USA/Canada - Foreign Currency Options - Advice Needed

SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 01:33

Hi guys,

Just looking into changing cash over these next few days. Heading to the US and Canada for a combined month. GF wants $500 CAD too as she's meeting up in Canada in the end…. I'm abit worried about carrying so much cash around all trip until I finally see her so I'm looking into my options… typically these days I go on holidays around asia (Malaysia) so a few hundred and a 28 degrees mastercard will get you by everywhere.

THe issue is she reckons Canada - going Vancouver - is supposedly hard to come by places that accept credit card much. Taking her word for it I Thought I better bring some cash… I assume USA a credit card will buy you everything from food on the street to your shopping, tours etc? Or will you need a fair chunk of cash too?

So several questions… firstly what FX broker do you all normally get the best rates/conversion out of? I am currently looking at 1) Australia Post 2) travelex 3) travel oz money. May checkout a bank like bankwest.

Secondly - is cash conversion the best way to go to lock in rates now or basically have cash ready for the trip? On many of these websites I stumbled across a 'multi currency passport' option for sale. I figured why bother given if I have access to credit card facilities I would be using my 28 degrees. But browsing through it seems these are fee free, commission free etc for atm withdrawls of cash? GIven you prepurchase currency and lock it in they can't sting you on the FX conversion? So basically these work like the old 28 degrees mastercards before they got rid of its great features of fee free withdrawls of cash advances….

Can someone advise me on whether a multi currency card is a better option in terms of convenience (not carrying around cash) and safety (Seems to have stolen/lost guarantees). THe FX Rates on travelex seem to give 1 AUD = 0.9665 CAD if you buy a multi currency passport. But only 0.9141 CAD for cash to cash conversion?

Am I missing some fine print? SUrely a prepaid currency card would either rip you off on rates, or have fees/commissions or other things they hit you on at the point of cash withdrawl overseas? Or am I overthinking it and it really is what it is - what you pay is waht you get , and you can just withdraw it fee free at any mastercard ATM overseas??

I think Visa does one too, but travel oz money and travelex all seem to sell mastercard. Can anyone vouch for the ease of finding a mastercard sign atm for withdrawls around USA (NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Sanfrancisco, Las Vegas, LA) and Canada (Vancouver) if I go the multi currency passport route?

3rd option was sites are selling amex traveller cheques. Never used one of these before, I have a preconception that rates and convenience is very rigid e.g. must be cashed in at a bank? And that I should avoid this?

Any opinions appreciated on the above. Please share your travel FX tips with me!

(Or is there another bank that does what the 28 degrees card used to do in its glory days - bring it back please!!!)

And a side question, but with the 28 degrees mastercard, can someone confirm the series of changes they made that made cash advances quite unappealing? Was it just the introduction of the cash advance fee of the greater of 3% or $4? Apart from that there is still no further commission charges, FX currency conversion fees, or anything? Although 3% is still a killer.. on $500 that's a $15 whack… which i assume is why the cash advance feature is now useless…

Travel

Comments

  • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 01:51

    Just to add to this… even though the travelex's description of the multi-currency passport seems to good to be true.. the gf insists that it is real hard to find an ATM withdrawl (e.g. mastercard enabled) in Vancouver.. I am not sure about the major US cities i listed. She also reckons that the banks there charge large fees? Can anyone vouch for this? If it's an one off $5 locally to withdraw $500 there then I can live with that, but she reckons her work mate who had issues withdrawing from an ATM was charged $50 when going into the bank to withdraw…. slightly diff case but it does worry me not being able to see US or Canadian banks fees charged on prepaid travel cards.

    There also appears to be hidden load fees, although I can't find mention of this on travelex's website.. per this old thread:

    http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2036005

    Thoughts? The thread recommends a citibank account… wondering if it works like the old 28 degrees with good fx rates, and free of any fees etc if i load cash into it…?

    • RockyRaccoon on 13/02/2015 - 02:33

      wondering if it works like the old 28 degrees with good fx rates, and free of any fees etc if i load cash into it…?

      It does

      Why not also check out ozbargain, its all discussed here in multiple threads.

