical traveller. ; I normally travel to just the US and the UK. Over the past few years I've watched as more an more people use either a debit or a credit card for even the smallest purchase. I decided to do that on recent and lengthy trips to both the US and the UK. I already had about $100 / 100 GBP's of currency with me when I left home. When I returned home, I had about 95% of the foreign currency that I left with. You simply do not need foreign currency any more for 99% of your purchases. It is certainly far safer to have some with you, but not very much. The only place that I absolutely needed cash was in the US on a small river ferry which I believe crossed from Vermont into New Hampshire and it was less than $10. And, if you are driving, possibly for a coin operated air machine to top up your tires.
In Western countries, stick to credit cards. In Southeast Asia, you can generally get good exchange rates at banks. In some other places, ATM's don't charge fees.
@@Ecosine1I just got back from 10 days in Japan. I don't agree with hotels offering good rates. Second, there are more and more ATM style machines that do currency exchange. Rates were for most part not good! I did find one place in Osaka that had good rate but far too many did not. I was in Kyoto and Osaka. Currency exchange at the airport in Osaka was decent. Found it hard to change money in Sunday. Prior to visiting Japan I was in Seoul, South Korea and Busan. Lots of exchange places, didn't come across any exchange machines.
Thanks, Max. That was a good explanation of the issues involved. Just as a data point, I am American and bank with Capital One. I love Cap One and am generally very happy with them. But...for a recent trip, I decided to get some euros in advance of travel and made the request at my local bank branch in a mid-sized city. To my surprise, they gave me a terrible exchange rate on euros, even though my payment was coming right out of my checking account. Personally, in general, I have tried to retain a bit of currency from foreign countries I have visited and, that way, when I go back to the country I have some pocket money on arrival for taxis, hotel tips, etc. before I have a chance to find a bank ATM. I have found many arrival airports only have non-bank ATMs and foreign exchange booths with bad rates.
Also for larger sum of money’s you can always send western union to your self so for 1000$ you will only pay 5.99 fee and it’s guaranteed you’ll get best exchange rate possible
I always bring cash. Not massive sums, but $1000 or so dollars. Not difficult to hide. After that I use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees.
This is a great video today. I ordered my Schwab card so I won’t have to pay fees at the ATM. Also, I never knew getting currency from those exchange booths was a bad idea. Thanks again.
Visiting London in the past couple years, l found I didn’t need to get currency. Everything was payable with credit cards including buses and the tube. For transport you do need a separate CC for each person. The Tube requires a swipe both going in and going out . There is a maximum charge each day, so you should use the same card on a day if you are taking public transit several times in a day.
In Thailand the best place to exchange money is the private booths on the streets. Always shop the rate shown in the window, some are better than others. New $100 bills are best.
good information for dweebs. If you served please get a USAA card. The best card in the world , especially if you travel the world, which is what it was designed for.
Most any Federal Credit Union Debit Card also do not Charge FTF and reimburse ATM charges. Atleast i can confirm this for DCU (Digital Federal CU) and Affinity. Credit Unions do not require high bank balance like some private banks do. I believe your bank doesnt determine the conversion, its the interbanking conversion like Visa that determines.
Fingers crossed!!! Just signed up for a Betterment checking account and transferred money into it as a starter. The debit card should be here in 7 to 10 business days. Heading overseas at the end of October to SE Asia for a year or more, slow-traveling and bouncing between countries. Nervous. Hope Betterment is the real deal!
@@MaxMilesPoints I did a bunch of 'research' lol and also called my bank (Chase) where my three cc and atm all had ATM fees and foreign transaction fees. Dug into the Betterment website, checked out a bunch of reviews online as well, watched a couple of your videos, and voilà it's a done deal. Accidentally just stumbled upon your channel today. Couldn't have been better timing!!! THANK YOU!
Great information I really appreciate the travel tips. May I suggest you drop the background music during narration. Very hard to hear your voice while wearing headphones.
Tip for travelers to Japan. Bring your ATM card to any 7-11 store. They all have ATM"s. Use their ATM to withdraw yen. Exchange rate is excellent. There is a 220 yen ($1.41) ATM fee which many USA banks refunds to their customers. You can withdraw cash up to your bank daily withdraw limit, whatever that is. Stay away from the current exchange places in USA airports. Most are for profit businesses and the exchange rate is horrible because that's how they make their profit. Good luck everyone!
One thing I had to consider on a recent trip was having to book a vehicle and driver from the airport to hotel in Rome. It had to fit 5 people and luggage. That was all great, but they required payment in Euros, not credit cards, so I did go to a currency exchange place near where I live. I didn't want to have to do it in the airport after the overnight flight.
