Use Cash Card in Cozumel

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samplin

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Location
Peoria Arizona
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Hi
If I were to buy a $100 cash card (Visa) at my local supermarket, and used it to pay for dinner in Cozumel.
Would the deduct amount USD or Pesos from yhe card balance.

Joe
 
Hi
If I were to buy a $100 cash card (Visa) at my local supermarket, and used it to pay for dinner in Cozumel.
Would the deduct amount USD or Pesos from yhe card balance.

Joe

I don't know the answer, but you may want to jot down the contact number from the back of one of those cards and call. I picked up one of those Visa cards at Walmart a couple years ago. I got it to give to my mom who had Alzheimer's and was no longer able to keep track of or figure out cash (and she couldn't be trusted with an actual credit card). I didn't read the fine print on it and it turned out it couldn't be used like a regular credit card. Mom wasn't able to use it online and I'd bet that she had to use it in the USA only. So double check before you count on being able to use it in Mexico.
 
Assuming it works, the charge will be in Pesos but a number of places give you the choice to put through either Pesos or Dollars.
 
Most prepaid cards in the bought in USA clearly state they cannot be used outside the USA or for online purchase.
 
Assuming it works, the charge will be in Pesos but a number of places give you the choice to put through either Pesos or Dollars.

Thanks for the reply.
Given that info. What exchange rate do you think they will use?
It would seem a lot easier to do than ATM for Pasos.
This way I could use cash in the supermarket to buy the cards.

Is there a way to find out what the balance on the card is?
Also, what do they usually per card.. Thought I saw $6. foe a $100 card.
 
Most prepaid cards in the bought in USA clearly state they cannot be used outside the USA or for online purchase.

I will look into that at Cash card display at the store.
 
Lots of smaller Mom and Pop restaurants don't take credit cards. You must be planning on eating somewhere fancy. I don't think that cash cards are all that common in Mexico and you may have difficulty making yourself understood about the nature of that card. Much simpler to go to a bank ATM and use your bank debit card to remove money (in pesos). You will get a decent exchange rate (if you deny the one offered to you) and probably be charged a couple of bucks for that convenience. If feels to me like you are trying to do this the hard way.
 
Thanks for the reply.
Given that info. What exchange rate do you think they will use?
It would seem a lot easier to do than ATM for Pasos.
This way I could use cash in the supermarket to buy the cards.

Is there a way to find out what the balance on the card is?
Also, what do they usually per card.. Thought I saw $6. foe a $100 card.
Why would you take a 6% hit just to do that? Any place you could use a cash card you could use your credit card.
 
If you're getting it expressly for the purpose of using it in Mexico, would you consider other options instead? I'm sure this conversation has been beat to death here and on the Cozumel facebook pages, but it might be worth banging away at it some more.

I got a Charles Schwab debit card - yes, I had to open an account first (did it entirely online and it was easy peasy), and I had to transfer the money into the Schwab account at least 4 days before I needed to have access to it. You can install the Schwab app on your phone, which allows you to turn the debit card on and off, so if it's lost or stolen you can turn it off immediately. Or like me, you can turn it off right after you pull money out of the account. I use the HSBC machine at Chedraui to get pesos and, because so many nice people told me to do it, I say "NO" to the question at the end when they ask if I want them to do the conversion for me - so I get a more favorable conversion rate. Also, Schwab covers all the ATM fees.

I have often found that when I look at the pesos price on items and ask for the dollars price, the dollars price converts to more pesos than is listed on the items - at the airport I got a silver chain and paid in pesos when the price would have been $3 more in US dollars.

I know a few of you are rolling your eyes and saying "this conversation again?", but the title of the thread sounded like it was going to be related to dollars/pesos and cash/credit card. I couldn't help myself. Mea culpa.
 

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