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One
obvious way to avoid carrying wads of cash around when travelling, is to
use your credit card. Whether you use VISA, MasterCard or American
Express you will be able to make purchases and benefit from the
policies, such as reward points, guarantees, insurance etc that your
card may offer.
On
your travels you
will however find that some cards are a lot more welcome than others. The main
reason for this, is the amount the credit card companies charge
merchants, which puts them off accepting the card or offer to pass those
charges on to you by increasing the price!
The
credit card companies say that asking the consumer to pay a surcharge is
against their policies and if reported that merchant will be removed
from the network. We have seen this first hand, where a travel agent in
Thailand was reported to American Express by an unhappy customer who was
asked to pay a 5% surcharge because he wanted to use his credit card.
The result - the agent was asked to stop this practice or be removed from
the network, the agent chose to leave the network only to rejoin a year
or so later without changing its policy in any way.
The
main problem with this practice seems to be with American Express, which while it does
offer travellers some excellent bonuses and benefits, is not, or at
least does not seem to be from our own travels, the most
popular credit card among merchants in Asia. For example in Hong Kong it
is quite difficult to find restaurants outside of the major hotels that
accept the card, many only accept VISA or MasterCard. In Thailand it is
very common for the establishment to try and surcharge you, and this
applies to all credit cards not just Amex.
So
while carrying your credit card on your travels will help, it is not all
smooth sailing, and cash is still very much in demand. Read our Tips
on using ATM and Credit Cards safely.
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There
are many other country specific tips in the column to the left and other
general tips below:
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