I used to do the ATM thing, but last 7 years I have a no fee FX credit card, which allows me to spend with no FX fees but I realized if I did cash advance at an ATM in another country, also no FX fees, and to avoid interest, I just top up my credit card with the exact amount of credit I need, i.e. if I need 1K of cash, I make sure my credit card account is topped up to 1K above 0 right before my trip, and then I go to the ATM overseas and take that amount out. I've tried this in Japan, China, Taiwan, Dubai, Italy, Turkey, etc. Just make sure they have the visa/MC sign depending on the card you use
@jayzee316 Im heading to Europe in November. While I understand what you're sharing, I did not realize that you can add money to a credit credit account. How do you top money to your cc? Thanks!
@@match20x you regularly pay off your credit card right, say you owe 1000, you pay 1000 so it's 0, but instead, you pay 2000 into your credit card account that is owing 1000, then your account will show that you have a "negative" balance, i.e. 1000 over 0/credit, then if you just spend your card, that amount slowly goes back to 0. I just do it before I need cash, a few days so the payment would settle.
Awesome advice Max! I was just looking for a no-foreign-transaction-fee debit card. Glad i found your video. Great advice on also looking for a card with Atm-fee-refunds feature.
Just shut off data and use any free wi-fi. With ATMs look for the ones you can tap your card, not insert. I had one of my debit cards swallowed in the Philippines (luckily I have 2 different bank debit cards) and had to wait till I got back to UK.
I have not used the Wise card but I have sent money abroad a few times with Wise's web site, which converted it into the other currency and delivered it to the recipient. The fees were very small and the service was great.
Atms are not owned by the bank its at usualy . But i quess it gives you a sense of safety. Even in usa atms are owned by atm companies. My bank debit cards work fine TD and wells fargo worked well in korea and phils. Cap1 cc worked well and no exchange fees Never heard of sim card. thanks.
how does chase private client not make this list? no ftf and they will reimburse you any ATM fees + you get free wire transfers, free cashier checks, free check books, free safety deposit box, a personal banker and a financial advisor. wells fargo premier has the same too. I use both. I can believe both of those didn't make the list.
One very good use for the FX booths is to take your money from the ATM and they will split it into smaller bills. If you don't have that option in smaller places try to take out money in odd numbers to force some smaller bills.
Can u deposit the unuse cash conversion you pull out of atm back into your checking when coming back home. If you can deposit money back onto your debit card. Can it be converted back into us dollars?
I live in Mexico just ten miles south of the California border. Trouble is that the bank ATMs almost come a cropper when it comes to getting USA dollars. They are always out of USA dollars. If I could get dollars I could walk out the bank's door and go into a exchange kiosk which are on every block being that I am in a tourist beach city and get 5% more than the bank offers me.
It does according to their website “Get reimbursed for all ATM fees when using the card as part of a Fidelity® Cash Management Account. Reimbursements are also available with a Fidelity brokerage account.”
@@richardshack8246 Fidelity's Cash Management Account has no minimum balance requirement; it reimburses all your domestic and international withdrawal fee charged by ATMs; I have been using it over several years.
Your advice about exchange booths is kind of correct but also depends on location. Yes, in some countries they are always terrible. Airport booths are also always terrible. However, in some countries, like Thailand where you have your opening video clip, it is well known that a certain exchange booth company has the best rate almost all of the time and is going to be better than an atm withdrawal even from Schwab or Fidelity. Remember, visa and Mastercard charge a fee to change your money even on cards with no foreign transaction fee. The actual visa or Mastercard fee is very very good, but it’s not free and it can be beat. You can find this fee by going to the visa exchange calculator, putting 0% in the bank fee and seeing the result, which I have seen before around 0.23%. That’s cheap for sure, but it can and does get beat.
My tip is go to your nearest casino and use that ATM to draw money. My cuzz came from Holland last year and we went to our Bank of America to use ATM and it didn’t recognize her card. We tried several bank ATM unsuccessfully. We went to Vegas as part of our vacay and she was able to withdraw money from any ATM, fees 6.99. So we know to just go to casino 😅😅😅
I was recently in Japan. They have so many ATM style currency exchange machines. I absolutely hate them! Worst rates. Dont travel with one card. Avoid stand alone ATM machines, specially in alleys. Do not let them do the conversion. Allow your bank do the conversion. Personal experience, Greece and many ATM now across the globe are just screwing people with fees and on exchange rates who don't know which option to choose. Try to use ATMs inside banks so if there is a problem they will try and help you. Hate those ATMs where they take in your card.:
Ok I feel dumb and old, but assuming my bank debit (chase) doesn’t offer these how do you get another debit card? Is this opening another checking and depositing the amount you think you’ll use? I kept waiting for clarification on this. Can you get a debit card that draws from your current bank? The music sounds like an Ethiopian restaurant and now I want that food but this was a great source of info. I’ve always used credit cards for everything and then just very little atm withdrawals. Thanks so much!
