Currency exchange while traveling: why do some still carry wads of cash? (page 13 of 28)

So get this—I bought a hermetically sealable plastic pouch at Decathlon for about ten euros, which was meant for an iPhone, but I use it for cash, my bank card, and even my passport, and there’s been ZERO moisture in 3 years! 😊

For just 10 €, I’ve kept my travel money safe for three years—pretty good deal, right?

Honestly, I mostly do snorkeling, so I wouldn’t vouch for how waterproof the pouch is if you’re diving deep.

I bought a hermetically sealable plastic pouch for about ten euros at Decathlon that fits an iPhone

Something like this? 😇

It’d be great to list the countries where you need cash. I don’t know any yet.

So you don’t know about Iran and the shenanigans of the American head clown?

Hi

Yeah, I withdrew money in Paris before leaving and exchanged it in Ha Noi at a jewelry shop so I wouldn’t be stuck without Vietnamese dong during my trip when there’s no ATM in sight. Everyone’s got their own method!

There you go, exactly! :)

These waterproof pouches are perfect for swimming with all your valuables without leaving them on the beach or at the hotel. :)

There are 13 pages... I’ve opened quite a few but it’s hard to read everything. N26 isn’t great. Fortunéo or Boursorama? Apparently, the perks are mostly for new customers and don’t last long...

So I haven’t found a bank that charges zero fees... or can you give me a quick summary? :)

Fortunéo or Boursorama? Apparently, the benefits are limited to new customers and don’t last long...

So I haven’t found a bank that offers zero fees... or can you give me a summary? :)

I’d say you didn’t quite get it... But you were right to say "apparently"... 😁... Fortunéo is free if you meet the only condition: make one payment or withdrawal per month (no minimum). And if you know how to use the referral system, you’ll earn 230 € in your first year...

I don’t get why you and a small group of conspiracy theorists are so determined to claim some banks charge fees... 🙄

The topic of Iran has already been mentioned in this thread.

meh

I already have an account at Société Générale and one at La Poste, so opening another account that also forces me to do transactions when I don’t need to—and I’d definitely forget about it...

I stick with my preference for cash—it’s simpler for me.

Just to be safe, I always have a Visa card that I still use for online purchases.

It’d be helpful to list the countries where cash is still necessary. I don’t know any yet.

Hi! Iran is a good example—we had to bring enough cash for three weeks (meals, sightseeing, etc.). This was back in April–May 2019: thanks to U.S. sanctions, there was no way to use a bank card. Plus, with the runaway inflation at the time (probably still going on!), we ended up carrying millions in our pockets, which wasn’t an issue with the warm, welcoming locals. In some parts of Cambodia and India, the lack of banks or ATMs made cash—euros, dollars, or local currency—a must. Best, JP

Answer in the previous messages.

"Why keep lugging around suitcases full of cash"—that’s such a French question, used to paying for everything with a card. If it’s so easy to pay by card in France, so hard to withdraw your own money from the bank, and so frowned upon to pay in cash, there’s clearly a problem with the banks. In my opinion, right now, it’s way riskier to travel with a bank card than with cash. Almost all banks in France are on the verge of bankruptcy and can cut off ATM access overnight to avoid a bank run. Just look at what happened in Greece and Cyprus to see why I’m convinced. Otherwise, "suitcases full of cash" is a bit much—with 100 € bills, it doesn’t take up much space, and the bigger the bills, the better the exchange rate. Plus, it’s way easier to negotiate when you’re showing cash instead of a card 😄, and banks don’t need to know how I spend my money. It’s true that these days, when everyone’s sharing their lives online, it must only bother a minority like me. Personally, I spend a lot of time in Southeast Asia and have never had any issues with scams. I think the best approach for me is to use cash and keep a card as a backup.

"a handful of conspiracy theorists" is what we call a Godwin point to shut down any discussion lol

Hey Laurent,

Sorry if I’m teasing you a bit—I apologize in case we actually know each other under your main username... 😛

I think you’re mixing things up a bit too much... And when it comes to "I’m ruining my life because there are bad people out to get me," you’re pretty good at that, I’d say...

You can come out of the woods and stop communicating by banging on tree trunks... The countries you mentioned have been high-risk for years. A country doesn’t suddenly turn red overnight. You don’t need a PhD in economics to spot a trend. Sure, there are risks for those who only watch TV shows and read *Closer*, but people who ask themselves questions can travel worry-free at least until October (I’m just throwing a bone to the conspiracy theorists, see? 😉).

