cash or credit in Ireland?

[driftless]

That is true. I probably should have said that Ireland will be pain free for him to travel and that he should not worry. I was just trying to ease his anxiety. What has changed since 2005 is that we, and think most people, use ATM's for a little cash and cards for everything else. I remember being in Europe ~ 2005 and our bank ATM cards did not work and neither did a CC.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to the internet there are reviews on every hotel and restaurant if your itinerary is pretty close to completely planned you can check the reviews on websites of everything to see what they accept. 7 networks may not talk to each other of course but if its cash only you know ahead of time to carry extra

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I am British, and visit the UK and Ireland once a year as it is cheaper for me to fly into Ireland first.

I would advise using card ONLY but always have local currency on hand, some public transport will only take cash and coin as well as some small B&B's etc.

EDIT: They have never asked me how I fund my trips, going in or out of ANY country. And I travel a lot. Also, do not use your card at any ATM's the fees will be stupidly high.

Take USD to a travel agents in Ireland and they will give you the best currency exchange, do not do it at the airport because they will charge you more for doing it there.

If you have any other questions let me know.

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That really depends on OP's bank. If he has a Schwab debit card for instance it might actually be to his advantage to use ATMs there since the fees get reimbursed.

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I mean the chances are, he doesn't have Schwab and will be charged by both his bank for the withdrawl and from the ATM he is withdrawing it from. If you are sure you will not be charged for this by either bank then sure, withdraw from an ATM. But I always utilize a travel agent for currency when abroad to avoid extra fees.

I keep a spare $50 in my wallet and this is usually enough to be exchanged, this is what I will be doing when visiting Ireland, England and Scotland in July.

95% of all charges will be charged to my CC's.

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Depending on when the trip is, OP could easily get a Schwab bank account and card before he leaves. Requires a HP though, which isn't so good, but I'd consider it worthwhile even when traveling domestically.

[Anonymous]

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@tacpoly wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I am British, and visit the UK and Ireland once a year as it is cheaper for me to fly into Ireland first.

I would advise using card ONLY but always have local currency on hand, some public transport will only take cash and coin as well as some small B&B's etc.

EDIT: They have never asked me how I fund my trips, going in or out of ANY country. And I travel a lot. Also, do not use your card at any ATM's the fees will be stupidly high.

Take USD to a travel agents in Ireland and they will give you the best currency exchange, do not do it at the airport because they will charge you more for doing it there.

If you have any other questions let me know.

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The ATMs (legit bank affiliated ones) I've used in the UK, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy have not charge any transaction fees.  Whatever fees one gets is usually on their bank's side (transaction fee, forex fee), but that really depends on the bank and your status. 

From personal experience:  Schwab has no fees at all, BofA partners with Barclays and RBS (two off the top of my head) so you won't get charged the high fees when you use them, Citibank has ATMs in various locations (and if you have the high level gold account, they waive fees), Chase will not charge fees for a private client (JPM private banking has international locations).

HSBC has lots of international branches and I imagine you can get preferred treatment when using those. 

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BofA charges 3% FTF on debit cards even when using affiliated ATMs overseas. That might get waived if you're a high enough Preferred Rewards tier but I'm not sure on that.

[Anonymous]

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@driftless wrote:
No one asks how trips are funded. Use your cards and take out a little cash from an ATM after you land. Enjoy your trip.

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i can for one confirm i have been asked how i've funded my trips before.   never upon entering a country but upon returning to where i had left.  maybe for me its due to the fact i usually take extended trips back to the UK (originally from the UK).  When returning back to America i'm usually asked the usual questions and often ask me how i was able to afford to stay in the UK for the length of time i stayed.  

i would also recommend using cards and getting some local currency.  most major banks in the USA can get you foreign currency at a decent price before you leave on a trip.  same for banks in the destination can and will buy US currency.

[CreditJim]

I travel internationally every month. I've found the easiest, least expensive way is using no FTF credit cards for as much as possible, and then I withdraw a small amount of local currency from an ATM when I land. I have Schwab and a credit union checking account that charges no fees, with the Schwab refunding the ATM fees. This is the best possible way to convert currency as you get live exchange rates. And far less hassle than going into travel agents, currency exchange places etc etc. Just withdraw a small amount of local currency at the airport.

[Anonymous]

I have a (US) Navy Federal credit card that charges no FTF and no cash advance fees, though it does charge 18% interest immediately upon withdrawal of funds.  That's what I was going to use at Ireland ATM's.  I'll also bring $100 US with me but don't like to carry a lot of cash. 

[tacpoly]

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@CreditJim wrote:

I travel internationally every month. I've found the easiest, least expensive way is using no FTF credit cards for as much as possible, and then I withdraw a small amount of local currency from an ATM when I land. I have Schwab and a credit union checking account that charges no fees, with the Schwab refunding the ATM fees. This is the best possible way to convert currency as you get live exchange rates. And far less hassle than going into travel agents, currency exchange places etc etc. Just withdraw a small amount of local currency at the airport.

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This is what I do as well.  Most recently I've landed in Nicaragua and Cambodia with less than $40 in my wallet. 

I just had enough dollars to pay for visa on arrival at PNH.  I did learn that it's always good to have cash in hand during a bus ride to Sihanoukville:  I ran out of Riels and while the food hawkers took USD, they only took new, crisp bills (and they examine it).  By sheer chance I had 3 new dollar bills and that got me through the 4 or so hours. 

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I am British, and visit the UK and Ireland once a year as it is cheaper for me to fly into Ireland first.

I would advise using card ONLY but always have local currency on hand, some public transport will only take cash and coin as well as some small B&B's etc.

EDIT: They have never asked me how I fund my trips, going in or out of ANY country. And I travel a lot. Also, do not use your card at any ATM's the fees will be stupidly high.

Take USD to a travel agents in Ireland and they will give you the best currency exchange, do not do it at the airport because they will charge you more for doing it there.

If you have any other questions let me know.

---

That really depends on OP's bank. If he has a Schwab debit card for instance it might actually be to his advantage to use ATMs there since the fees get reimbursed.

---

I mean the chances are, he doesn't have Schwab and will be charged by both his bank for the withdrawl and from the ATM he is withdrawing it from. If you are sure you will not be charged for this by either bank then sure, withdraw from an ATM. But I always utilize a travel agent for currency when abroad to avoid extra fees.

I keep a spare $50 in my wallet and this is usually enough to be exchanged, this is what I will be doing when visiting Ireland, England and Scotland in July.

95% of all charges will be charged to my CC's.

---

Depending on when the trip is, OP could easily get a Schwab bank account and card before he leaves. Requires a HP though, which isn't so good, but I'd consider it worthwhile even when traveling domestically.

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Good point, I would be interested to see what OP decides to do. 

He clearly doesn't travel much, and I personally would prefer to save the HP and just go to a travel agents to exchange money, it isn't that much of a hassle.

But thats just me.