cupcake
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Where to pay for FMM with cash?
Greetings All,
I crossed into TJ yesterday. I wanted a 180 day FMM, but was only able to get a 7 day FMM because I did not have a card to use for payment. The INM
Officer told me that there are some offices still accepting cash, but he could not recommend a specific office. I am hoping someone on this forum can
advise where I can pay cash for a longer term FMM.
Thanks.
[Edited on 4-23-2024 by cupcake]
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David K
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FMMs are issued at the INM office/desk in the first building inside Mexico, as well as in port cities and International airports (for non-driving
visitors).
I have always paid for them with cash. However, the last time was in 2022. Things do change!
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cupcake
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Thanks David. Yes, in 2022 FMMs were still payable in cash at the San Ysidro crossing, but alas no more.
The INM agent I dealt with yesterday was quite friendly and helpful, and he told me that places like Ensenada, Tecate, Mexicali would not allow me to
convert my 7 day FMM to a 180 day FMM and accept cash. He said possibly La Paz, and the best chance would be Mexico City. That is a long way to go
with only a 7 day FMM, when there is no gaurantee of success. Luckily, there is plenty to do in northern Baja, so I will hang out here for the time
being.
I am still hopeful someone will be along to advise of a recent FMM purchase that was paid in cash.
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ftrphb
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Walk through San Ysidro on Sunday afternoon. In the pedestrian lane. AMLO changed to cards only because of corruption. The boss ain't there on
Sundays.
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PaulW
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Get a prepaid credit card.
I think Walmart sells them?
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mtgoat666
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Quote: Originally posted by cupcake  | Greetings All,
I crossed into TJ yesterday. I wanted a 180 day FMM, but was only able to get a 7 day FMM because I did not have a card to use for payment. The INM
Officer told me that there are some offices still accepting cash, but he could not recommend a specific office. I am hoping someone on this forum can
advise where I can pay cash for a longer term FMM.
Thanks.
[Edited on 4-23-2024 by cupcake] |
I paid cash 2 months ago in Mexicali west xing.
Maybe you lost something in translation? Maybe the IMM officer told you to go pay at the bank window and you misunderstood the instructions… or
maybe they were just yanking your chain that day…
Anywho, do people without a CC or debit card really exist? Are you a fugitive unable to obtain credit or ID to open a bank account? Are you a hobo
living on only cash?
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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cupcake
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| Quote: Originally posted by ftrphb | | Walk through San Ysidro on Sunday afternoon. In the pedestrian lane. AMLO changed to cards only because of corruption. The boss ain't there on
Sundays. |
I figured they changed to card only because of corruption. They did that in LA with the Flyaway bus some years ago for the same reason. Do these same
sometimes corrupt people have access to my card info when I enter it? Save the government from the risk and instead pass it to the card barer?
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cupcake
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This looks like a good way out of my predicament, thanks for the suggestion. Google is showing three Walmart locations in TJ.
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cupcake
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| Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 |
I paid cash 2 months ago in Mexicali west xing.
Maybe you lost something in translation? Maybe the IMM officer told you to go pay at the bank window and you misunderstood the instructions… or
maybe they were just yanking your chain that day…
Anywho, do people without a CC or debit card really exist? Are you a fugitive unable to obtain credit or ID to open a bank account? Are you a hobo
living on only cash? |
I was thinking about trying Tecate. Mexicali is a bit of a slog round trip from TJ. The INM agent said I would not be able to convert my existing
7-day FMM into a 180-day FMM at Tecate or Mexicali (he said they were too close to TJ and that I would be refered back to the originating office), but
he said nothing about exiting Mexico and re-entering on a new FMM at these locations. I don´t think anything was lost in translation. My Spanish is
so-so, but the INM agent was speaking English and seemed fluent to me. He also seemed to be honest and with a good knowledge of what he was advising
about.
I want to be a cash-only hobo, but detaching completely from ´the grid´is apparently not a realistic goal.
[Edited on 4-24-2024 by cupcake]
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RFClark
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Try paying online with a CC then pick up the FMM in TJ.
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cupcake
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Thanks to all of you for the great suggestions.
I was able to pay with cash for a 180-day FMM today at the Tecate crossing without any problems. There is a small Banjercito office/kiosk there that
is currently processing FMM payments in a variety of plastic cards (the logos of those they accept are posted next to the clerk window - I dont know
if the Walmart debit card is one of them), dollars, and pesos. I paid with pesos (717).
I exited Mexico and then returned in order to get a new FMM, rather than trying to convert my existing 7-day FMM. I was amazed at how quiet that
crossing was in both directions, just a trickle of traffic. It kind of felt like going back in time a few decades.
[Edited on 4-25-2024 by cupcake]
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