What does everyone do now that travellers cheques have become a thing of the past?? Do you just carry a big wad of cash? Do most hotels job urge and vic falls accept visa?? As well as for the tips? Also do you need an escort to get to City Lodge, my PH has recommended African Sky but the lodge seems so handy!!

Sorry that should have read Jo'burg!!

We are using Air2000 in April to clear our guns and they have booked us at City Lodge and will provide escort back and forth.Credit card for hotel and restaurants but cash for tips and other incidentals.

Take cash for tips, credit card for everything else. But be sure to tell your credit card company what countries you will be in.

What Dogcat said. The exchange rate at the JNB last week was 15.5 when the spot rate was 16.1. When you use your credit card (hopefully without the international exchange fee) you get the spot rate at time of account sweep. A better way to go, assuming no additional transaction fees - check with your bank AND let them know you will be out of the country as well.

Used Gracy Meyers this year for gun clearance. They escorted me to City Lodge. Excellent service.

I would say cash, based on a hunt in Zimbabwe in 2008. Many stores at the airport were using the old style credit card system, where you had the machine, placed the card on it, and then the paper with carbon and slid the handle across it.

I watched a gentleman buy something, and the clerk put the carbon paper in a little box below the counter top. About two minutes later, a young man came over and took about six or seven of those slips out and put them in his shirt pocket when no one was there at the counter.

To me it seemed like a great way to max out a card in just a few minutes.

jmho,

Rich

We took 3k in cash for tips and got an international credit card, no extra fees that way, and had no problems. Our problem was in getting the PH paid at the end of the hunt. We couldn't get the bank transfer to work so my wife sent an e-mail to our daughter and had her wire the money from our Bank of America Africa account. She was on that account just in case.

Well you can't take more than $10,000 cash. I don't like carrying that much cash especially since the airlines strip me of all weapons.

Yet, I'm asked to bring cash sufficient to pay all staff tips, which can be substantial in Tanzania. I'm thinking of getting a bank account there.

You can take as much cash as you like. You just need to declare if you have over $10k

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Well you can't take more than $10,000 cash. I don't like carrying that much cash especially since the airlines strip me of all weapons.

Yet, I'm asked to bring cash sufficient to pay all staff tips, which can be substantial in Tanzania. I'm thinking of getting a bank account there.

Do you pay more for tips in Tanz for lets say Zim ?

All major hotels accept VISA and the small hotels also and if they dont they probably have a "hand slip" that they do manually. A small amount of cash can always be good.

Trophy fees send that over before you will get a better exchange rate and safer.

If I go to multiple countries in Africa and use my card I usually just cancel the card after a few weeks when I get home just to be on the safe side.

Credit cards are the way to go, cash for tips and so forth. One thing...Amex either wouldn't work or wasn't accepted on our last two trips (7/15 and 11/15). So far, haven't had a problem settling up with the outfitter immediately upon our return.

Leave home without it; Amex is worthless in Africa.

Send the balance of what is owed on your hunt to your booking agent and let them hold it in escrow. Upon completion of the hunt, what is owed goes to your outfitter, and any leftover comes back to you.

Allows you to carry minimal cash and only additional items.

Seems to be the best method I've found so far regarding the hunt.

Credit card for everything else, $200-300 in small bills for tips, etc.

Everything but cash has issues in Africa.

After hearing about card fraud, I just took about $13,500 in yankee dollars with me my second trip.

It was enough to cover all of my hunts, tips, and spending money, as well as expected taxidermy costs.

I had heard some horror stories about taxidermists swapping horns, etc at SCI in past years.

I had implicit trust in my PH, so I left him the contract $$$ for all of my taxidermy work.
When my mounts and skins were completed, the taxidermist simply notified my PH, and he went over to measure everything, and inspected every piece. He watched the trophies being crated at Trophex before he paid them. I got a small break on the total price because he showed them $100 bills.

I used one of those nifty card carriers they give you every year at SCI. A passport fits inside the back pocket, and at least twenty-grand in hundreds. I wore it inside my shirt where I could feel it.

That was my second trip to RSA (2010 and 2012), and I have done that both times, as well as my first trip Zimbabwe in 2008.

It has worked for me.

Rich

Getting the best exchange rate on your ZAR's.

The first few times I went to Africa, I got all my Rand before I left. I have a good corporate rate of exchange through my company so I assumed that I was doing Ok.

On a following trip to South Africa I tried an experiment. I went into three different big banks and showed them $2000 USD cash and asked to exchange it to Rands. They nearly drooled when they saw all those US dollars. The rate at each bank varried greatly. (TIA)

But, most importantly each bank gave me a much better exchange rate than even the best corporate exchange rate that I could get in North America.

So, now I take USD to Africa and get it exchanged to Rands at a bank when I get there.

Why the better rate, exchanging USD to ZAR in South Africa?

They love USD in South Africa. It's a very stable currency.
In North America, the ZAR is very expensive and high liability for the banks to hold in inventory. It cost them a lot to have ZAR languishing in a vault while it's value diminishes. They charge us a little extra for their troubles.

Note to Canadians: I found that the banks in South Africa won't give us as good an exchange rate for CAD. The want USD.
Brian

The cash exchange rate is generally 5% - 8% below the day rate. Credit card companies convert on the day rate + a foreign transaction fee if your bank imposes one. So you always lose a little purchasing power when trying to exchange cash. But if you do decide to exchange, never do it at the airport.

I have not been to Zim yet (just booked a leopard and buff hunt for May 2017) but understand that US credit card companies will not honor charges there due to the level of fraud. My outfitter has a US bank account and I will settle up with him by wire transfer to his account here and carry cash for everything else. I have been to RSA twice and used my credit cards for everything but tips. We did have our card scammed on the first trip, though, so I agree with the idea of cancelling the card a few weeks after return. The issuer may do that for you anyway!

