93. Pitfalls of Travelex Cash Passport

Leaving Penang
Because of the length and the subject, I have written this seperately to the post about leaving Penang.


Travel Tip
I write this as a warning to other travellers who have either opened a Travelex Cash Passport or are thinking of opening one - be aware of the pitfalls of such a card. Here's what happened with me:

Above: Travelex Cash Passport (Visa)

Card Declined
I purchased a Travelex Cash Passport which is a prepaid currency card. It costs AUD$15 to have one. I put $500 on mine and used some of this in Cambodia to make purchases. I still had around $260 left in it. When I arrived at the Bayview Hotel, I used this card for my accommodation. What I didn't know was they take the amount (in this case 600MYR which is approx $200) from the card and "hold" it. When it came time to pay my hotel bill, I had a big problem.

I'm standing at reception, try to pay the bill, the card was declined - there wasn't enough money in it. The chap told me thay "hold" the money for seven days. But it depends on the bank when the money gets put back in.

Always have other forms of cash or CC
So effectively, there was no money on the card, even though there was $260 there was still no money. I rang the number on the back of the card, kept getting a recorded message, pressed all the right buttons too, but couldn't get to speak to anyone. All this telephoning took around 10 to 15 minutes and I was panicking - what was I going to do, was I going to miss my bus (you had to pre-book your bus fare), the robotic voice on the other end of the phone was useless. Plus I was mortified that this was happening - can't pay my hotel bill, oh the shame!

I had to use my credit card. The total was 781 MYR (this included all the "extras" - eg meals) and I'd have been up you know what creek without a paddle if I hadn't had a credit card.

Now, the money had been taken out and "held" somewhere on the 14th March so the money should have been put back in by the 21st March - it wasn't. I checked this several times online in Malacca. I left Malaysia on the 22nd and arrived back in Australia on the 23rd March. I checked the account balance again, still the money had not been put back in the account.

On the 24th, I rang Travelex in Australia and explained the situation. The lady I spoke with was very helpful and was surprised to hear I couldn't speak with anyone when I rang them (Travelex) from the hotel. She asked for my bank account details and after the 600 MYR had been put back on the card, credited all the money to my bank. This meant that the balance left was zero. So I did get my money back but only after a long list of problems.

Travelex Cash Passport Rules
a) It costs $15 to open an account and deposit money.
b) Each time you wish to add more money onto the card it costs $15.
c) You can only use the card overseas.
d) You cannot use the card in your home country
e) If you wish to withdraw the money in your home country you will be charged $15.
f) The card is valid for three years.

I am going to Thailand and Laos in a little over three weeks, but I won't be using the cash passport again. True, it is good to have another form of money in case your credit card gets stolen, but after the hassle I had in Malaysia, I really don't think it's worth it. I'll still have EFTPOS cards as well anyway, so will be content with that.

24. Cash Monies & Emergencies

The following advice was given to me, otherwise I wouldn't have been aware of this.

ATM's in Cambodia dispense USD cash
ATM's in Cambodia dispense USD cash and Cambodian currency is the Riel, but most Cambodians use US dollars as well as their own currency. You'll probably find that even the small shops quote prices in US dollars. For a conversion, 1 US dollar is equal to approx. 4,000 Riels. Although you may pay in US money, you may find you are given Riels in change.
Remember this - it is illegal to take Riels out of the country so try to use them up before you leave. It wouldn't be much fun being stopped at the airport and hauled back cos you "forgot" about the half dozen Riels in your pocket! Having to provide an explanation which may or may not be believed isn't my idea of a fun thing and I don't relish the thought of languishing in a Cambodian gaol while they decide whether I made an honest mistake!

Crisp Notes in Small Denominations
Also, with US Dollars, take some from home from a bank and make sure most of it is in small denominations - $1, $5, and $10 notes. Another thing to be careful of make sure the notes you have are crisp and clean - there are plenty of places who'll reject notes for the slightest mar yet give you the dirtiest, tattiest local notes in return.

Malaysian Currency
You won't need US dollars in Malaysia - if I happen to have any left over from Cambodia, I'll have to exchange them.
Tip - If you're YHA member change your money at Travelex - members don't pay commission.