Chase private client checking acct offers no charge on all atm fees, both US and international. But, ya, u would need to open a Schwab checking account and depo $ into it. U can also link the accounts both ways
Great video, very informative ut you did not include the money transfer tech companies. I use Wise for drawing my money from ATMs when I am in Thailand (I am from the UK) which seems to save me a lot of fees. Except I always fail on the conversion issue you highlighted at the ATM - I now know thank you. Does Wise save you money on ATM fees?
I looked into Wise and their fee structure is very confusing. Depending on where your card was issued, how much you withdrew, how many times you withdrew money in that month that'll determine how much or when you're charged a fee. Wise does not refund ATM fees too. You can read more about it in the article below. In the U.S. there are better simpler products, in the UK I'm not sure what the alternatives are other than Wise. wise.com/help/articles/2935769/how-much-does-it-cost-to-withdraw-cash-with-my-wise-card
@@MaxMilesPoints thank you so much for your reply on this. I know that most British banks will shut down accounts. Some permit International accounts but require large amounts of money to be deposited. Thanks again, I really enjoyed your presentation style, very informative and easy to follow. I am now a subscriber.
This is very helpful thank you. However, I'm British and don't know what some of these terms are. Such as schawb. Not sure on spelling as not heard of it before. My bank Santander, I don't know if anything is free in other countries outside of the EU, or if I can use my debit card in the Philippines.
Easy! Open up a Needham bank checking account based in Massachusetts. They offered unlimited ATM rebate world wide! No min, direct deposit or anything! I just zelle money from my main account to it when need cash over seas! Been using them over 3 years! I live in TX so I opened the account online.
Not necessarily, you will find differences, even amongst Visa or M/Cs Best way to find out is to try and use a few cards on the same day, for the same amount. So try charging say €10 on three different cards at merchants and compare!
So I should’ve waited for you to finish your video before I asked my question but based on your answer, regarding getting money from a local bank before you depart on your trip, maybe just get half of what you think you’ll spend and use your Debit card while you’re there if you need more?
That’s an option and you can definitely do that it’s just more work than just getting it all from a debit card when you land because there are no fees and you get reimbursed for all atm fees (if you have the right debit card)
Thanks for this video. Going to Ireland in October and this is great information. Can I go to an ATM at my hotel to withdraw Euros instead of going to a bank ATM? Also, my daughter-in-law who is an avid traveler, said that when paying for anything, including restaurants, I should always choose US dollars, but you say select local currency. So confused.
Yes you can go to an ATM at your hotel to withdrawal euros if you want. Just make sure your card has no foreign transaction fees and reimburses you for ATM fees. As for local currency or USD when asked at a restaurant always choose the local currency. You want your bank to convert your money. When you choose USD the restaurant payment processor will convert your money at an unfavorable rate. Here's an article from Amex that you can send to your daughter-in-law: www.americanexpress.com/en-us/credit-cards/credit-intel/should-you-pay-in-local-or-home-currency-when-traveling/
This is rhe video i needed like 2 weeks before mt first trip to Japan 😅😂 Ended up running out of yen (converted at my local bank several months in advance) with another 5 days left of my trip and didnt even BRING any debit card 💀 Realized i couldnt even reload the suica with credit card either and it had to be cash. And to add insult to injury i couldnt even do cash advance from the sapphire because Chase said i needed to set up the pin BEFORE international travel and i was SOL.
@@MaxMilesPoints really?! I mean I definitely plan to go back so the info still helps for next time 🙏🏾 I thought only way to reload with card was Apple pay but I have an Android. Maybe I was missing something haha. What I ended up doing at the time was luckily I had a friend I met up with (we'd been hanging out intermittently during the weeks over there) that had plenty of yen and I zelled her and bought us some lunch for the currency exchange 😆
Yes, ATM is the way to go. Just came back from Japan and you really don't need a lot of yen. They now all accept credit cards except small stores or street foods seller. Seven eleven which is my go to place accept credit card payment.
Is there a credit card that has dual function working as either credit or debit. My US Bank debit can be used as a credit card but offers no traveling benes. Thanks! Good info👍🏻
Marriott just opened the Westin Bora Bora, nights are around 65k-85k marriott points a night. Stay 5 nights get the 5th night free. So it can be as low as 280k points for 5 nights total
Check with your bank. Sometimes they charge a fee or they might have a minimum amount that you need to exchange and sometimes it can take some time for them to get the foreign currency. Bank of America has like a $1,000 minimum (I think) which is a lot
Yen is actually still great. Try a rate of 100¥ to the $1.00. I used to get that exchange rate back in the 90s and early 2000s. 140¥ to the $1.00 is still a solid rate and the locals in Japan ain’t hurting as bad either.
Great video. Very informative! Too bad we don’t have a Charles Schwab debit card in Canada! Do you know if there’s a similar card in as CS debit card in Camada? I couldn’t find any debit cards that would reimburse international ATM fees. It’s a great card for travel to a foreign country.
