| Pages:
1
2 |
pacside
Nomad
Posts: 316
Registered: 1-16-2006
Location: N. Cal
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by MitchMan
Want to get screwed on foreign currency exchange? Go to Europe.
Just got back from Italy for three weeks. Aside from not having any drinking fountains anywhere and thereby forcing you to pay $1.80 USD for 12
ounces of bottled water, charging you $2.00 to use a public toilette while out and about, and most of the restaurants not providing free tap water to
drink but instead charging at least $3.00 USD for bottled water plus a cover charge per person of $3.00 + 10% service charge on the amount of the food
bill, getting $250 euros (equivalent to $350 USD) from the ATM costs a small exchange rate differential hit + $3.00 USD bank Charge + $5.00 USD
Transaction charge. The aiport money changer charges a 25% commission on changing $100 Euros to USD.
We common people just keep getting financially raped at every turn. |
Can't stand paying for bottled water other than the cases one can get at costco if needed.
I was appalled at my Mastercard statement and Bank Statement at how many extraneous charges were on there for purchasing with the mc and withdrawing
cash at an atm with my bank atm card while in baja.
I spent time on the phone with each company and nicely asked if they would credit those fees. MC credited over $200 worth and my bank credited all the
ATM fees. It wasn't easy but I was persistent, pleasant and calmly said I will transfer my business elsewhere should they not credit these fees. In
the end I got my bank to agree to not charge fees in the future. MC I will just not use as much.
pacside
|
|
|
Fred-o
Junior Nomad
Posts: 84
Registered: 7-6-2008
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
|
|
One more bank you can use in Baja that will accept your B of A card with NO FEES. (Love your "Bendover" part of B of A) Ain't it the truth?
SCOTIABANK
Two in Ensenada; one right on Hwy 1 near Wal-Mart. The other is downtown. There is also one in La Paz, but I'm not sure of others.
I usually use the Santander machines like everyone else. No rip-off fees, and there are quite a few of them.
|
|
|
The Gull
Super Nomad
Posts: 2223
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: Rancho Descanso, BCN
Member Is Offline
Mood: High
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by MitchMan
Want to get screwed on foreign currency exchange? Go to Europe.
Just got back from Italy for three weeks. Aside from not having any drinking fountains anywhere and thereby forcing you to pay $1.80 USD for 12
ounces of bottled water, charging you $2.00 to use a public toilette while out and about, and most of the restaurants not providing free tap water to
drink but instead charging at least $3.00 USD for bottled water plus a cover charge per person of $3.00 + 10% service charge on the amount of the food
bill, getting $250 euros (equivalent to $350 USD) from the ATM costs a small exchange rate differential hit + $3.00 USD bank Charge + $5.00 USD
Transaction charge. The aiport money changer charges a 25% commission on changing $100 Euros to USD.
We common people just keep getting financially raped at every turn. |
Just got back from a month touring the Med. I could not have said it better. Eurotrash ripoffs everywhere. $2 Euros to use a public pee station -
equivalent to $3. Beer was cheaper, but to dischagre it you doubled the cost of consumption. Fees for sidewalk cafes tables. Insulting and
non-existent service.
Nobody should b-tch about Baja, unless they have not been to Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Slav countries, because you ain't been
ripped off until you go there.
Dollar rate officially posted at 1.42 to the Euro and the bandits at the exchange places were figuring 1.58 dollars to make a Euro and had a $6.50
processing charge. Naturally, I avoided them and used ATM's with Chase card and frequently avoided fees on both sides of the ocean.
If the decision is paper or plastic, when out of the US, the answer is plastic.
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
|
|
|
karenintx
Senior Nomad
Posts: 540
Registered: 3-16-2008
Location: CSL
Member Is Offline
Mood: Living The Dream
|
|
Thursday June 18th we used our BOA/ATM card @ Santander Bank...no fee and the pesos rate was 13.46!
We only use our Capital One c/c when traveling international...never a international converstion fees either.
As far as the original question...you can do as "rocmoc" suggested however there will be a fee charged when using the airport money exchange
companies. If you know any airline or airport employee they can use their airport ID and not be charged the fee!
|
|
|
fishingmako
Nomad
Posts: 259
Registered: 10-10-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: always up
|
|
If you have a BofA account in the States there is no ATM charge at Santander, they are a affiliate.
Remember getting Pesos is great and to buy things, especially fuel, and many other things, but everyone thinks you are getting this great deal with
the floating of the Peso, they are on top of this hourly, It changes to keep up with the dollar, so people don't think you are going to come to Mexico
and save 30%, this is a misconcept It's not going to happen.
one US dollar is approx 1300 Pesos, so where did you make out?
|
|
|
Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
|
|
the prices here are in pesos
NOT in dollars
so...
if you get 300 extra pesos from last time when it was 10x1 then you save 30%
it takes awhile for the prices here to go up
and...
gas is kinda fixed
so is milk
beer
etc
|
|
|
fishingmako
Nomad
Posts: 259
Registered: 10-10-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: always up
|
|
I realize here in Mexico are in Pesos not dollars, how many people bought thousands of dollars in Pesos and stashed them in the mattress, It hasn't
been 10x1 for a long time, all I'm saying the price don't hve to change on the individual item, they change the price at the register, they will
change it for what is happening at that moment, so all in all you don't make out ,only on Propane, water, sometimes Fuel, restaurants etc. they are
not stupid believe me.
|
|
|
Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
|
|
july 1st 2008..
the exchange rate was 10.4 to the dollar
that wasn't too long ago
|
|
|
karenintx
Senior Nomad
Posts: 540
Registered: 3-16-2008
Location: CSL
Member Is Offline
Mood: Living The Dream
|
|
March '09 had a 52 week high of 15.60...cashed in a couple of grand and also called Tel-Mex USA to pay "mucho credit" toward our account.
That's 50%...just wish we had done more.
|
|
|
| Pages:
1
2 |
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