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/citibank+plus?page=…

      BTW

      the gf insists that it is real hard to find an ATM withdrawl (e.g. mastercard enabled) in Vancouver

      She must have visited or her informant, some fairly out of the way places, as I found no issue in Vancouver. But it was harder to find a citibank to avoid the fees. (i wasn't successful on that one)

      for atm locations on maestro you can search here

      http://www.maestrocard.com/gateway/where/where_atm.html

      But no Citibank locations, so you will have to pay an ATM fee, meaning taking out larger amounts will be better.

      EDIT (see Neil's note below as well, he added it while I was collating some of the info for this post)

      • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 02:48

        It's late so I"ll read the linked ozbargain before… sorry I was tied for time given th etime( i fly back from work tomorrow morning at 6am).

        I have no idea where her friends went. I questioned how 'savvy' they were to not find a Mastercard atm for cash withdrawls or their travel money card withdrawls, but she insists the guys travelling are quite street smart.. (the girl who withdrew i knew isn't the brightest pea). But yes, she reckons they couldn't find one easily.

        Maestro sounds good - will check it out for Vancouver and some US cities to gauge roughly what atms are around… would be even better, but is there a site that shows all ATMs location wise and the relevant fees they may charge tourists for cash withdrawls? That would be real handy.

        Citibank: I coudln't find any in New york or Vancouver via its ATM finder too.

        YOu mentioned an ATM fee.. can you confirm this relative to neil's posts below and others. I am confused whether citibank is actually totally ATM fee free (if not using a citibank ATM overseas when withdrawing money) , FX conversion fees free,and basically fee free for anything else.

        • RockyRaccoon on 13/02/2015 - 07:20

          can you confirm this relative to neil's posts below and others. I am confused whether citibank is actually totally ATM fee free (if not using a citibank ATM overseas when withdrawing money) , FX conversion fees free,and basically fee free for anything else.

          Bearing in mind I am not a financial adviser….. :)

          My experience is that the ATM fee is charged by the ATM, not in this case Citibank. Citibank may have arrangements with certain banks to have this waived for their customers in some countries, e.g. Australia, where it's Westpac, St. George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne.

          according to whirlpool

          http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/citibank_plus_transaction_accou…

          Canada: No Citibank presence in Canada but Bank of Montreal and TD Bank ATMs offered me fee-free withdrawals on this Citi card.

          Read the rest of this very valuable whirlpool post and it will answer many of your questions. (I again quote directly from Whirlpool in response to another of your questions)

          Citibank charges no fees at all for transactions made at International ATMs (Some bank operators may charge a fee at the ATM, this is not a Citibank charge – many operators have fee free ATMs overseas) or In Store purchases. There are no withdrawal fees or commission rates at all. Most other banks charge these. This makes Citibank very attractive to travellers overseas, as banks can slug up to $5 for withdrawing cash at an ATM plus up to 5% of the amount withdrawn in fees.

          Keeping in mind also that Canadian merchants widely accept credit cards like we do here in Oz, so Cash may not be necessary like in say Japan. My rule of travelling in Canada was to have say $100 in local cash and pay as much as I could on card. Her friends may have been in the snowfields, which during snow season might have merchants who know their customers are captive, charging fees for non cash transactions. Final rule was to pay cash on last few days to run this down to zero, you get hit with transaction fees when converting the money back. Which is best to convert back to the next country you visit, if applicable.

          In reply to some of your questions below, this card is the best for cash overseas while the 28 degrees is best for credit card transactions. Plus having both cards gives you backup. But also take another debit card as emergency as you never want to use the 28 degrees card for a cash advance, where if the 28 degrees card fails, you can use the citibank card for credit transactions.

          Again this plus many other answers can be found in the whirlpool post

        • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 21:11

          @RockyRaccoon:

          No probs… you don't have to be a financial adviser haha… just consumer to consumer knowledge is a good head start.