Great Video ! I'll have to check out those debit cards. I think I already do the steps you suggest. I do get some initial Foreign $ from my bank (US Bank) because I plan ahead. I live in WA State, USA and use a Boeing Credit Union card, BeCU that has no foreign fees and I believe reverses foreign charges. Frequently use the debit card and CC in Canada ... Cash or Card, no fees ! 🙂
Honestly the best way is to apply for a foreign bank online, then wiring the money to your new account when the exchange rates is in your favor. I made a K-Bank account online for Thailand and wired the money to myself when the exchange rates was 39 and use my money when its now at 33.
@@waylandchinperhaps if the person travels to the second country on a regular basis it might work out. For the average person going to a foreign country for a vacation, it doesn’t make sense.
I recommend having some foreign currency before landing in that country. Especially if you're visiting for a few days and the country is cash heavy like Philippines. Its hard to used a credit card at most places. Usually about $200 USD. For local restaurants, transportation, tipping and small hotels. This allows you to skip airport exchange station.
One thing to consider is have an account for cash withdrawals only and keep a small amount in it (say less than $1000). And don't have that debit card tied to any other accounts. That way if someone steals your card and your PIN, they can't empty your main account.
Good tip! This is what I do too
Forgive my ignorance but how do you "top up" your "small amount" debit card if it's not tied to any other account?
@@spadger4695 you can easily make it one way if it's different banks. From your main account, set up external transfer to the small account. The main account can transfer in/out of the small acct, but your small account won't be able to access your main account. Another way is to deposit cash into your small account.
Online transfer 😂@@spadger4695
@@spadger4695 Many banks allow you to do inter-bank transfers directly through their web site. I do it all the time between Capital One and Ally Bank. For my banks, transfers are free.
I have a fidelity account. No fees, and I absolutely love it. By far the best ATM that I’ve had
Me too! Fidelity ATM card is the best.
I've had my Schwab card since 2016 and have been all over the world with it. It's worked out so well for me. Great video Max!
I have the schwab card also! There's no need for wise and risking re-patrioting money in places like Thailand and getting taxed later
WITHOUT COVERSION is the best takeaway from this vid. Also, I always look for a bank machine that has the “Exchange” logo on it. Service charges, if any, are low. Take note, flat rate service charges are the best. Five Euro for a fifty euro transaction is high, but five euro for a 500 euro is a good deal.
Thanks. What does the Exchange logo mean?
ATM at Southampton charged me 5 pounds for a maximum withdrawal of 50 pounds. I took our 100 pounds and I was charged 10 pounds service charge. This is high way robbery.
If you have extra cash on your last day. Put aside enough for Taxi and Tips. The excess, give to your hotel to apply to your bill!
Oh I never thought about putting some cash down on the hotel bill. Very good deal 👍🏾
Great tip! 🙌
as a flight attendant I must say, you give the BEST simple, most thoughtful tips!
I'm not big on international travel so I may not be a typical traveller. ; I normally travel to just the US and the UK. Over the past few years I've watched as more an more people use either a debit or a credit card for even the smallest purchase. I decided to do that on recent and lengthy trips to both the US and the UK. I already had about $100 / 100 GBP's of currency with me when I left home. When I returned home, I had about 95% of the foreign currency that I left with. You simply do not need foreign currency any more for 99% of your purchases. It is certainly far safer to have some with you, but not very much. The only place that I absolutely needed cash was in the US on a small river ferry which I believe crossed from Vermont into New Hampshire and it was less than $10. And, if you are driving, possibly for a coin operated air machine to top up your tires.
In Western countries, stick to credit cards. In Southeast Asia, you can generally get good exchange rates at banks. In some other places, ATM's don't charge fees.
Heading to Japan in 1 month, first time out of the country where I can't use USD. Very helpful!
You can bring cash to Japan. Even the exchange at hotels is good.
@@Ecosine1I just got back from 10 days in Japan. I don't agree with hotels offering good rates. Second, there are more and more ATM style machines that do currency exchange. Rates were for most part not good! I did find one place in Osaka that had good rate but far too many did not. I was in Kyoto and Osaka. Currency exchange at the airport in Osaka was decent. Found it hard to change money in Sunday. Prior to visiting Japan I was in Seoul, South Korea and Busan. Lots of exchange places, didn't come across any exchange machines.
Very interesting subject , never seen before, very well explained
Thanks, Max. That was a good explanation of the issues involved. Just as a data point, I am American and bank with Capital One. I love Cap One and am generally very happy with them. But...for a recent trip, I decided to get some euros in advance of travel and made the request at my local bank branch in a mid-sized city. To my surprise, they gave me a terrible exchange rate on euros, even though my payment was coming right out of my checking account. Personally, in general, I have tried to retain a bit of currency from foreign countries I have visited and, that way, when I go back to the country I have some pocket money on arrival for taxis, hotel tips, etc. before I have a chance to find a bank ATM. I have found many arrival airports only have non-bank ATMs and foreign exchange booths with bad rates.
