What would be the best way to pay for accomodations?

Question

What would be the best way to pay for hotel stays throughout Ireland? I'm from the U.S. and I heard that check cards and credit cards often charge foreign exchange fees. Should I look into Traveler's Checks?

Answer 1

well, it really depends on your credit card fees.  for ex, AMEX charges 2%, Citi charges 3%, and Wachovia's debit card doesn't charge any fees (though Visa will charge 1% for doing the conversion).  since the hotel bills are usually among the largest portions of your trip, i think it's ok to just pay the fee by the credit card company for the convenience.  there comes a large enough amount when paying in cash will be cheaper (after paying the conversion fee and the bank surcharge), but i think having lots of cash on hand isn't the smartest when traveling abroad.  remember, you need to pay a fee to order Traveler's Checks, and then the hotel will often charge another fee for you to use them.  at the end, a credit card is often the best bet, because while they do charge a low percent fee, they give you the best exchange rates (usually it's the official rate banks use among each other).

Answer 2

Get a credit card that does not charge exchange fees, mine doesn't.  Even so, the fees are not very much money.

Answer 3

just use your credit card. not all places accept travellers cheques - and those things aren't free either. If your cheques are in USD, and the hotel is in ireland, then the final bill amount would be converted to USD from Euros anyway - using the hotel's own exchange rate. Even if you pay in Euros (from money exchanger or ATM) you still have to pay the difference in exchange rate. So save yourself all the trouble and pay through your cc.