I forget who said they had better things to do than wonder what the powers that be are doing by spying on our shopping habits... I totally agree with that. You’ve gotta breathe, take the middle path if anything. Anticipate possible risks if you want, but I think it’s silly to deprive yourself of a system that works well. Focus on what does you good before worrying about what might harm you. And what if you get mugged one day? Or even worse, you lose your stuff—bad luck, boom, you’re broke...

Okay, maybe you’re a whistleblower with some big secret, and there’s hidden info in your message I didn’t catch... 🤨

If that’s the case and you know the system’s about to collapse... come on, be cool. Tell us...

As for your comment on my post, I’m not shutting down a debate... there’s no debate with people who know everything when it’s been proven they’re wrong...

You do you, Groschats, and I’ll do me. - Have you ever hit your card’s payment limit? - Why does France cap cash payments at 1,000 euros? It’s obviously to limit money laundering. - Why can some banks no longer pay out life insurance to beneficiaries? - Why did the European Union propose freezing accounts for at least 3 weeks in case of a bank failure? - Do you think the economy’s doing well? - Why does Christine Lagarde talk about an economic reset? - No, I don’t have any secret info to share, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire, as they say. - Yeah, I’m that annoying conspiracy theorist who can decode the news and read between the lines. - Yeah, I’m a prepper who lives stress-free, and don’t worry about me—I’m far from someone who’s ruining their life.

But like I said earlier, you do you, and no amount of sarcasm about me will change my mind.

By the way, was Pig Beach nice?

You're really worked up, huh... 😄

Too much off-topic stuff in there—start a new post and we’ll help you save the world... 😅

I’m not saying you’re completely wrong or that your questions are bad, but I don’t get the connection to travel or this thread...

I use several online banks and don’t travel with my main bank... Pig Beach, as you mentioned, has nothing to do with this... but it’s in Polynesia. Here, withdrawal limits are even worse than elsewhere, no matter your limit... But since I had N26 (I think N26 has no limit), I was able to withdraw the maximum amount the ATMs allowed... and multiple times in a row, which other cards couldn’t do. There’s always a solution.

You have interesting questions, but you don’t have good answers... or you just answer with what you *want* to believe.

So you’re heading to Asia loaded with cash, but unless you’re swimming there, you’re paying for your flight ticket with a card, right?

And you want to be credible when you say not to trust banks, but you get your info from the press and its endless fake news... 🤪

I’m not naive, but I don’t care—go find some other sucker to chat conspiracy theories with.

Anyway, who’s JFK, then? 😆

(I still wonder who you are, though... 😏)

Groschats, reread the last sentence of my post and give me some arguments to change my mind.

Okay, but only if you tell me the truth about Area 51... 😉

Alright, I’ll stop joking—this is way off-topic, but if I have the time and feel like it, I’ll hit you up in DMs to chat. 😜

So, how are you paying for your flight ticket?

Laurent goes to the airline counter at the airport and pays in cash. Makes sense, right?

A bit pricey because you have to add counter fees and buy insurance due to the payment method, but oh well... A bit tricky if he doesn’t live near Roissy or outside France when the ticket costs over 1000 €, but at least this way, he’s sure his banker doesn’t know where he’s going...

Still, the insurer could have the info and leak it to BFM.

Breaking news

Laurent X left this morning for the Bermudas to join Elvis Presley, Marilyn, and the Roswell man...

Hi there,

Actually, when you spend some time in international airports and occasionally visit the "ticket office" for various transactions—upgrades, refunds, and so on—you’ll quite easily see cash payments and stacks of bills. It’s not as outlandish as you might think. There’s no counter fee surcharge that I know of, and the insurance question is pretty trivial: in these cases, it’s usually for immediate departures.

Michel

Laurent goes to the airline counter at the airport and pays in cash. Makes sense, right?

A bit pricey since you have to add counter fees and get insurance due to the payment method, but hey... A bit tricky if he doesn’t live near Roissy or another airport outside France when the ticket costs over 1,000 €, but at least this way, he’s sure his banker doesn’t know where he’s going...

Still, the insurer could have the info and leak it to BFM.

Breaking news

Laurent X left this morning for the Bermudas to join Elvis Presley, Marilyn, and the Roswell man...