New Zealand Dollars

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  [Deactivated] on 08/08/2013 - 07:30

  Go to the post in queens town & do it there. Much better rates than banks

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    YadaYadaYada on 08/08/2013 - 09:20

    Ah ok. Are there fees with that? and if so how much? I have heard stories of some foreign ATMS charging you insane fees, unless your bank has a deal to cap fees and charge commission.

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  eutama on 08/08/2013 - 09:01

  if you have 28degrees card then why dont you put money into that card, and first thing you do when you land at queenstown airport - go and find atm?

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    YadaYadaYada on 08/08/2013 - 09:20

    Is the catch with that you can't charge money on it, coz it comes out of the cash reserves first? Otherwise it'll be charged as a cash advance?

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      [Deactivated] on 10/08/2013 - 16:08

      +1

      Actually, you can. Add money over your limit, wait for it to land and then go nuts, as long as you keep within the amount you placed over your limit. I did this OS earlier this year, worked like a charm. When an ATM asks if you want it to be in AUD or NZD, ALWAYS choose AUD - you get a better conversion rate.

      Pros
      * No advance fees
      * Rates better than most exchange places (almost at market rate)
      * Almost no ATM fees (depends on the ATM… and it should advise if they charge a fee themselves)

      Cons
      * Transactions can take 3-5 days to land, so be careful

      Don't forget to let 28Degrees know you're going so they don't do something like cancel/suspend your card!

      Hope this helps :)

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        YadaYadaYada on 15/08/2013 - 23:20

        Thanks for the response! Can you clarify what you meant by "When an ATM asks if you want it to be in AUD or NZD, ALWAYS choose AUD - you get a better conversion rate.". I thought if you went to NZ and then went to the ATM, it'd dispense out NZD and it's converted using Mastercard's exchange rate as advertised on their website.

        I will definitely load up the 28 degrees card!

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        Gina Rinehart on 04/10/2013 - 00:08

        Yes, choose NZD as the 28 degrees card will give you the actual best rate. The ATM rate is almost certainly worse. The reason the ATM may offer to convert it to AUD for you is so your bank (in this case 28 degrees) doesn't charge you a currency exchange/foreign transaction fee (28 degrees doesn't anyway).

        Same goes for purchases when you're over there (if you make any).

        From what I experienced, ATMs do not generally charge fees. I used BNZ, ANZ and a few other random ones when I was there a few weeks ago and didn't get any fees and got the best exchange rates (using citi but 28 degrees just as good).

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  donga100 on 08/08/2013 - 12:57

  Try exchanging your cash at the casino. Normally they give the best rates but the catch is you may be tempted to gamble some (or all) of it while you are there.

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  stralya on 08/08/2013 - 14:46

  +1

  Having spent a few months commuting to NZ on work, I can say that 99% places in NZ accept cards, even for small amounts. Taxis, food courts, McDonalds, even public transport take cards. I've managed a couple of full week trips without having to use any cash at all. Sometimes, the only cash I used was to pay the car window cleaners when you stopped your car at an intersection.

  You can withdraw money from an ATM there - usually get much better xge rates than buying cash in Australia. Load up your 28 degrees card with cash and you should be ok. I used to get charged about $4 per transaction for withdrawing from my savings account.

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  emiko on 08/08/2013 - 17:19

  +3

  I use 28 degree in NZ. If you withdraw from Westpac ATM, there is no fee.

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  rooon on 14/08/2013 - 16:44

  Can anyone recommend best place in Auckland to exchange AU for NZ besides Casino?

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    RockyRaccoon on 16/08/2013 - 08:55

    The post office bank offers reasonable rates compared with the majors (or did) maybe someone with more recent knowledge can elaborate (mine was 2 years ago)

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  emiko on 15/08/2013 - 15:49

  There are many money change stands on Queen st near midcity.
  I used to change in a very small exchange shop inside a Chinese grocery shop I think it called tofu shop in the new market. Their rate is not too bad,,,
  or there is also KVB on the Queen st .

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  YadaYadaYada on 02/10/2013 - 21:15

  Hi all,
  A late update but for anyone who's interested, almost every single place I went to took credit cards in NZ! Even the convenience stores for a $2 ice cream, and souvenir stores for a purchase of a $2 keyring! I can't believe how credit friendly they are over there compared to here (where ther'es minimum spends + lots of surcharges). There was one souvenir place that did a credit surcharge, and so did NZ ski if you bought tickets through the ticket desk or from the resort reception (but not through the website). Regardless I figured out that even with the surcharge, the rates that Mastercard were offering were still better than exchanging cash and not paying any surcharge. The cash rate from the banks there was quite similar to the rates from teh smaller exchange places in Sydney who didn't charge commission. The ATM withdraw rate wasn't great compared to the credit rate offered by Mastercard so I didn't withdraw cash. You have to accept the rate that the ATM gives you if you do. The westpac atms didn't seem to attract a fee for withdrawal.

  It is definitely doable to almost charge everything to credit whilst you're there. The only thing I needed cash for was the bus to and from the airport, and for locker hire at the Remarkables. I am shocked and surprised to have lasted on 55NZD cash (quite easily) in a week in NZ.

  Thanks for all the tips guys. Much appreciated.

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  kobrien456 on 18/06/2014 - 07:11

  Hi guys To change cash. Aud to nzd in Auckland is the Post still the best option? Thanks.