The Malysian currency is the Ringitt, and 3 MYR is around AUD$1. So all I need to remember to calculate the price of something is to divide the MYR (Malaysian Ringitt) price by 3. For example, a meal is 10 MYR - that's around $3.30 in Aussie currency. Here is a useful Currency Converter.

Alternative Credit Card
If you are going to use a credit card you can get another card issued, with a different 16 digit account number, to the one you use at home and have a smaller credit limit on it, say $2,000. This has the advantage that if your credit card should get lost or stolen, there is less to lose in money terms, plus you will have your "usual" credit card to fall back on. The only problem with this is it takes at least 12 to 14 days before you receive the card and I was only given this advice two days ago. Had I known earlier, I would have organised it.

Keep Cash In Different Locations
With cash money, it is wise not to have it all in the one spot. Keep it in different places - some in your money belt, some in your pocket and some in your suitcase. That way if one lot gets stolen, you still have cash at your disposal.

What To Do In Case Of Theft
You should report the theft asap at least within 24 hours, to the nearest police station and get a written report - this is important. Contact your travel insurance company and report it within 24 hours. You will need the written report to make a claim. This applies to any item that is lost or stolen, regardless of what it is.

Telephone Numbers
Have the telephone numbers of the police/tourist police, hospital, emergency, travel insurance numbers with you of the places you will be travelling to, this way you have them on hand in the event that something should happen and you need to make contact in a hurry. It is also a good idea to add the public transport numbers (bus/train) as well.

NOTE - I have just discovered there are no Travelex locations in Malaysian or Cambodia at present.

23. Documents, Passports and Personal Effects

Make Copies of All Your Documents

Advice given is make two copies of everything, but I would go one step further and say make three copies of everything. Leave one copy at home with family and take two copies with you. Keep them in a place separate to each other and the originals - that way if you lose one copy you still have another.

Keep Your Passport Safe
Passports are a very valuable commodity - and the last thing you want is to end up in a foreign country only to find it has been stolen. Keep your passport with you at all times (in your money belt) or, if your accommodation has a safe, keep it in there.

In your money belt
Keep your passport, credit cards, drivers licence, eftpos/Visa cards, and cash. Also keep some cash elsewhere - in a pocket and in your suitcase. If one lot of cash goes "missing" you will still have cash elsewhere.

Money, Credit Cards and Other Forms of Currency

I have chosen not to have travellers cheques. The forms of currency I will have are -
Credit Card,
Eftpos cards (2)
Cash Passport
Cash (US dollars)

With credit cards, although they are handy, each time you make a purchase, be it a meal, transport, hotel bed or souvenir, it will attract fees. These fees are
a) Currency Conversion Assessment Fee - 0.2% of transaction
b) Cross Border Assessment Fee - 0.8% of transaction
c) International Transaction Fee - 1.5% of transaction.

All this means for each and every transaction, in other words every time you use your card you will have a fee of 2.5% added. For example, you buy an item at 150MYR (Malaysian Ringitts) it is converted to your local currency, in this case Aussie dollars which is (roughly) AUD$50, 2.5% of that $50 is $1.25, so you pay not $50, but $51.25. This may not seem like a lot, but when you total all the things you have used your credit card for it does. Let's say you spent $2,000 whilst on your trip - add $50.00 for the "fees."


Cash Passport
With a Cash Passport you can either have it as an eftpos card and will be charged $3.75 each time you withdraw cash. You can also have it as an eftpos card and a credit card. When you have the credit card facility, you do not get charged any fees for making transactions - only if you withdraw cash. To my way of thinking, that's a better deal.
There is a fee when you put money onto the cash passport - 1.1%.

Initially, I wasn't going to get the cash passport, but after ringing Mastercard, I was told if my credit card was lost or stolen it would take at least 5 - 7 working days minimum to replace it. Pretty bad if you hadn't any cash. With the cash passport you get two cards and should one get stolen, they will close the account and either send you new cards (5 - 7 days) or express post you cash, which takes around 4 hours.