New Zealand money mattersOf course you always want to have enough New Zealand money in your pockets when touring New Zealand. But what’s the best way to take care of that? Order New Zealand money in advance, rely on a credit or debit card or maybe take some traveller’s cheques with you? To be sure, we opted for all of the above. And – at the end of our vacation, we realized we actually used them all!Cash It’s always a good idea to have some cash on you for the first one or two days of your New Zealand vacation. That way, you won’t have to queue up at the bureau de change at the airport, or start looking for a bank or ATM the minute you arrive. Furthermore, banks can be closed when you arrive (in New Zealand, banks are open from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 4.30 pm), and the nearest ATM can be temporarily out of order. Don’t take too much cash with you though, because when you loose it or it gets stolen, your travel insurance company probably won’t cover the loss.
Credit and debit cards Also make sure you have a credit card with you. Even if you don’t plan to use it in shops or restaurants, you’ll still need it to pick up your New Zealand camper van. The major credit cards (MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa) are all widely accepted. Credit cards can also be used to withdraw New Zealand money from ATM’s, although you'd better use a debit card for cash withdrawals. By using a credit card you will be paying interest from the date you take the cash, even if you pay off your account on time. For both credit and debit card use in ATM’s you’ll have to pay a small withdrawal fee (we pay 4% with our Visa card) and withdrawal limits apply (500 euro per day in our case). To avoid this, put some money on your credit card before you leave, that way you can cash more than the daily withdrawal limit at the counter of the bank. Make sure your card has a Cirrus or Plus logo, as most of the ATM’s accept Cirrus cards. Traveller’s cheques For security reasons, you might want to have some traveller’s cheques as well. The big advantage of traveller’s cheques is that they are refunded when they are lost or stolen, usually within 24 hours. To replace a lost credit card can take much longer. It doesn’t matter whether your traveller’s cheques are in NZ dollars, US dollars or pounds; banks will cash all. Using traveller’s cheques can turn out to be more expensive than withdrawing New Zealand money from ATM’s though. The exchange rate of ATM withdrawals is usually more favourable than the rates banks charge to cash traveller’s cheques.
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