          That's a gem of a link… Great I will note that down in my travel excel file to hit up Bank of Montreal or TD Bank ATMs if I'm just walking past one… if I'm in a rush then obviously I'm sure I can live with a $5 or less fee…

          I dont think they were in the snowfields. Just the town. But one she noted they had difficulty in was Montreal… which I expect would be smaller and harder for CC than Vancouver, but is still a pretty big city from what it sounds like… so I still find it hard to believe. I may pack a bit of cash like you, run the 28 degrees for transactions, the citibank plus for visa cash withdrawls… and that should cover me. I was only thinking also of a prepaid travel money card as a backup if my main wallet gets stolen as having a supplementary citibank card for example is useless if you ring up to cancel your stolen one's number…

          Unfortunately I therefore don't have a backup debit card for an emergency… my bankwest mastercard debit card I read the fees and its 2.5% on conversion… from memory the FX rates weren't even that good as a second punch in the gut… Unless there's a second product you'd recommend as a backup should the 28 degrees and citibank plus say get lost or stolen…

          Will have a read of the whirlpool post anyhow. Out of curiousity any chip enabled card is backward compatible in that it still works via magnetic strip? It's only in reverse where one would have a problem,correct?

          JUst to add (for anyone reading) that Citibank advised a $1000 limit withdrawl per day from ATM…. she wasn't very helpful (slammed the phone down without even saying bye) - whether she was busy at the time.. but I cam through the new product enquiry line so you would think that was their main purpose (to answer questions enthusiastically).

        • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 21:13

          @RockyRaccoon:

          Oh and… checked the Visa FX rate calculator link via that whirlpool thread.

          Getting 1 AUD for 13/02/15 to 1 CAD of : 0.959382 versus xe.com's : 0.968326. So the Visa set market rates i guess aren't that close to the xe.com market rate.. not sure if this in line with Mastercards set rates though. If so then I guess its tough love/luck and you just have to accept it.

        • RockyRaccoon on 13/02/2015 - 22:13

          @SaberX: Really don't be concerned about the Bankwest card, keep it and as you said it's only if you lose the Citibank card. If that happens the least of the issues you will have is the fees on the Bankwest card, I think you will find that the Citibank cash withdrawls won't be that many anyway.

          The Citibank plus is the only Citibank product I would use, as there are no fees, so don't have you over a barrel. It took 2 years to close my Citibank credit card as they always got the fees - non refundable charged to the account before I could close it. And no promises made by the fillipino staff were ever met.

        • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 23:14

          @RockyRaccoon:

          Now that you bring that up, is preloading cash onto your citibank plus covered if its stolen and money withdrawn? Or is it only credit cards that the banks will cover? Just an additional risk to consider if so…

          That's an annoying loop… very unprofessional for a corporation. THat explains the call i had today, being an overseas call centre. Probably call targets and lack of etiquette and hence why the phone went straight down without so much as a bye.

          QUick q: Would you bother with the Citibank Plus Linked Savings Account that they offer to open when you apply for the Citibank Plus Transaction account? See my post down below… wondering if its a harmless little aditional thing to throw in or not..

        • RockyRaccoon on 14/02/2015 - 03:04

          @SaberX: Since I dislike the organisation, the less the better. They wanted to have someone contact me for a loan, and it took 3 NO 's and me having to say I have no mortgage etc until the call centre lady agreed with me.

          The risk with the preloading, which is all you can do as its a debit card, is the same with any debit card. ING pay wave, Bankwest etc. I cant recall the details.

          Your comment about backup card. Why not have the GF get an account - its Free

    • travelwiz on 13/02/2015 - 09:16
      +1

      all this talk over a cent or 2 exchange rate or maybe $5 in total for $500 between one bank & another.

      Often you're own bank will give you some break on fees.

      Unless you're talking tens of $1000 of dollars use a credit card or a Visa or MasterCard debit card.

      All accepted everywhere credit cards are accepted & not many places in Canada you can't use cards, maybe street markets & ? (can't think of many more places)

      • RockyRaccoon on 13/02/2015 - 11:10

        True, but you forget where you are. Here they will vote up in the hundreds a free pen.

        It's OZbargain.

        • travelwiz on 13/02/2015 - 16:53

          so go all over town in some foreign city to save a couple of bucks. Last time I looked even public transport is not free anywhere in USA or Canada.

      • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 20:59
        +1

        You forget that 1 or 2 cents FX rates make a difference. I agreed that $5 bank fees in Vancouver didn't matter if I only had to rip out $500 for the whole trip there… It's just nice to have a discussion and know what the availability of 1) ATMs are there before 2) Which ATMs actually are fee free for mastercard/visa holders. I'd be VIsa if i get the Citibank (might apply after this post) account anyway.. as unless I'm desperate I doubt I'd use the Mastercard 28 degrees card anymore.. did the 3% cash advance fee or $4 (whichever is greater) and on a 500 dollar withdrawl that's $15 just in the fee alone for that…

        Remember that when you tally up food, going out and any other expenses, a one month holiday at $100 expenses a day, x 25 days (conservative, as i'm going for a whole month) is at least $2500… that's local currency e.g. USD. Having tried booking small flights in the US out of curiousityt for FX, my 28 degrees might get $0.80 vs my Amex of $0.78 for example. My bankwest debit mastercard I know charges a 2.5% fee on conversions, and I don't remember the FX rate being that great.. so an equivalent $0.02 currency difference from the best product out there vs getting any product, is entirely possible.

        Now on just $2,500 USD that's $3,125 AUD ($0.80 FX) vs $3,205 ($0.78 FX). It's a big difference if you ask me for doing the same thing.. Maybe some will view me as cheap.. but I don't see $2,500 USD for a month hols as being achievable anyway… i've been told this could be $5-10k all up for a month trip of that size…

        • RockyRaccoon on 13/02/2015 - 22:17

          Maybe some will view me as cheap

          Never , this is Ozbargain, you just get a gold pass instead.

          But I do agree with TravelWiz, that should you spend too much time search for that ATM it's not worth it. Although when just looking around town, I discovered some great finds when walking to a Citibank ATM in HCMCity (Saigon).

        • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 23:16

          @RockyRaccoon:

          haha maybe the hidden gems are hard to find.. much like the citibank atms! :)

  • neil on 13/02/2015 - 02:28

    No issues with finding ATM with Mastercard whatever in almost anywhere in US. The US accepts credit cards almost everywhere. Way more than in Australia and no minimum transaction BS.

    I think you are way overthinking things. Simplest way is to apply for a Citibank Account. More info. Market rates for currency conversion, no international ATM fees.

    I've been to Toronto & Montreal and never noticed any lack of taking credit cards but maybe it's different in other parts. In that case, just go to an ATM and take out a bunch of cash.

    • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 02:43

      The fees pds for the citibank plus account - bottom of page 2, the international payments seem to indicate 2.5% fees levied? Therefore withdrawing cash I thought was subject to fees?

      https://www.citibank.com.au/global_docs/pdf/Feesandcharges.p…

      Also, I thought the whole point of the Citibank Plus account was ATM free withdrawls (worldwide). From what you're saying if you can't find a Citibank ATM (well Rocky Racoon above did, my bad) then you will be charged an ATM Fee?

      TBh i couldn't find much on the market rates - so it is on par with 28 degrees (xe.com)?

      I am not sure about Toronto but she was referring to Canada. She insisted her friends were street smart enough when I probed… to have found an ATM but I don't know. Again, I find it hard to believe a modern city liek that would 1) struggle to accept mastercard in the first place and 2) if you did need cash for cash payments, that you couldn't find a Mastercard enabled ATM.

      Did you find the local ATMs in the US or Canada slugged you their ATM fees? And if so where they just a few dollars?

  • CarrieLou on 13/02/2015 - 02:38
    +2

    Citibank plus account for cash withdrawals and 28 degrees for anything you pay with credit card. There is no problem using a card at most places, more places accept cards than here in Australia :)

    • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 02:45

      I have no issues with 28 degrees for all purchases. My backup was more of where if true that they aren't accepted (credit) that I'll need some cash on hand. So I wanted an option to be able to have cash (bringing hard cold cash - unsafe/troublesome), a travel oney card (prepaid ones) or lastly a credit /debit card options.

      So you apply for a Citibank plus account, which is a seperate account, but comes with a visa debit card??

      Not interested in using it here.. so my main concern is no atm fees by citibank for overseas withdrawls, no FX fees, currency conversion fees or any other fees/hidden costs, and a market FX rate like 28 degrees offered.

      Per my reply to Neil above it seemed like a 2.5% fee is levied on the international side of the citibank visa debit cards though?

      • Baysew on 13/02/2015 - 09:20
        +1

        Re read the T & C you have quoted.

        It will state

        (Excludes Citibank Plus Transaction and Citibank Online Saver Accounts)

        Also read (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/cards_with_no_overseas_tra…)

        • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 20:52

          Thanks. Have had a read of the wiki. Interesting… I saw there's a Bankwest Zero Platinum card too. Surprisingly says it is mastercard based FX rates - which I assume the mastercard and Visa rates are as close to the xe.com /spot rates as you can get?

