Credit/debit cards
 

Hi, I plan to spend a year riding the pan american highway.Can anyone suggest the best credit/debit cards to take?

Cheers!

Don't really know what you mean by "best," but you might want to start working on the issue of foreign currency surcharges. Capital One has surcharge-free credit cards with rebate programs. There must be others like these, too. Go on line and pick out the features you crave and apply.

I've heard that there are also surcharge-free ATM (debit) cards, but last time I tried to investigate this I got weary of plodding through too much country-specific information. It works very differently in Europe from the way it's done in America. But since you'll be relying mainly on ATM machines, it makes sense to find one which doesn't levy charges every time you make a withdrawal--in my case, that's every three days or so.

Hope that helps.

Mark

Capital One No Hassle credit card. No fees or conversion rates. Plus you get frequent fliers miles.

Charles Schwab Brokerage w/ checking account Debit Card: No fees and rebates any fees levied by the bank you withdraw money from, no limit.

As many as possible !!!

Best have your travel money in 2 accounts.. half & half !!

Have a few credit cards tucked away and stashed on the bike too.

When I lost my wallet in the pampas of patagonia, the credit cards I had hidden on my bike saved my ass until I got a new bank card posted over.

Can't help you with all the boring stuf. Moneysupermarket has rates and charges listed etc !!

Someone elses :smartass:

Make sure your ATM cards work on the "Cirrus" and "Plus" networks, as these are the commmon ones in Latin America. Visa credit cards are more widely accepted than Mastercard.