Traveler's checks

brunito says on Aug 6, 2005, 13:26:

Traveler's checks are a pain in Medellin At least in 1999, they were a pain.

My recommendation is to bring your ATM card and credit card and you'll be fine with few fees.

At least that's my case.

That's what I've been doing for the last 2 trips when in Colombia.

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rjstuff says on Aug 6, 2005, 16:47:

I was in Colombia in february and both cash (dollars) and travellers checks are a bad bargain (the banks charge you about 15% to cash them - yes even cash dollars.) ATMs are great - the only limit is some local ATMs will only let you withdraw 300,000 or 400,000 per day (so plan to go to ATMs more often.) ATM charges are based on your banks agreements etc. my bank charged me nothing and gave me a great exchange rate. I will say - leave your cash here and take your ATMs.

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pisgah2 says on Aug 7, 2005, 07:32:

ATM
ATMs are the way to go. One thing else I do now is to go to a Latin Store in the US, ( assuming you have one in your city) that is set up to wire money to SA. You can choose a bank ahead of time PAGOS, etc. Then I have a friend set up that I can call to send money overnight if something should happen with my card or cash in Colombia.

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ColombiaBoard says on Aug 7, 2005, 08:23:

Money Money... Definitely stick to debit and credit cards. Cash gets a lower exchange rate and traveler´s checks are a big headache.
There are ATMs everywhere, in supermarkets, Malls, on the street (but for added security don´t use those).
You can use your debit and credit card at hotels, restaurants, shops, supermarkets, etc.
Remember to check with your bank how much they charge for withdrawals from foreign ATMs. Also, I think they don´t charge you anything if you use your debit card to pay for goods at a store, they only charge a fee if you use it at an ATM

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