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	Create New Topic   My Posts   My forum buddies   Invite friends   Private messages Russian brides > Main Forum > Brand New Bank Notes Author Post izifaddag Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 5:12:31 PM   I am trying to figure out the best way to take money. She says credit cards are ok. This forum urges caution. She says that I must find brand new bank notes, quite a project. Any input? Travellers checks?? Accessing my own bank account with my ATM card?? What denominations of bank notes are advisable, does it matter?? crashnsplash Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 5:26:35 PM   I brought credit cards, used my atm, and even used travelers checks on my first visit. Just bring a few hundred in cash make sure they are new bills though. I would just keep on drawing money out of an atm because if you do spend cash it will be in rubles. Use your credit card when you can. jetmba. Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 5:39:14 PM   Good advice from crash. I was similarly advised that the best denomination of bill to bring was the $20 bill - any larger and you MIGHT have trouble from place to place. When I first went to Odessa about a year and a hald ago the US had just changed over to the NEW style $20 bill. I had the foresight to request from my bank the most new-looking OLD style bills that they had. I had some trouble with this (they grumbled) and they requested a day or two to come up with a few hundred dollars worth - but I was glad I did. A friend whith brand-new NEW style twenties went from exchange window to exchange window. They were too new and no one would take the new style. I'm glad to report that has not been a problem during any of my last three trips. GLTALLTOAD Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 5:58:24 PM   Agreed in all the ideas on how to bring money.. But when is the best time to exchange some US$ into roubles? At LAX before I leave? At the stopover in Frankfurt? At the E-burg airport at 22:00 on a weekend night? At the Eburg hotel when we check in (which leaves me with no local currency if I need to pay for a taxi to get there)? I don't want to be 'dollar rich and rouble poor' when I land. suggestions? toad izifaddag Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 6:57:38 PM   very good point Toad, any input?? Frank Vans Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 7:24:01 PM   I found the best thing to do is to use a bank atm in the city you will be visiting. Stay away from airport curency exchange business as they have the worse exchange rates and ususally charge a 2% or more fee. ATMs are common in Russia unless you are going to some very remote location away from any large cities. Frank GLTALLTOAD Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 8:01:57 PM   OK, I will not even look at the airport exchange shops...I promise. We're narrowing it down now. For the initial exchange of U$S100-200 I'm not too concerend with getting the best possible rate. The convenience of having access to it is more important I would expect a fairly large airport like E-burg to have several easy to find and operating ATMs, correct? If not, we're back to square one with no roubles as I exit the airport. toad jetmba. Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 8:05:29 PM   I agree with Frank. If you must have a few roubles for cab fare ect. buy only a few at preferably (of the three first choices you offer) at E-burg airport. You will be likely to get the best rate. Otherwise trust bank ATMs. Remember you are not going to Mars. They may have no concept of what a personal check is over there (and they really don't) and little concept of what a traveler's check is - but more places than you might expect will take a credit card (even if it seems to be a curiosity as it did in Riga Latvia) and ATMs are all over the place in any city with a decent sized population. jetmba. Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 8:08:00 PM   Now Moldova is Mars... by comparison. But if it is - Mars is my favorite planet - along with those beautiful martian women. GLTALLTOAD Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 8:13:26 PM   OK.... Money exchange question put to rest. Thank you, VNVnation Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 8:33:35 PM   It has been my experience that many things that we would normally pay for with a credit card must be paid for with cash in Russia and Ukraine (don't know about the rest of FSU since I haven't been there). This includes airplane tickets within FSU, some hotels, most restaurants (except in Moscow and St.Pete), mobile phone account payments, and many clothing stores. I always end up spending more cash than I think I will, so make sure you have access to enough from your ATM card. I would get some roubles from your bank here or at LAX, just to be sure that you have some when you step off the plane in case the airport ATMs aren't working. Personally, I prefer to bring some roubles, some USD, a couple credit cards, and an ATM card. GLTALLTOAD Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 8:36:15 PM   thank you VNV, That's the combo I usually use when traveling almost anywhere. toad scottlf Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/3/2005 11:14:31 PM   Strange. when I have been to Russia, you weren't allowed to leave the country with any rubles, and I sure had the impresssion there were no places outside of Russia for you to exchange to rubles BEFORE you entered the country. In any case, ATM's worked very well for me. PhilP3 Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/4/2005 2:24:37 AM   Double check with the CC company. Sometimes they will hold up a transaction (especially from Russia) to verify it is you. I have been told there is some CC fraud. ATMs usually give the best exchange rates. What I found puzzling is the overwhelming number of ATMs and currency exchanges. When I hear how little money most people have and the limited amount of tourism (I am speaking of cities like Poltava and Volgograd), the number of ATMs seems larger than here in the U.S. It is also my understanding that because of the unstable currency, many Russians convert their savings to more stable currency such as the Euro or US dollar. But the number of exchanges also seems excessive. VNVnation Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/4/2005 2:36:16 AM   I was able to order rubles from my bank here in the U.S. It took a day or two for them to get them. I always try to do this just in case the airport ATM isn't working and the exchange desk is closed. Of course, we all know that in Russia everything works all the time and things are always open when you expect them to be. : ) ATMs are available in big cities, but if you get a sudden urge to fly you and your lady to St. Petersburg or Antalya, the tickets may require more cash than you can withdraw in one day. That's when it's nice to have some dollars that you can exchange. With respect to needing new bank notes, does anybody know what that little machine is that they check your notes with is supposed to do? I was at the Kiev airport recently and I went to change some money at the exchange desk. My notes were not brand new, but not too old either. Their little machine rejected about 25% of my 20 dollar bills. GLTALLTOAD Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/4/2005 2:44:01 AM   Good point, Phil... I have my CCs with a credit union and a bank. I have already called and e-mailed my itinerary so they both know what the hell is going on when they see me trying to get cash out of an ATM clear across the globe I do it routinely whenever I travel out of California or more than 300 miles from home. Nothing wrong with letting them know in advance. I will also double check with them just before I leave. toad jetmba. Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/4/2005 6:43:12 AM   I never inform my credit card company of my travels, though I suppose I should. Every time I get how I have a message on my answer-machine "This is XXXX Bank calling with questions regarding recent transactions on your XXXX credit card. Please call our 1-800 number....." GLTALLTOAD Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/4/2005 7:21:09 AM   Jet, I do it to AVOID those damn messages, lol jetmba. Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/4/2005 7:35:17 AM   Hey I need those recorded messages. Its all the attention i get sometimes in this country. GLTALLTOAD Member send PM   block PM add to buddies Send: 2/4/2005 8:15:44 AM   In a somewhat morbid way, I sort of envy you for it, lol Your Reply: Your name:   New Registration Password:   Forgot password?   refresh Code:   Russian brides > Main Forum > Brand New Bank Notes
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