Same here.
Can confirm Airalo and Betterment work!!
🙌🙌🙌
Also for larger sum of money’s you can always send western union to your self so for 1000$ you will only pay 5.99 fee and it’s guaranteed you’ll get best exchange rate possible
Definitely don't get the best exchange rate
Fidelity bank debit card cash management also reimburses fees
Airlo works for me throughout SE Asia and the Caribbean with eSim enabled phones.
Glad to hear that!
Excellent video! A much needed and neglected topic, and all good advice.
I always bring cash. Not massive sums, but $1000 or so dollars. Not difficult to hide. After that I use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees.
This is a great video today. I ordered my Schwab card so I won’t have to pay fees at the ATM. Also, I never knew getting currency from those exchange booths was a bad idea. Thanks again.
Visiting London in the past couple years, l found I didn’t need to get currency. Everything was payable with credit cards including buses and the tube. For transport you do need a separate CC for each person. The Tube requires a swipe both going in and going out . There is a maximum charge each day, so you should use the same card on a day if you are taking public transit several times in a day.
In Thailand the best place to exchange money is the private booths on the streets. Always shop the rate shown in the window, some are better than others. New $100 bills are best.
good information for dweebs. If you served please get a USAA card. The best card in the world , especially if you travel the world, which is what it was designed for.
Most any Federal Credit Union Debit Card also do not Charge FTF and reimburse ATM charges. Atleast i can confirm this for DCU (Digital Federal CU) and Affinity. Credit Unions do not require high bank balance like some private banks do.
I believe your bank doesnt determine the conversion, its the interbanking conversion like Visa that determines.
Fingers crossed!!! Just signed up for a Betterment checking account and transferred money into it as a starter. The debit card should be here in 7 to 10 business days. Heading overseas at the end of October to SE Asia for a year or more, slow-traveling and bouncing between countries. Nervous. Hope Betterment is the real deal!
I used betterment in Japan last month and used it in Vietnam before so it’s the real deal!
@@MaxMilesPoints I did a bunch of 'research' lol and also called my bank (Chase) where my three cc and atm all had ATM fees and foreign transaction fees. Dug into the Betterment website, checked out a bunch of reviews online as well, watched a couple of your videos, and voilà it's a done deal. Accidentally just stumbled upon your channel today. Couldn't have been better timing!!! THANK YOU!
Great information I really appreciate the travel tips. May I suggest you drop the background music during narration. Very hard to hear your voice while wearing headphones.
I'm going to Thailand so I'll be using airalo. Thanks!
I always give a like to support your channel, thanks for providing amazing content
Tip for travelers to Japan. Bring your ATM card to any 7-11 store. They all have ATM"s. Use their ATM to withdraw yen. Exchange rate is excellent. There is a 220 yen ($1.41) ATM fee which many USA banks refunds to their customers. You can withdraw cash up to your bank daily withdraw limit, whatever that is. Stay away from the current exchange places in USA airports. Most are for profit businesses and the exchange rate is horrible because that's how they make their profit. Good luck everyone!
One thing I had to consider on a recent trip was having to book a vehicle and driver from the airport to hotel in Rome. It had to fit 5 people and luggage. That was all great, but they required payment in Euros, not credit cards, so I did go to a currency exchange place near where I live. I didn't want to have to do it in the airport after the overnight flight.
Recently, when we arrived at the airport in Madrid, none of the cash machines worked. I was glad to have euros for the taxi ride to the hotel.
Great info. Thanks
I used to do the ATM thing, but last 7 years I have a no fee FX credit card, which allows me to spend with no FX fees but I realized if I did cash advance at an ATM in another country, also no FX fees, and to avoid interest, I just top up my credit card with the exact amount of credit I need, i.e. if I need 1K of cash, I make sure my credit card account is topped up to 1K above 0 right before my trip, and then I go to the ATM overseas and take that amount out.
I've tried this in Japan, China, Taiwan, Dubai, Italy, Turkey, etc. Just make sure they have the visa/MC sign depending on the card you use
@jayzee316 Im heading to Europe in November. While I understand what you're sharing, I did not realize that you can add money to a credit credit account. How do you top money to your cc? Thanks!
@@match20x you regularly pay off your credit card right, say you owe 1000, you pay 1000 so it's 0, but instead, you pay 2000 into your credit card account that is owing 1000, then your account will show that you have a "negative" balance, i.e. 1000 over 0/credit, then if you just spend your card, that amount slowly goes back to 0. I just do it before I need cash, a few days so the payment would settle.
Very informative. Liked. Subscribed.
Awesome advice Max! I was just looking for a no-foreign-transaction-fee debit card. Glad i found your video. Great advice on also looking for a card with Atm-fee-refunds feature.
Just shut off data and use any free wi-fi. With ATMs look for the ones you can tap your card, not insert. I had one of my debit cards swallowed in the Philippines (luckily I have 2 different bank debit cards) and had to wait till I got back to UK.
