Debit card use in Bonaire

[cold diver]

Please excuse my ignorance, but having never traveled out of the US, unless you count California . How does the Visa debit card work out on Bonaire? I have grown quite fond of this handy little thing and almost never carry cash at home and never have carried more than what I think of as "emergency cash" in case I lose the card on vacation.

 

[almitywife]

i dont know but if you send me your card details i will happily fly over there to test it out

 

[sasscuba]

Please excuse my ignorance, but having never traveled out of the US, unless you count California . How does the Visa debit card work out on Bonaire? I have grown quite fond of this handy little thing and almost never carry cash at home and never have carried more than what I think of as "emergency cash" in case I lose the card on vacation.

We used ours in a few places but it was just easier to get some Guilders from the ATM every time we needed them and not carry a bunch of cash on us.

 

[reefdiva]

Please excuse my ignorance, but having never traveled out of the US, unless you count California . How does the Visa debit card work out on Bonaire? I have grown quite fond of this handy little thing and almost never carry cash at home and never have carried more than what I think of as "emergency cash" in case I lose the card on vacation.

We use our debit card on Bonaire to get guilders (local currency) from an ATM. You can also choose to get US dollars if you prefer. I assume your debit card has the credit card function and will therefore be accepted at the larger restaurants and shops. Some places have a minimum purchase requirement because of the high fees they are charged by credit card companies. The smaller "snacks" do not take credit cards.

 

[flatwood]

Be certain to check with your bank. My debit card wouldn't work in Bonaire last month so when I returned I called the bank and they had to authorize it to be used overseas. Now all is good!

 

[Trixxie]

I used my visa card (credit card - not debit) no problems - Make sure they charge your card in USD to avoid any currency exchange rate fees by your cc company/bank. I mostly used cash (usd) but the only problem with that is: are the giving you the right amount of change back, they usually give change back in guilders and are they calculating the total right from guilders to USD.

 

[dvrliz1]

CREDIT/DEBIT CARD CONCERNS WHILE ON OR TRAVELING TO BONAIRE.

I deal with these cards daily as well as the banks, so here are some tips.

The majority of the ATMs will issue you either guilder or $.
There are many ATMs on the island and the majority of businesses take credit cards

ALWAYS check with your credit card company to make sure that your card will work when out of the country. I know of some people who's card didn't work when they got here and they had to wait a couple of days for the card to be reactiviated. In one case, they actually cancelled the card for fear of fraud, and the poor individual had to wait for the credit card company to Fed Ex him another (we only have International Priority here on Bonaire, so minimum wait time for a fedex package is 3 business days)

ALWAYS check to see if you bank changes fees for using the card internationally, or if you take out money from an ATM. THE BANKS HERE DO NOT CHARGE A FEE.

On that note, all credit card transactions at merchants are done in $ so I don't think there is a charge for that. Also check to see if they charge a "currency fee", when getting non-US $ from an ATM. You would be surprised at how much these add up!

Oh an cool note....check with your credit card company to see if they have a "rider" for CDW insurance while renting a truck on Bonaire. EVEN IF THE CARD AUTOMATICALLY COVERS CARS IN THE STATES, IT WILL NOT COVER PICKUP TRUCKS OR SIMILAR TYPE OF VEHICLE HERE. AMEX has a deal that you pay $59.95 for the initial sign up, then $25.00 per use of the card each time you rent a vehicle that is not normally covered. This provides a HUGE savings in vehicle rental, as I have seen CDW insurance from $11-$13/day plus 5% tax.

Hope this helps....

Liz

 

[TravelDave]

I see a lot of talk about Visa. Is AMEX as widely accepted on Bonaire?

On the topic of truck rentals, if you are getting the truck as part of your condo package, does the credit card coverage even apply? I would think that since you aren't directly charging the car to your card (it's part of what you paid for condo) that they wouldn't give you the coverage. I'll be staying at Den Laman in a couple of weeks and need to figure this out.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[u4ia]

You should check with the rental company you'll be using- I believe I used Total last time I was in Bonaire (Jan 08) and they didnt take AMEX. not sure about the other companies.

 

[tedtim]

I see a lot of talk about Visa. Is AMEX as widely accepted on Bonaire?

On the topic of truck rentals, if you are getting the truck as part of your condo package, does the credit card coverage even apply? I would think that since you aren't directly charging the car to your card (it's part of what you paid for condo) that they wouldn't give you the coverage. I'll be staying at Den Laman in a couple of weeks and need to figure this out.

Thanks,
Dave

We checked with out credit card company. Since it is a package, the credit card would have covered the rental CAR insurance. The package included a TRUCK, which is not covered under the credit card insurance. You will receive a coupon for a rental vehicle as part of your printed package you should receive before departure.

If you pay for you package using AMEX, then you have really paid for the total package. Whether they accept a certain card depends on the resort. Traveldave: if you look at the Den Laman website under the reservations page it will show that they accept only Visa or Matercard for payment.

When we picked up our truck we were offered the option of purchasing the CDW insurance. Given the state of the roads and some of the places you will go to park at dive sites in Bonaire it is entirely possible (and highly probable) that you will somehow dent, scratch, bang or otherwise cause some noticeable damage to the rental truck. We have only been to Bonaire twice, but both times the rental company made a good inspection of the vehicle when we took it and when we returned it. If in doubt, take a photo using your handy dandy cell phone camera when you pick up the vehicle.

As dvrliz1 indicated you need to contact you credit card company, or the associated insurance provider, directly to obtain the definitive answer for your specific card.