Tagged With "ATM"

While cashless transactions are convenient and popular, and I use them often, I am not supportive of this move. It is a little too much "Big Brother" for me. Consumers will migrate to the purchase platform of their choice. Cash, I'm sure, will become less and less popular with time. But it still has a place and I as a free individual want to make the decision on when and how I will use it. How will people make purchases if there ever is a complete shut down and hack of the bank's computers...

Although I don't use cash every day, I sure want it when I need it. After living through Hurricane Katrina and the LONG power outage of the aftermath, I recognize when cash is crucial. And yes, DrFumblefinger poses a good question about the lack of cash during cyber warfare, which goes on regularly even if we choose to ignore it. Maybe we should go back to bartering for everything. But most of us have lost the art.

On my last trip to London, I arrived at night and the Tube stopped running. The ticket machines for the buses weren't working and now the buses are cashless. Luckily the drivers let me on anyway, but I think as more places don't accept cash ,those type of scenarios will be more common.

I think what we're seeing here is a blindness in planning, which goes beyond questions of technology. You've identified some scenarios where cashless becomes hopeless/helpless. I see the same kind of lack of forethought when I see several huge residential towers being built in downtown Brooklyn...on top of already overcrowded subway stations, and with no forethought to larger sewer or water connections... In the bleakest possible view, we may self-destruct not through a world war, but...

I'm not surprised that this is happening in Scandinavia, of all places. Many years ago I had friends in Denmark and Erik was an electrician. There wasn't enough work for all the electricians so they rotated the work and he worked for 6 months, then had 6 months off, paid. Sounds good? However, during the 6 months he was off he wasn't allowed to do any electrical work at all, including on his own house. I (and he) found the rule regarding his own house absurd. I see it related to the banking...

I've been places where it was not possible to use a credit card much of the time, even when I was told that I could, by the very people who then returned and said, sorry, not working, cash please. But Burma was the only place I can recall that was, when I was there a year+ ago, 100% cash. It's changing now, even there, I've heard. So this has been very interesting, reading about Argentina. Who'da thought?

When you go to Sri Lanka, take cash along as well. The larger establishments will definitely take credit cards, but smaller business and restaurants won't. And ATM cards have been slow to find their way into the country, especially in remote locations. The currency there is more stable, but still you won't get the kind of spread we did in Argentina. Best to exchange it at a bank, or ask your hotel people how many US $$ things are.

I have a feeling things will get very unpleasant in Greece in the next few weeks. I hope I'm wrong, but I think it might be best to travel elsewhere in the coming months while the Greeks deal with their political and economic future.

I think people are exchanging visiting GREECE now for a lot of other European countries too besides Spain and Portugal. Avoiding uncertainty in travel is very hard to do though when you travel no matter where you go as i've found out with a lost passport and ferry strikes

That's all good information, PHeymont, thanks. No one knows how the Greek people will react to this, but there is a possibility of riots and demonstrations. Perhaps violence -- there is no way of predicting. The crisis will have a major impact on the Greek quality of life. I've heard some estimates that if Greece makes a new currency, it will have only a fraction of the buying power of the Euro, perhaps 25 cents on the Euro. That will obviously not be at all well received but its much too...

This is a great compehensive post. Time to try and cash the money order that you've been holding! LOL

Lisbon—a winner as the Greek crisis cuts into Greek vacation bookings   One man's famine is turning into another man's feast. As tourist bookings for Greece stumble in the midst of the Euro crisis and uncertainty about supplies of money,...

World events are pushing their way to center stage for travelers to Greece. Here's some practical information and advice for those who are committed to going (and some travel agencies and tour companies are offering cancellation or postponement...

Tourists in Rhodes, Greece: One eye on the exit?               Photo: Freta / Wikimedia   As the world watches the situation in Greece, which could lead to a default on government loans, a run on banks, an exit...

  Nordea, Norway's number two bank, with operations across Scandinavia, has announced that starting Monday its Norwegian branches will not handle cash. Period.   The bank's plan, surprising as it sounds, is part of Scandinavia's move toward...

 If you’ve never seen a travelers’ check and maybe don’t even know what it is, you’re like most overseas travelers these days. Going abroad no longer means planning to carry wads of cash, or trekking off to American...

Recently PHeymont wrote a nice article on how to pay for things while traveling abroad which I'd recommend you familiarize yourself with (click  here ) before reading the rest of this blog post.  I largely agree with what he posted, but...