Thank you for sharing your experience if traveling.😊
Great video! What do you think about other travel cards like the wise card?
I haven’t tried the wise card. I looked into it but seemed like a more complicated options than just opening a betterment or Schwab account
I have not used the Wise card but I have sent money abroad a few times with Wise's web site, which converted it into the other currency and delivered it to the recipient. The fees were very small and the service was great.
@@ShadyD365 thanks for sharing, I was pondering about opening an account and I think I might do it
always very helpful info!! thank you!
Atms are not owned by the bank its at usualy .
But i quess it gives you a sense of safety.
Even in usa atms are owned by atm companies.
My bank debit cards work fine TD and wells fargo worked well in korea and phils.
Cap1 cc worked well and no exchange fees
Never heard of sim card. thanks.
FIRST!!!
Great video Max!!!
how does chase private client not make this list? no ftf and they will reimburse you any ATM fees + you get free wire transfers, free cashier checks, free check books, free safety deposit box, a personal banker and a financial advisor. wells fargo premier has the same too. I use both. I can believe both of those didn't make the list.
Also Fidelity Cash Management debit card does the same thing.
I have fidelity and swab too, but fidelity is very slow.
@@dangda-ww7deCan you elaborate on "very slow?" Thanks.
@@bj5083 Slow in deposit and slow in sending your money back into your acc.
@@bj5083 Fidelity hold your deposit for a few days, and when reinburst they take longer to do it.
Most old phones don't have eSim capability
I was happy using Airalo in India
Glad to hear it! 🙌
Great tips. Thanks!
One very good use for the FX booths is to take your money from the ATM and they will split it into smaller bills.
If you don't have that option in smaller places try to take out money in odd numbers to force some smaller bills.
Betterment debit card is for US residents only. I use HSBC global card
Can u deposit the unuse cash conversion you pull out of atm back into your checking when coming back home. If you can deposit money back onto your debit card. Can it be converted back into us dollars?
I live in Mexico just ten miles south of the California border. Trouble is that the bank ATMs almost come a cropper when it comes to getting USA dollars. They are always out of USA dollars. If I could get dollars I could walk out the bank's door and go into a exchange kiosk which are on every block being that I am in a tourist beach city and get 5% more than the bank offers me.
I use my Capital One 360 debit card as a no foreign transaction fee option
Thanks, this is very helpful
CS for foreign ATM at international airports, and the Fidelity cash management for all domestic ATM withdrawals
Heading to Vietnam and mexico soon. I'll use my CS card. Which banks do you recommend withdrawing from in both countries?
I’ve been going to chase bank twice a month in order to get Euros and Pounds and I’ll be fine in Europe .
Yes, Chucky Schwab! I can’t believe you don’t hear more about this debit card for international travel
Highly recommend Fidelity's ATM card.
Does Fidelity cover fees for international ATMs? I know they recently announced no foreign transaction fees.
It does according to their website “Get reimbursed for all ATM fees when using the card as part of a Fidelity® Cash Management Account. Reimbursements are also available with a Fidelity brokerage account.”
@@richardshack8246 Fidelity's Cash Management Account has no minimum balance requirement; it reimburses all your domestic and international withdrawal fee charged by ATMs; I have been using it over several years.
@MaxMilesPoints oh my god thank you!! I've been looking for this. I had capital one and they used to have no atm fees but not anymore.
Reimburses atm fees? Sounds like Navy Federal would be best when traveling outside of the US.
Banks in other countries often charge a fee when using a foreign ATM card.
Which is why you find a debit card that refunds atm fees as mentioned in the video
Charles Schwab
How do you get Airlo or Gigsky to get alerts using credit cards?
Great advice
Betterment only available for US citizens 😢 ; I have a WISE card, but that doesn’t have the reimbursement of ATM charges
Good points covered and not speaking so fast that you loose the listener.
Your advice about exchange booths is kind of correct but also depends on location. Yes, in some countries they are always terrible. Airport booths are also always terrible. However, in some countries, like Thailand where you have your opening video clip, it is well known that a certain exchange booth company has the best rate almost all of the time and is going to be better than an atm withdrawal even from Schwab or Fidelity.
Remember, visa and Mastercard charge a fee to change your money even on cards with no foreign transaction fee. The actual visa or Mastercard fee is very very good, but it’s not free and it can be beat. You can find this fee by going to the visa exchange calculator, putting 0% in the bank fee and seeing the result, which I have seen before around 0.23%. That’s cheap for sure, but it can and does get beat.
I always change at home when the rate is favourable, never when i get to my destination.
My tip is go to your nearest casino and use that ATM to draw money. My cuzz came from Holland last year and we went to our Bank of America to use ATM and it didn’t recognize her card. We tried several bank ATM unsuccessfully. We went to Vegas as part of our vacay and she was able to withdraw money from any ATM, fees 6.99. So we know to just go to casino 😅😅😅
First timer here. I learned some good info, so I’m subscribing.
