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#41
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Buying gear in US
Alex Heney wrote:
If you are going places where they tend to use cash, it is still cheaper (with a decent current account/debit card) to get the money from foreign ATMs than it is to buy it from a bank/post office/travel agent in this country. The post office in the UK has not charged commission for several months (years even?). On my last few trips I've used them and found the rates to be as good as the banks. Not bought Traveller's Cheques recently though, not sure if the PO sell those. If you use a card in an ATM (which I also do for convenience) you pay the fee and you still get the bank's tourist rate, which is similar to the rate at the post office. |
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#42
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Buying gear in US
bdubya wrote:
He would have been able to buy a different brand (marque) of sled, though, right? Like if Polaris blacklisted him, he could still score an Arctic Cat? Or do sled manufacturers have police powers up there? I'm really curious about the enforcement mechanism there; is it like firearms in some US states, with a mandatory background check? Not sure about that, but it's definitely illegal in Canada to carry a concealed snowmobile on your person. -- //-Walt // // http://tinyurl.com/3gg3e |
#43
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Buying gear in US
On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 09:33:14 -0500, Walt
wrote: bdubya wrote: He would have been able to buy a different brand (marque) of sled, though, right? Like if Polaris blacklisted him, he could still score an Arctic Cat? Or do sled manufacturers have police powers up there? I'm really curious about the enforcement mechanism there; is it like firearms in some US states, with a mandatory background check? Not sure about that, but it's definitely illegal in Canada to carry a concealed snowmobile on your person. I saw a bar in Ontario where you had to check your hockey stick at the door. bw |
#44
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Buying gear in US
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#45
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Buying gear in US
On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 09:36:01 +0000, Steve Haigh
wrote: Alex Heney wrote: On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 16:41:16 +0000, Steve Haigh wrote: snip And there are still some cards here which do not add a fee. For those that do, it is usually shown separately on your bill. No they don't show it separately (they may show a fee for cash withdrawal on top of the "built-in" fee), the article above listed about 4 issuers which don't charge the fee, but all the main ones do (apart from Nationwide who were one fo the 4 listed). I bank with nationwide, and have a debit card from them, which is free to use anywhere (except where you use it in a ATM where the ATM owner makes a charge - this is becoming more common in this country with ATMs in shops/garages etc.) And is still usually lower than the commission charged by most banks. (Typically, they will charge the same as they would for a cash advance, which is usually 1.5% - banks and travel agents often charge 2%) 2.75% is the norm. It's a rip off, that's all there is to it. OK. I see I was somewhat out of date on that one. And in fact, my CC issuer does now make a 2.75% charge. Perhaps I'll always use the debit card when possible from now on :-) But in the case of the card I use, there is no fee. They show the charge in the foreign currency (which you can match against your receipt), and the charge in UKP, so it is quite easy to work out the rate you actually got. Are you sure? They don't show the fee on a separate line, they build it into the "exchange rate". If they say there is no fee in the small print then you should be OK, but if not then you may find the fee was hidden in there all along. I didn't actually get to go abroad in 2003, but it was still true in 2002. I know it isn't now. But then my card has changed issuer a few times in the last few years. It was originally from National & Provincial, then got taken over by Abbey National, then about a year ago (since I last went abroad), they outsourced to MBNA. I rather think the 2.75% charge came in with the move to MBNA. They also introduced a late payment fee, and started giving less leeway on the payment date at that time. Perhaps *I* should change my CC. But even though the Nationwide are very good, I'm reluctant to have everything with the same organisation. -- Alex Heney, Global Villager Famous last words - Icarus: Aaaahhhhhhhhh. To reply by email, my address is aDOTjDOTheneyATbtinternetDOTcom |
#46
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Buying gear in US
On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 09:40:33 +0000, Steve Haigh
wrote: Alex Heney wrote: If you are going places where they tend to use cash, it is still cheaper (with a decent current account/debit card) to get the money from foreign ATMs than it is to buy it from a bank/post office/travel agent in this country. The post office in the UK has not charged commission for several months (years even?). There are always some places offering "deals" such as no commission. But you often find (I haven't checked the current PO deal) that their rate will be worse to counteract that. If you're going to get money before you go, it is always worth shopping around to find out what the lowest total cost to you is for the money. On my last few trips I've used them and found the rates to be as good as the banks. Not bought Traveller's Cheques recently though, not sure if the PO sell those. If you use a card in an ATM (which I also do for convenience) you pay the fee and you still get the bank's tourist rate, which is similar to the rate at the post office. Not with the Nationwide :-) No fee, and a rate slightly better than the tourist rates. But I know the Nationwide current account is one of the best on offer in the UK. The good debit card is just one feature of that. -- Alex Heney, Global Villager Famous last words - Icarus: Aaaahhhhhhhhh. To reply by email, my address is aDOTjDOTheneyATbtinternetDOTcom |
#47
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Buying gear in US
Alex Heney wrote:
I know it isn't now. But then my card has changed issuer a few times in the last few years. It was originally from National & Provincial, then got taken over by Abbey National, then about a year ago (since I last went abroad), they outsourced to MBNA. I rather think the 2.75% charge came in with the move to MBNA. They also introduced a late payment fee, and started giving less leeway on the payment date at that time. They're all b*stards as far as I can tell, only some of them are less deceitful than others. |
#48
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Buying gear in US
"bdubya" wrote in message ... On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 09:33:14 -0500, Walt wrote: bdubya wrote: He would have been able to buy a different brand (marque) of sled, though, right? Like if Polaris blacklisted him, he could still score an Arctic Cat? Or do sled manufacturers have police powers up there? I'm really curious about the enforcement mechanism there; is it like firearms in some US states, with a mandatory background check? Not sure about that, but it's definitely illegal in Canada to carry a concealed snowmobile on your person. I saw a bar in Ontario where you had to check your hockey stick at the door. bw Mandatory or voluntary? C. |
#49
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Buying gear in US
In rec.skiing.alpine AstroPax wrote:
Can't pin it down, exactly. Just don't like the place. Maybe it has something to do with all the sales people following you around and wanting to attach a little green sticker to your stuff. I much prefer that to REI where you have to search for help from a pimply faced kid that has no clue about what he's selling you but he does have quite an opinion. At Kirkhams, I make them earn their commission. -klaus |
#50
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Buying gear in US
In rec.skiing.alpine Walt wrote:
Not sure about that, but it's definitely illegal in Canada to carry a concealed snowmobile on your person. I think you can as long as there is no oil in the crank. -klaus |
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