Las Vegas trip looming - TC's or Pre-paid card?

SPARKSWILLFLY

Jetting off to Las Vegas and looking for advice for purchasing my holiday cash (in advance, of course and NOT at the airport).

I'm stuck between options:- American Express Traveller's Cheques or Pre-paid travel money card?

I'm guessing that ATMs will be everywhere in Las Vegas enabling me to lift cash using one of these cards. However, will I incur a charge every time I make a withdrawal or purchase using it? That seems a bit rubbish to me where I can save money instead using TC's.

Not been to the States for years, and it probably comes across....:o


Pre-paid cards are new on me, I'm afraid, and need seem help understanding their ins and outs as I'm reading conflicting info about them all the time.

Cheers! :beer:

Peter

exel1966

Neither, get yourself a credit card which doesn't have a foreign transaction fee attached to it eg. Post Office, Halifax Clarity, Aqua, but don't use ATM's to withdraw cash. Take a small amount of cash/TC's with you too.
Pay off the card in full as soon as you get home to avoid any interest.

You really do not much cash in the US, just singles for tips. Card is king!

totallybored

Vegas is the only place in the world I take TCs to. That's because I have a set gambling budget and will only cash so many tcs per day. Once that days money has gone no more gambling. Casinos, free booze and ATMs are not a good mix.

totallybored

exel1966 wrote: »

Neither, get yourself a credit card which doesn't have a foreign transaction fee attached to it eg. Post Office, Halifax Clarity, Aqua, but don't use ATM's to withdraw cash. Take a small amount of cash/TC's with you too.
Pay off the card in full as soon as you get home to avoid any interest.

You really do not much cash in the US, just singles for tips. Card is king!

You need to be careful if you're only using a credit card for everything. I don't recall if it was Halifax or Santander that I was using in Vegas once but I reached a daily transaction limit! I never knew it existed, had been happily shopping away all day (plus buying breakfast, coffees, lunch etc on the card) when late afternoon my card stopped working. Called them up as I knew I was nowhere near the credit limit to be told you could only make so many transactions in one day!! I had other cards with me but it was quite irritating, especially as I love shopping.

exel1966

You were told wrongly, there's no such limitation, but what they may have done is purposely blocked your card due to suspecting fraud because of abnormally high overseas usage in a short space of time. This is why it's recommended to advise some card companies if and when you're going to be using your card overseas.

totallybored

exel1966 wrote: »

You were told wrongly, there's no such limitation, but what they may have done is purposely blocked your card due to suspecting fraud because of abnormally high overseas usage in a short space of time. This is why it's recommended to advise some card companies if and when you're going to be using your card overseas.

Thats definitely what the muppet in the call centre told me. He said something about it being fine to start using the following day too. I'd been using the card for several days before that as well and I'd informed them before I went. Surely I'm not the first woman to spend a day buying lots of stuff!

I've also found banks and card companies annoying when trying to tell them I'll be using it abroad. They have a limit of how many countries they will note and tell you to call back after 3 or 5 countries!

exel1966

I suspect the system was alerted to your spending, card blocked, awaited your confirmation it was you doing the spending, card unblocked.

It's all very random with card companies.

dzug1

SPARKSWILLFLY wrote: »

I'm guessing that ATMs will be everywhere in Las Vegas enabling me to lift cash using one of these cards. However, will I incur a charge every time I make a withdrawal or purchase using it? That seems a bit rubbish to me where I can save money instead using TC's.

Peter

Depends on the card - use the right one and the charge will be minimal

And bear in mind that TCs are not 'free'. Even if there is 'NO COMMISSION!!!!!' most incur a hefty exchange rate loading when you buy them. Maybe more than the prepaid card charges.

StuieUK34

when i went to LV last year,
i got the FairFX prepaid card.... ($ card)
i got better rates when changing my dosh too.....

Anyway, i used the ATM inside Casino Royale to withdraw the cash. the machine charged $1 and the card charged $2, with a daily withdraw limit of $1000

So i banged in $500 (which in turn was $501), then put it in again and took out $490 (which was $491), then $4 charge by the card company.....

The higher rate i had with them saved me doing the above compared to other stuff, plus, some of the ATM's charge $3 or more to make withdrawals...