Glad to hear it! Thanks for subscribing!
I was recently in Japan. They have so many ATM style currency exchange machines. I absolutely hate them! Worst rates.
Dont travel with one card. Avoid stand alone ATM machines, specially in alleys. Do not let them do the conversion. Allow your bank do the conversion. Personal experience, Greece and many ATM now across the globe are just screwing people with fees and on exchange rates who don't know which option to choose.
Try to use ATMs inside banks so if there is a problem they will try and help you. Hate those ATMs where they take in your card.:
Ok I feel dumb and old, but assuming my bank debit (chase) doesn’t offer these how do you get another debit card? Is this opening another checking and depositing the amount you think you’ll use? I kept waiting for clarification on this. Can you get a debit card that draws from your current bank? The music sounds like an Ethiopian restaurant and now I want that food but this was a great source of info. I’ve always used credit cards for everything and then just very little atm withdrawals. Thanks so much!
Chase private client checking acct offers no charge on all atm fees, both US and international. But, ya, u would need to open a Schwab checking account and depo $ into it. U can also link the accounts both ways
Great video, very informative ut you did not include the money transfer tech companies. I use Wise for drawing my money from ATMs when I am in Thailand (I am from the UK) which seems to save me a lot of fees. Except I always fail on the conversion issue you highlighted at the ATM - I now know thank you. Does Wise save you money on ATM fees?
I looked into Wise and their fee structure is very confusing. Depending on where your card was issued, how much you withdrew, how many times you withdrew money in that month that'll determine how much or when you're charged a fee. Wise does not refund ATM fees too. You can read more about it in the article below. In the U.S. there are better simpler products, in the UK I'm not sure what the alternatives are other than Wise.
wise.com/help/articles/2935769/how-much-does-it-cost-to-withdraw-cash-with-my-wise-card
@@MaxMilesPoints thank you so much for your reply on this. I know that most British banks will shut down accounts. Some permit International accounts but require large amounts of money to be deposited. Thanks again, I really enjoyed your presentation style, very informative and easy to follow. I am now a subscriber.
This is very helpful thank you. However, I'm British and don't know what some of these terms are. Such as schawb. Not sure on spelling as not heard of it before.
My bank Santander, I don't know if anything is free in other countries outside of the EU, or if I can use my debit card in the Philippines.
This Charles Swab Debit card in universal? Any country in Asia ATM will take this card ?
( Japan, Korea ,Vietnam, China..etc )
Yes majority of the time yes
Good point
Wait, no transaction fee, and a debit that offers reimbursements for fees? None of those exist in the philippines. I think so.
Easy! Open up a Needham bank checking account based in Massachusetts. They offered unlimited ATM rebate world wide! No min, direct deposit or anything! I just zelle money from my main account to it when need cash over seas! Been using them over 3 years! I live in TX so I opened the account online.
I researched them before, but how are they as a bank in general? And the online interface and customer service?
@@ronako2 Their customer service is great. Their app and online too. I don’t have a problem. They reimburse you the atm fees the next business day.
I use the WISE debit card so I can do my exchange rate when it’s most beneficial.
Wise has the worst exchange rate in the industry!
Take cash and find good exchanges. Using any card or bank system will see you screwed!
Def going to look into that debit card. Is it a pain to transfer money back and forth?
Betterment is a bit slow to move money in and out, takes around 3 business. The Charles Schwab account might be quicker
Where did you get the thing on your wall?
Don’t most banks usually just use VISA’s exchange rate
Not necessarily, you will find differences, even amongst Visa or M/Cs
Best way to find out is to try and use a few cards on the same day, for the same amount. So try charging say €10 on three different cards at merchants and compare!
@@NorthernMike-1 thanks
So I should’ve waited for you to finish your video before I asked my question but based on your answer, regarding getting money from a local bank before you depart on your trip, maybe just get half of what you think you’ll spend and use your Debit card while you’re there if you need more?
That’s an option and you can definitely do that it’s just more work than just getting it all from a debit card when you land because there are no fees and you get reimbursed for all atm fees (if you have the right debit card)
Thanks for this video. Going to Ireland in October and this is great information. Can I go to an ATM at my hotel to withdraw Euros instead of going to a bank ATM? Also, my daughter-in-law who is an avid traveler, said that when paying for anything, including restaurants, I should always choose US dollars, but you say select local currency. So confused.