          28 degrees meanwhile doesn't mention anything about what rates it uses, although it has seemed reasonable enough in the past.. be keen to see if any of these mastercard/visa rates (as advertised by the providers)using cards, are actually better FX rates than 28 degrees.

          That said these cover credit cards for transaction purchases.. whereas I guess I am looking for either a dual purpose transactions card and cash advance/withdrawl card…

          I also wonder how competitive Visa market rates (Citibank) vs the Mastercard set market rates are.

          Citibank mentions it now offers chip enabled cards. Obviously atm's and terminals need to be chip enabled, but likewise this means that you are backwards compatible as the chip cards still all hold the older school magnetic strip functionality, correct? It is only the reverse where you may find yourself limited(no chip enabled card) when overseas?

          Also… no mention of a supplemenary backup card incase you lose one? Or is this becuase you'd end up deactivating the card no if you lost the first (or stolen) anyway?

        • Baysew on 13/02/2015 - 21:12

          @SaberX: 28 Degrees would use Mastercard rates.

          I also wonder how competitive Visa market rates (Citibank) vs the Mastercard set market rates are.

          Mastercard Vs Visa

          Cards issued in Australia have both Chip and Mag Strip (and Signature Panel) to cope with various systems.

          Suggest 28 degrees for purchases and Citibank Plus for ATM transactions.

        • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 21:18

          @Baysew:

          Mastercard comes out on top… 1AUD to CAD: 0.965434, versus Visa of 0.959381.

          Caveat being that the mastercards date is set to Thurs 12th … must be back a few timeszones given its' nearlly dinner on the 13th here.. and Visas is set to 13th…

          But I assume Visa is going by the same timezone albeit on the 13th… changing visas to the 12th gives an implied rate of just around 0.97 anyway, which is above current spot, so I believe the 0.959381.

          Abit crummy seeing this as the Citibank card will be Visa rate set unfortunately. :(

  • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 02:49

    Seems from the first few responses above that the debit card method is preferable cost wise and for getting the most converted money, than changing via a prepaid travel card/multi-currency passport cards etc?

    Cash rates are fine but what you get in Perth are daylight robbery… yet to see them but Im sure they would be $0.70 for USD vs the spot of 0.768 currently. Or something outrageous.

  • Hellfire on 13/02/2015 - 12:12

    On my recent trip to Vancouver,Canada I didn't bother with cash at all. Everything went on my 28 Degrees card (had Amex and EFTPOS card as backup). Even most merchants at markets accepted credit card. No minimum or any surcharges. They seem to have much more a CC culture that we do here.

    Chip and Pin is the standard there but I had to sign with the 28 Degrees card. Not sure why that was. Most Americans had to sign so they are used to it.

    • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 20:37

      Great - good to hear feedback from aussie travellers.

      I have trouble enough getting Amex to be accepted in most places here in Aus (alot wont due to their surcharges) so I'm assuming it was just as hassling to do it overseas in Vancouver?

      Not to mention their FX rates on the platinum edge card which I've got, when comparing to some online purchases with the 28 degrees, are quite poor….

      Happy to go with the Citibank Plus Transaction account though if indeed it's FX rates are quite on-par with the market like 28 degrees….

      • Hellfire on 13/02/2015 - 22:19

        Amex is accepted more in US and Canada than here but it was just a backup in case the 28 Degrees didn't work.

        • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 22:23

          Noted. Ta.

  • SaberX on 13/02/2015 - 21:43

    Hi.. just wondering as I am trying the application process now.. if anyone chose to have the Citibank Plus Linked Savings Account opened automatically with it too? Will this slow down my application process given I leave on the 19th (not here mondays-fri for work)?

    I thought if it's free and easy, then there would be a strategically good idea to have the sub account opened as I can store more money in the sub account (withdrawls from the plus transaction account if my card gets stolen will not touch this sub account money, as it has to be transferred on online banking from the sub account to the transaction account first) , and get a measly 0.5% interest rate… but more importantly I assume that money transfers within the same bank are instant?

    So if I suddenly find I'm $500 short, if I bpay or EFT that from bankwest into the Citibank Plus Transaction account, I could be waiting 1-3 days…depending on processing and cut off times?