Custom,

so, despite all the wonderful credit card stories, you got scammed.

I would bet you a Yankee dollar they didn't get your cash though.

The card situation in Zim should make your decision for you Cash VS Cards...

I get scammed twice a year without ever leaving my office. The credit card company covers it....no big deal!

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Custom,

so, despite all the wonderful credit card stories, you got scammed.

I would bet you a Yankee dollar they didn't get your cash though.

The card situation in Zim should make your decision for you Cash VS Cards...

If you don't mind getting scammed when you exchange your money (both ways) then by all means carry cash.

I just had to change credit card numbers when someone at CVS grabbed my digits. Cost me nothing.

I have been scammed here, too. In fact, it happened again a couple of weeks ago. Pretty sure when I gave my card to the wait staff at a restaurant. My point in Zim, though, is I don't think you can even use a credit card. I could be wrong, and my trip isn't until 2017, but I don't think US card issuers will honor charges there. In RSA I will use my card again as, I agree, the issuer will cover fraudulent charges and I don't want to carry more cash than I have to.

Most us card issuers will honor charges from Africa if you notify them you are going, and the dates of the travel.

A few years back, my professional hunter/outfitter asked that I charge the amount due to him on my credit card instead of writing a check. I did understand that it would take considerable time for my check to clear and for him to have access to the funds so I complied. The charge was approximately $8,000 US. Now comes the horror story, no fault to the outfitter is implied herein.

Shortly after I returned home, I received a telephone call from my credit card company telling me that my account was overdrawn and I should not use the card until the balance was paid off. When I asked what the balance was I was told that it was $73,000 plus. I nearly hit the floor. Thank goodness we had a good credit card representative who worked for us and got the charge straightened out. It turns out that a bank employee in South Africa did some sort of indecipherable math made the mistake. From now on, I write checks or pay cash.

quote:

Trophy fees send that over before you will get a better exchange rate and safer.

A: I would not pre-pay the trophy fees. Martin Pieters still has my $3000 trophy fee for a buffalo I never saw nor shot at.

bobm,

Not knowing your story I will not comment on that but we always hold a trophy fee deposit for our clients to avoid these types of situations. The trophy fees do not go to the safari operator until we know what the client actually shot.

Mark

By law, you are not liable for credit card charges IN THE USA where you did not receive the specified service.

Overseas is another matter. Be sure and notify your credit card company on the dates you will be out of country, and find out their policy for overcharges on your credit card while in that particular country. I always make a copy of my credit card which contains the number to call from overseas for suspicious charges.

I usually take cash to pay for everything, but hotel rooms and meals in RSA, and cash for everything in Zim.

BH63

Our credit card company does not even require notice of travel any more. Been using mine all week in RSA without issue.

This past year I was waterfowl hunting in Argentina got scammed on my Visa ( found out when I got home a month later). On the way home from Argentina we stopped in Mexico to hunt whitetails had one of those SCI card carriers that Idaho Sharpshooter talked about with $10K cash in it...had 4 thugs with AKs pull over the car the outfitter sent to the airport for us pulled over 1 mile into the trip and made off with that cash an another $350 with my wallet. My buddy had $7500 cash an they got that too.
Glad I left the Merkel home!

Some folks will take at least $5000 to $8000 in cash and CCs..Ya never know in a third world country when you might want to get out of Dodge, and need to grab a private flight to a more peaceful surroundings as opposed to Valhala! but to each is own on that. Safari companys, guides everywhere, always prefer cash. If you take large amounts of cash use your head, don't flash it around, no need to advise or declare that amount to Customs, or anyone else, and keep the bulk of it hidden on your body such as in a money belt..

The only scam I ever got into was using my CC with a very well known PH/booking agent in the USA..He used my CC to travel all over the USA, to shows etc I guess.., I got a huge bill on my CC statement...contacted Visa and told them I was out of the country on those dates, but based on the dates it was obvious who used the card to go to SCI shows, I told them who the culprit was...Visa took care of it on my end, Never told me the rest of the story or the circumstances...

Chase bank still has Travelers Checks . I paid for my safari in the Limpopo with a combination of Travelers Checks and Visa in August of 2015. The outfitter wanted cash or Travelers Checks, we settled on a combination of Tc and Visa.

Agree with earlier poster on American Express, have been to SA twice, no takes Amex.

Good luck , safe travels.

quote:

Originally posted by swaincreek:
Chase bank still has Travelers Checks . I paid for my safari in the Limpopo with a combination of Travelers Checks and Visa in August of 2015. The outfitter wanted cash or Travelers Checks, we settled on a combination of Tc and Visa.

Agree with earlier poster on American Express, have been to SA twice, no takes Amex.

Good luck , safe travels.

Visa and Amex have changed roles in the last 25 years. From 1990 to 1994 or so, Amex saved my bacon when hotels and others would not take visa or visa denied credit. Now, visa is the universally accepted card. Most will take green backs or Euros, though.

Just returned from a domestic trip and halfway through I left my Visa card at a restaurant. Since I had left my other card at home, it was a major hassle.

Now I will always take two cards, so if one is compromised, I can immediately cancel it, and still have the other for expenses (like rental car, hotels, etc).

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
Just returned from a domestic trip and halfway through I left my Visa card at a restaurant. Since I had left my other card at home, it was a major hassle.

Now I will always take two cards, so if one is compromised, I can immediately cancel it, and still have the other for expenses (like rental car, hotels, etc).

BH63

For Africa and Europe I always carry two different Visa cards.