Yes you can go to an ATM at your hotel to withdrawal euros if you want. Just make sure your card has no foreign transaction fees and reimburses you for ATM fees. As for local currency or USD when asked at a restaurant always choose the local currency. You want your bank to convert your money. When you choose USD the restaurant payment processor will convert your money at an unfavorable rate. Here's an article from Amex that you can send to your daughter-in-law: www.americanexpress.com/en-us/credit-cards/credit-intel/should-you-pay-in-local-or-home-currency-when-traveling/
This is rhe video i needed like 2 weeks before mt first trip to Japan 😅😂 Ended up running out of yen (converted at my local bank several months in advance) with another 5 days left of my trip and didnt even BRING any debit card 💀 Realized i couldnt even reload the suica with credit card either and it had to be cash. And to add insult to injury i couldnt even do cash advance from the sapphire because Chase said i needed to set up the pin BEFORE international travel and i was SOL.
Yikkessss also you can reload passmo/suica with credit card! Amex works (I know this doesn’t help you now but for future trips )
@@MaxMilesPoints really?! I mean I definitely plan to go back so the info still helps for next time 🙏🏾 I thought only way to reload with card was Apple pay but I have an Android. Maybe I was missing something haha.
What I ended up doing at the time was luckily I had a friend I met up with (we'd been hanging out intermittently during the weeks over there) that had plenty of yen and I zelled her and bought us some lunch for the currency exchange 😆
@@Lnetta2Lteezy ohhh oops I meant it’s possible to reload your IC card with credit card with Amex if you have ApplePay * 😬
Yes, ATM is the way to go. Just came back from Japan and you really don't need a lot of yen. They now all accept credit cards except small stores or street foods seller. Seven eleven which is my go to place accept credit card payment.
@@jeffreyrivera8158so you can reload an IC card with a US credit card at 7/11?
How much money you usually keep in your debit card when you travel abroad?
Bare minimum I need to make it through the trip usually depends on where I’m traveling usually around $100-$200. Most places take card now
Most institutions that refund ATM fees, have a maximum number of transactions per month!
Both cards mentioned in the video have unlimited atm fee reimbursements
@@MaxMilesPoints great
Is there a credit card that has dual function working as either credit or debit. My US Bank debit can be used as a credit card but offers no traveling benes. Thanks! Good info👍🏻
can you make a video just stay in borabora with points? thank u much.
Marriott just opened the Westin Bora Bora, nights are around 65k-85k marriott points a night. Stay 5 nights get the 5th night free. So it can be as low as 280k points for 5 nights total
How about just getting the foreign currency from your bank here in the states before you leave?
Check with your bank. Sometimes they charge a fee or they might have a minimum amount that you need to exchange and sometimes it can take some time for them to get the foreign currency. Bank of America has like a $1,000 minimum (I think) which is a lot
I use Fidelity Cash Management Debit card
Can I use the airlo on an unlocked phone with no phone plan?
Yup!
What’s your take on converting USD to YEN prior to traveling to Japan (8 months out from travel), because of the YEN being low currently?
Not a bad idea but depends on how much you plan to spend in Japan tbh.
Yen is actually still great. Try a rate of 100¥ to the $1.00. I used to get that exchange rate back in the 90s and early 2000s. 140¥ to the $1.00 is still a solid rate and the locals in Japan ain’t hurting as bad either.
Great video. Very informative! Too bad we don’t have a Charles Schwab debit card in Canada! Do you know if there’s a similar card in as CS debit card in Camada? I couldn’t find any debit cards that would reimburse international ATM fees. It’s a great card for travel to a foreign country.
Never exchange more than $20-$40 us on any airport, the pay the lowest
I regret having locked iphone via carrier. I cant get the esim to work...
We dont have any debit cards as such in Europe and I am not moving to the USA to get one. thanks
Yes, we do have debit cards in Europe and in Europe we don't talk about Europe, as every nation has its own banking system.
local bank in canda gives you bad rates
Great Video ! I'll have to check out those debit cards. I think I already do the steps you suggest. I do get some initial Foreign $ from my bank (US Bank) because I plan ahead. I live in WA State, USA and use a Boeing Credit Union card, BeCU that has no foreign fees and I believe reverses foreign charges. Frequently use the debit card and CC in Canada ... Cash or Card, no fees ! 🙂
What if i do have a card that has foreign transaction fee and doesnt reimburse atm fees? Like the BOA/Chase debit card?
You will be charged foreign fees and ATM fees. If you don’t mind the extra fees then do nothing.
I pay a flat fee for my allowable daily amount.
Stop being misleading. Esims are Not the cheapest option. Buying a local sim is.
Honestly the best way is to apply for a foreign bank online, then wiring the money to your new account when the exchange rates is in your favor. I made a K-Bank account online for Thailand and wired the money to myself when the exchange rates was 39 and use my money when its now at 33.
This is dumb. You have to pay wire fees.
@@waylandchinperhaps if the person travels to the second country on a regular basis it might work out. For the average person going to a foreign country for a vacation, it doesn’t make sense.
I agree with this. Seems like a lot of work if you’re just visiting for vacation
Apply for foreign bank accounts for every country you visit. Make sense 😂
I thought you can’t apply for bank account in Thailand if you are not Thai citizen.