Brazil - Travel Money

nabox01

My son is off to World Cup and staying in São Paulo I and am worried about him taking large amounts of cash. Can anyone recommend the best way for him to take his money. R prepaid cards a good idea or are they expensive to use. Any help ? thank you .

jonesMUFCforever

How much is a large amount?
How much cash will his travel insurance cover him for?

grumbler

MSE article: Cheap Travel Cards

nabox01

Taking approx £1000 plus hotel payment approx £650.

nabox01

Travel insurance will cover this amount.

JamesCR

I work for Travelex and I wouldn't advise taking all cash. We're supposed to push those travel cards on people but if I was going I would check what rate/fees would be charged for using my debit card. I think they are generally lower than people think.

If you do decide to get a prepaid card, please be a aware they do vary a little from place to place. Some are Mastercard and some are Visa Electron. If I was going I would want a Mastercard one.

Has he checked if he can pay the hotel in advance online or if they offer a money service at the hotel? Some allow settlement in pounds or euros etc.

Whatever you do, if you go to a bureau, they won't have cards denominated in Real so please don't get talked into take a euro or dollar card! You will just lose out twice when the currency is converted to real.

You will likely need to order real so give it at least a week. Like I said, check with card issuer about charges (and let them know he is going to Brazil so they don't cancel his card and leave him high and dry).

Recommendation:

Take £200 in Real. The rest on a debit card (if bank charges/exchange rates are reasonable) or a cash passport denominated in GBP so you don't lose out on double exchange. Travelex online do a global card and Mastercard version. Thomas Cook (very good rates if you order online) also do Mastercard.

nabox01

Thanks for the advice James. This is a great help.

jonesMUFCforever

Can I ask who is he covered with for travel insurance?


It might be me but I have never come across a policy that will cover £1650 in cash.
If this is true then please advise me of the company name so that I can try them next time.

PeacefulWaters

Some cash. I'd be thinking towards transport from airport plus food on arrival day plus all foods on first full day. Plus £100.

A primary card (see the article linked above). This could be prepaid, debit card or credit card. The article linked above draws you to value for money. Probably too late to get a credit card.

An emergency card (e.g. main bank debit card) with no intention of using it but available just in case.

Preferably an additional emergency card too. Even if this means opening an account with a new bank with a modest balance. A different banking group to where his other banking is to protect against systems down time snookering him.

He should advise the bank(s) where he'll be to ensure they don't block his cards.

You should have the ability to top up his emergency cards if needed to get him out of a crisis. Set up Faster Payments now and test them for £1. Stress that he's not going to get anything off you just for drinking it away though!

Keep a photocopy of his passport at home together with details of his insurance. He should also keep a copy of his passport in his luggage separate to where he keeps the actual passport and have his insurance contact numbers easily to hand. Make sure you have a record of all his travel arrangements and hotels / dates.

Don't wear jewellery or impressive watches. Wear cheap clothes - any designer gear will make him a crime target. Stick to the main streets even if they cost more. Keep the phone out of sight in public places. Take a suitable plug converter and phone charger that's already been tested. A spare of these may be a good idea too.

Suggest whoever he's travelling with replicates these precautions.

I'm sure they'll have a great time.

iwanttoberich

A FairFx card is good. There is an any currency card now. You load it in pounds and can spend in any currency. The rates are lower than banks and foreign exchange places and it is Mastercard. I like it because if it gets lost/stolen/cloned there is no way anyone can access your main bank accounts. You can top up online with what you need for a few days at a time.

The only thing to be aware of, and this applies to any card you take, is that you have to check that the ATM you are using accepts foreign cards. I used this card in South Korea and had no problems at all.

As others have said, take cash (small denominations are best) to cover the first couple of days until he sorts out where the ATMs are.

guesswho2000

If he can, get the Halifax Clarity credit card, if not, some sort of prepaid card with low fees.

Don't bother taking cash - I was in Rio and Sao Paulo last October and had no problem using cards to pay or getting cash when I arrived.