Cash vs Credit Cards

[mnwild]

We plan to cook our own meals mostly and have a rental car.
I'm concerned about security and credit cards or should I be. Can you pay at the pump for gas? And should we pay for food with cash or credit card in the grocery store? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Getting excited now to go!! Thanks, Dan & Diane

[Andrea J.]

i think i would recommend CASH for grocery stores. I would also pay CASH for gas. Also too, notify your credit card company that you will be in aruba. one of the members here a few weeks ago had credit card issues/fraud and that is nerve wracking and frustrating to deal with. andrea

Originally Posted by mnwild

We plan to cook our own meals mostly and have a rental car.
I'm concerned about security and credit cards or should I be. Can you pay at the pump for gas? And should we pay for food with cash or credit card in the grocery store? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Getting excited now to go!! Thanks, Dan & Diane

[ash]

Yes, you will need to tell your CC company of your travel plans otherwise they can decline your charges. That just happened to my husband a few weeks agao. Also, FYI, a new (sneaky) charge called "international fee" is added to your card on charges made in Aruba - 3% of amount.

[Andrea J.]

boy i hate that sneaky fee. boy oh boy i hate that credit card companies change the rules at their own whim. disgusting!

Originally Posted by ash

Yes, you will need to tell your CC company of your travel plans otherwise they can decline your charges. That just happened to my husband a few weeks agao. Also, FYI, a new (sneaky) charge called "international fee" is added to your card on charges made in Aruba - 3% of amount.

[mjn109]

I am so glad you mentioned calling the credit card company and telling them that the card will be used in Aruba. I have a new one that has only been used here in the US and I would really HATE to be trying to buy something on my vacation and have a problem! I never even thought about it!

Good thinking!

[Andrea J.]

now a good point to remember is that FEE associated with international transactions.

ex: you go to a jewelry store on aruba. You and the jeweler come up with an acceptable price on that tanzanite ring you just HAVE to own, let's say $1000. you whip out your credit card and lo and behold the bill comes and the price is now $1030. So was it really a great deal? (probably) but still, when the cc company adds that fee on it is a rip off.
That extra $30 could have been:
1 dinner in Aruba
6 hands of blackjack or poker ;-)
3/4 tank of gas in your rental car
12 FROZEN cocktails at a happy hour on island.

i am cheap..........i do not like giving the credit card company one extra dime.

[fattypatty]

but you should always check with your cc company as some cards do not have the foreign exchange fee charge. for example, my visa signature card doesn't have it - at least for aruba that is.

[mjn109]

I just checked mine online, they charge a 1% fee for transactions conducted in foreign currency..not too bad I guess, not great, but I was worried it would be more. I will still let them know I will probably be using it in Aruba though...just to be safe.

[Sgroi135]

My problem is that most of the CC's are charged in US currency anyway!

[mnwild]

Thank you everyone for the great tips! We LOVE this board, it is so helpful. I never would have thought about the additional fee.

Andrea, yes I hate giving the CC companies a dime more than necessary, too. It's not like we as taxpayers haven't already given them billions!

We can't wait to experience this beautiful island for the first time!