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Gaucho
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Exchanging Money at Costco
When changing dollars for pesos at the Costco in Chula Vista do you need to bring in cash or can you use an ATM card?
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David K
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Cash... but there's an ATM in Costco. It is a special bank window in Costco opposite the cash registers... a casa de cambio!
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Bajahowodd
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Just wondering about transaction fees at the ATM. We have always gone to ATMs SOB for our pesos. Just thinking that unless someone is looking for a
huge amount of Pesos, whether it's worth the hassle to go out of your way NOB to get pesos.
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Just wondering about transaction fees at the ATM. We have always gone to ATMs SOB for our pesos. Just thinking that unless someone is looking for a
huge amount of Pesos, whether it's worth the hassle to go out of your way NOB to get pesos. |
We like to start off with plenty of pesos and we do get them at the Costco in Chula Vista---cash only. That makes for fewer stops once we cross.
Besides, we shop at that Costco all the time so we buy some every time we are there---a sort of dollar cost averaging approach.
BTW, last time I noticed for the first time that the Casa de Cambio at Costco also accepts Canadian Dollars, Euros and more. They did tell me
however, the other currency is first changed into US dollars and then pesos.
Have a great trip!
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DENNIS
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2% less than bank rate...at the moment. Who could care? Just get the Gawwwdammmm things and carry on with your life in Baja.
If it persists to be an internal issue, perhaps your vacation should be spent in a bank parking lot.
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DianaT
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Our dollar cost averaging approach probably saves us 2 or 3 dollars! 
It really is a matter of convenience---we shop at the Hundred Dollar Store, get the max back in cash, $60.00 and buy pesos.
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woody with a view
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
2% less than bank rate...at the moment. Who could care? Just get the Gawwwdammmm things and carry on with your life in Baja.
If it persists to be an internal issue, perhaps your vacation should be spent in a bank parking lot. |
YEAH! my buddy goes so far as to plan his vacation around a 10/1 exchange rate (he only finished 10th grade). he takes enough money to get there and
back and could care less about counting all fingers and toes every time he fills up or buys a case o' cerveza.
it kinda makes sense!
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by woody in ob
it kinda makes sense! |
Sure it does, Woody. Baja is about not sweating the small stuff. You, for sure, know that.
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Bajahowodd
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10-1 makes it so easy. Tourists and travelers should not be complaining about small conversion charges. After all, you're on vacation! On the other
hand, I can fully understand that those who live there full time, or most of the time, do need to protect themselves.
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woody with a view
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THANX, D!
one day they're on me!
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bajafam
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Kind of off topic, but reading about the exchange rate made me think of a funny incident on one of our trips. My parents had come to visit us while we
were awaiting the birth of the Mister, and my dad kept having such trouble with the exchange rate ~ and I believe it was 10/1 at the time ~ one
evening, we were headed out for dinner and he declares, "I'll get dinner tonight, I've got a hundred." I had to ask, "A hundred dollars or a hundred
pesos?" To which he replied, "Pesos!" To which I said, "Dad, you know that's 10 bucks, right?"
He kept doing it the whole trip, it just didn't click with him  and, he
kept offering to pay for meals (of course, at places like Gaston's and Don Eddie's, not at taquerias!) and only had $200 pesos! Goofball 
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BajaRat
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Ah Dad, gotta love him.
lionel
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k-rico
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
10-1 makes it so easy. Tourists and travelers should not be complaining about small conversion charges. After all, you're on vacation! On the other
hand, I can fully understand that those who live there full time, or most of the time, do need to protect themselves. |
Of course nothing, except 1 to 1, could be easier than 10 to 1, but multiplying by 8 isn't all that hard.
100 pesos = 8 dollars. (1/12.5 = 0.08)
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by k-rico
[Of course nothing, except 1 to 1, could be easier than 10 to 1, but multiplying by 8 isn't all that hard.
100 pesos = 8 dollars. (1/12.5 = 0.08) |
That's the way it was in Mexico for years. The Peso was locked at 12.5 to the buck. It wasn't so difficult to deal with when your mind couldn't
entertain an option. That's just the way it was.
Besides, in a Mazatlán beach bar around '65, you could buy a frosty bottle of Pacifico for one Peso.
Them's was the days.
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castaway$
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On our trip last december we exchanged 6k between all of us and it was no problem. We always use pesos, if you just have pesos theres no need to worry
about the conversion it's done, besides whne in rome spend roman money.
Live Indubiously!
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Gaucho
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Thank you to everybody who replied to my post. We'll be crossing the border on 4/3 so whatever the rate is on 4/2 when we do our shopping is what we
get!
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Bajahowodd
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Obviously, there are folks who will be spending months SOB. The exchange rate can be important. But for the "tourist types" who go for a few days, a
week or two, from my perspective, spending any time and energy to find the absolute best exchange rate with the lowest fees is a waste of time. so
many are just taking a vacation. Isn't the whole idea of being on vacation to have fun, and not sweat the small stuff?
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josie
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Is it only the store located in Chula Vista that provides this service? How about the Costco in Tijuana right after you cross at San Ysidro?
rude people and dog haters suck
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by josie
Is it only the store located in Chula Vista that provides this service? How about the Costco in Tijuana right after you cross at San Ysidro?
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Don't know. There's no Cambio in the Ensenada store. I think the Chula Vista store is just offering a customer service to their South Of The Border
clientele. They don't want to miss an opportunity to seperate them from their money.
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Mulegena
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Must you be a Costco member?
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