Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
38
4
MONEY & COSTS
The Value of the U.S. Dollar vs. Other Popular Currencies
US$ C
an$
UK£
Euro (€)
Aus$
NZ$
$1
C$1.19
£.67 €.75 A$1.37
NZ$1.76
Frommer's lists exact prices in the local
currency. The currency conversions quoted
above were correct at press time. However,
rates fluctuate, so before departing consult
a currency exchange website such as
www.
oanda.com/convert/classic
to check up-
to-the-minute rates.
It's always advisable to bring money in
a variety of forms on a v acation: a mix of
cash, cr edit car ds, and A TM car ds. You
should also hav e enough petty cash upon
arrival to co ver airpor t incidentals, tip-
ping, and transpor tation to y our hotel.
You can always withdraw money upon
arrival at an airpor t ATM, but y ou'll still
need to make smaller change for tipping.
The most common bills in the U.S. ar e
the $1 (a “buck ”), $5, $10, and $20
denominations. There ar e also $2 bills
(seldom encountered), $50 bills, and $100
bills. ( The last two ar e usually not w el-
come as payment for small pur chases.)
Coins come in sev en denominations:
1¢ (1 cent, or a penny); 5¢ (5 cents, or a
nickel); 10¢ (10 cents, or a dime); 25¢ (25
cents, or a quar ter); 50¢ (50 cents, or a
half dollar); the gold-color ed S acagawea
coin, worth $1; and the rare silver dollar.
ATMS
Nationwide, the easiest and best way to
get cash away from home is from an ATM
(automated teller machine), sometimes
referred to as a “ cash machine” or “ cash-
point.” In the land of shopping malls and
immediate gratification, ther e's an A TM
on almost ev ery block—often dr oves of
them. In fact, finding a place to withdraw
cash is one of the easiest tasks y ou'll par-
take in while visiting Los Angeles.
The
Cirrus
(
&
800/424-7787;
www.
mastercard.com) and
PLUS
(
&
800/843-
7587;
www.visa.com) networ ks span the
country; you can find them even in remote
regions. Go to your bank card's website to
find ATM locations at y our destination.
Be sur e y ou kno w y our daily withdrawal
limit before you depart.
Note:
M any banks impose a fee ev ery
time y ou use a car
d at another bank
's
ATM, and that fee is often higher for
international transactions (up to $5 or
more) than for domestic ones (wher e
they're rarely more than $2). I n addition,
the bank fr om which y ou withdraw cash
may charge its own fee. To compare banks'
ATM fees within the U.S., use
www.
bankrate.com
. Visitors fr om outside the
U.S. should also find out whether their
bank assesses a 1% to 3% fee on charges
incurred abroad.
Tip:
One way ar ound these fees is to
ask for cash back at gr ocery, dr ug, and
convenience stores that accept ATM cards
and don 't charge usage fees (be sur e to
ask). O f course, y ou'll hav e to pur chase
something first.
3
CREDIT CARDS & DEBIT
CARDS
Credit cards are the most widely used form
of payment in the U nited S tates:
Visa
(Barclaycard in B ritain),
MasterCard
(Eurocard in E urope, A ccess in B ritain,
Chargex in Canada),
American E xpress,
Diners Club,
and
Discover.
They also
provide a conv enient r ecord of all y our
purchases, and offer r elatively good
exchange rates. You can withdraw cash
