Mike
Contributor
Risks become much reduced if you follow the above.
Plus with more experience it becomes easier to recognize the ATMs that might not be Kosher.
Atm card compromised in cozumel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter Zeagle Eagle
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Risks become much reduced if you follow the above.
Plus with more experience it becomes easier to recognize the ATMs that might not be Kosher.
The day Cozumel vendors stop accepting almighty dollars will be the day the cruise ships stop stopping.
Many hotels and even dive shops on the island charge in dollars and if you try paying in pesos they'll convert them back. Dollars may not be as widely accepted as pesos by humble honey vendors on the mainland, but they are surely the most popular currency on Cozumel by sheer volume.
K
KeithG
Guest
There is an easy way to avoid this issue. Just avoid it. Do NOT use ATM's. Ever. Anywhere. Unless you really have to. Always check your dive buddy's purse. She has lots of cash. Use that instead.
I still do not understand everyone's fascination with the perils of ATM's. I have a (bunch of) credit card(s). I have a small pocket with a bit of cash in it just in case. It lasts me for months. I use my credit card everywhere I can. I pay a little extra (2.5%) when out of country. But "I" never get ripped off as it is the credit card company's problem, not mine. If one card stops working, I pull out the next one.
And the best thing is that I get airline miles on every penny I charge to the card. "almost". The car dealer blocked us the last time. They happily let us make a VERY LARGE down payment, but then FREAKED when we came to pick up the car and calmly handed them our card for the rest of it as well. Seems the 3% overhead would cut into their profit margin a little too much.
I still do not understand everyone's fascination with the perils of ATM's. I have a (bunch of) credit card(s). I have a small pocket with a bit of cash in it just in case. It lasts me for months. I use my credit card everywhere I can. I pay a little extra (2.5%) when out of country. But "I" never get ripped off as it is the credit card company's problem, not mine. If one card stops working, I pull out the next one.
And the best thing is that I get airline miles on every penny I charge to the card. "almost". The car dealer blocked us the last time. They happily let us make a VERY LARGE down payment, but then FREAKED when we came to pick up the car and calmly handed them our card for the rest of it as well. Seems the 3% overhead would cut into their profit margin a little too much.
Last time I checked, we were actually talking about vacation trips, not setting up a second home...
Your honey guy could have taken the U$D and spent them rather than exchange them. I've been in more than one restaurant or shop and seen locals using U$D. Hell, I've been asked for help with things like how many coins they needed to make a dollar.
Apples and oranges.
We're not specifically in the business of catering to Mexican tourists. If we were, I'd say it would be about as easy as it is to get through a couple weeks on Cozumel using only U$D; pretty damned easy.
scubafanatic
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My experiences in Cozumel I've NEVER had to use pesos, their economy is centered on tourism (especially American tourists) so the US $ is highly valued/used there. When I spend US dollars there, the vendors give me change back in PESOS !!! (I'd rather have my change back in US $ !!! ) The locals prefer US $ !!! The only reason I'd use pesos in Cozumel is to get a better exchange rate, as typically it's about a 13:1 ratio (pesos to dollars) but if you pay for anything in US $ they round it to 10:1 (pesos to dollars)
I haven't been back since 2010, so I hadn't heard about that new law on having to give change back to the customer in exactly the same currency the purchase was made in. (which I prefer anyway)
I haven't been back since 2010, so I hadn't heard about that new law on having to give change back to the customer in exactly the same currency the purchase was made in. (which I prefer anyway)
K
KeithG
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This may match up with the concept of tourist based hard foreign currency injection that I have heard about on the TV or maybe the bus...when dealing with many foreign nations...
Are there any economists (or others?) in the peanut gallery that can explain this idea to us great unwashed? I could repeat the nonsense I heard on the bus, but it made no sense to me at all...
Mike
Contributor
Take dollars and use them.
Take pesos and use them
Only use your credit cards
Use ATMs to get cash
There is no right or wrong, only being smart enough to know the ins and outs of whatever method you choose and minimizing the risks.
There is no more risk to using an ATM internationally then using your credit card, or only using US dollars or only using the local currency. A little common sense goes a long way, a little research and understanding of the risks goes a long way, and you don't have to live life like a scared little rabbit.
Take pesos and use them
Only use your credit cards
Use ATMs to get cash
There is no right or wrong, only being smart enough to know the ins and outs of whatever method you choose and minimizing the risks.
There is no more risk to using an ATM internationally then using your credit card, or only using US dollars or only using the local currency. A little common sense goes a long way, a little research and understanding of the risks goes a long way, and you don't have to live life like a scared little rabbit.
There is risk to everything and we all have our accepted tolerance of it - both the amount and the nature of it. After all, diving has its risks, doesn't it?
Speaking strictly for myself, I don't like to carry large amounts of cash while traveling (I am more afraid of doing something stupid myself than of anything more sinister). My hotel prefers US$ in cash, so I carry enough to cover that expense and I divest myself of it as quickly as possible when I arrive. Within a couple hours of checking in I grab a cab (paying with US$, most likely the only time I will do that during my visit) to the Bancomer ATM in the municipal building across the street from Prima and withdraw 4000 pesos or so, and I keep the receipt. Rinse and repeat until time to go home.
I may use my Visa once or twice in a restaurant (again keeping the receipts, of course) while I am there but otherwise I pay cash in pesos for everything. I will have notified my credit union (provider of both cards) of what dates I will be out of the country and where I am going. When I get home I frequently check my accounts for a while, but so far I have never had to drag out those receipts.
It works for me. YMMV and DSFDF.
Speaking strictly for myself, I don't like to carry large amounts of cash while traveling (I am more afraid of doing something stupid myself than of anything more sinister). My hotel prefers US$ in cash, so I carry enough to cover that expense and I divest myself of it as quickly as possible when I arrive. Within a couple hours of checking in I grab a cab (paying with US$, most likely the only time I will do that during my visit) to the Bancomer ATM in the municipal building across the street from Prima and withdraw 4000 pesos or so, and I keep the receipt. Rinse and repeat until time to go home.
I may use my Visa once or twice in a restaurant (again keeping the receipts, of course) while I am there but otherwise I pay cash in pesos for everything. I will have notified my credit union (provider of both cards) of what dates I will be out of the country and where I am going. When I get home I frequently check my accounts for a while, but so far I have never had to drag out those receipts.
It works for me. YMMV and DSFDF.
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