    Then again if the sub account opening is a) troublesome or b) unnecessary additional paperwork or time to get this account up and running before my hols.. then I might just skip - meaning will have to juggle having enough money stored in the Citibank plus transaction account at all times…

    • Baysew on 14/02/2015 - 16:18

      I leave on the 19th

      You may have left it way to late for Citibank card.

      Better put plan "B" into operation, just in case

      • SaberX on 14/02/2015 - 22:25

        Haha i dont have one because all the advice I've received had been pointing me to citibank that no one really suggested any alternatives like the next best prepaid travel card…. :/

        I did they online id verification but decided while I'm here in Perth id go into the post and do the manual id verification and send the signature Card back. Hooefully This means no administrative holdups
        holdups!

        • CarrieLou on 15/02/2015 - 11:39

          I don't think you mentioned in the first post your trip was only a week away. Citibank is quick but probably not that quick as you'll have to wait for card and pin to be sent separately. Perhaps if you call them and explain the situation they can rush it along?

          I think all the travel cards are pretty shit, so it probably doesn't matter which one you use, they will all screw you.

        • SaberX on 17/02/2015 - 00:07

          @CarrieLou:

          I think I said (if not it's what I meant) that I fly on the 19th march.

          So fingers crossed it's here by end of Feb. per my Citibank status I appear to be 'booked' which per the whirlpool wiki means i've been processed and mailout is in progress of cards etc?

          Fingers crossed I won't have any issues with activation!

  • Osprey06 on 15/02/2015 - 14:43
    +1

    Apologies in advance, I cbf reading through the OP's original post, nor all the comments, but…

    The first time I went o/s I took a fist full of US with me. I've never bothered taking cash since then. I took a conservatively high amount, just in case, and nearly didn't get rid of it all. Now I have 28degrees and Citibank cards. First thing I do when I land at my destination is find an ATM. I've not had any problems finding an ATM that will take Visa/MC in any country (including the US and Canada - Montreal to Vancouver and everything in between), except Japan, where the ATM's at post offices seem to be the only ones that take Visa/MC.

    It's also cheaper (pending ATM owners' fees, I guess) just to withdraw cash at an ATM using those cards than it is to convert it before hand. You don't pay fees, or inflated exchange rates, don't have to worry about having great wads of foreign currency left at the end of your trip and don't have to worry about declaring cash at customs check points.

    • SaberX on 18/02/2015 - 01:25

      The cash would help with tipping I assume though? Otherwise, Canada doesn't have a cash tipping system I believe? THe only issue is withdrawing large amounts by ATM there you won't get all your small/loose change for your first few tips e.g. taxi ride in to your hotel etc.

      In Japan I found one or two when I looked for it… perhaps a coincidence?

      YOu might be right.. have to weigh up the FX rates, but the cash conversion rates don't seem too flash. Good point - I might do some calcs tomorrow on the spread difference of changing with dealers here vs paying $5 in bank fees to withdraw a lump sum overseas (albeit at closer to market FX rates).

      Unfortunately.. I woudln't have enough cash to have to worry about delcaring at customs anyway… SOMEDAY! :P

  • travelwiz on 17/02/2015 - 12:11

    many people on this site, seem to be prepared to jump through an awful lot of hoops to literally save a few cents (or is it just a competition to see what's cheapest, no matter what hassle/time is involved ?)

    Sounds like driving a long distance to save 4 cents a litre on fuel & then getting a coffee for $4-$5 when get there.

    Still think credit cards or Visa/MasterCard debit cards are by far, the best way to go.

    No thought or effort involved whatsoever.

    • SaberX on 18/02/2015 - 01:23

      I wouldn't say I would (can't speak for others) give a life and limb just to save a few cents… I think you may be generalising the urge to seek the best options now via this thread versus real life practicality - I wouldn't be that silly :)

      Likewise to driving for fuel.. I'd weigh up a 2 min vs 7 min drive… for say 1.06 vs 1.20 a litre for example.. but if it was a 15 min drive common sense would prevail.

      I would describe this as being 'thrifty' rather than 'cheap/stingy' where i think common sense gives way to just saving an immaterial amount of $.

      • RockyRaccoon on 18/02/2015 - 04:02

        Simple just resist the cup of coffee and everyone is happy

        & then getting a coffee for $4-$5 when get there

        LOL

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