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Old 17-09-2018, 06:48   #16
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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No problem with CC in the Bahamas.....except maybe real remote areas which there are few! No 5% penalty either.....it's 2018!
Sorry but a 4-5% charge for using a credit card is very common. ATMs are a rare thing and one that works even more rare. Some banks will give you cash advances on credit cards but they charge a fee. I live here.
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Old 17-09-2018, 07:37   #17
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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Sorry but a 4-5% charge for using a credit card is very common. ATMs are a rare thing and one that works even more rare. Some banks will give you cash advances on credit cards but they charge a fee. I live here.
This has been our experience over the last two winters in the Abacos. It is also quite common for the cc datalinks to be down for long periods. We have witnessed ATM's eat debit/credit cards. Cash is king in the Bahamas.
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Old 17-09-2018, 07:56   #18
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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This has been our experience over the last two winters in the Abacos. It is also quite common for the cc datalinks to be down for long periods. We have witnessed ATM's eat debit/credit cards. Cash is king in the Bahamas.
Yes! For a while the lovely First Caribbean Bank had programmed their ATM to eat foreign cards! Dealing with any Bahamian bank is an experience, to say the least!
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Old 17-09-2018, 08:41   #19
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Cash for Bahamas trip

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Sorry but a 4-5% charge for using a credit card is very common. ATMs are a rare thing and one that works even more rare. Some banks will give you cash advances on credit cards but they charge a fee. I live here.

All they are doing is passing their cost to you for using a card, with maybe a 1% to 2% fee added in. It’s actually not uncommon here in the States too to get a discount for paying cash.
They just haven’t leaned to market yet, a discount for cash sounds better than a credit card fee, it’s the same of course.
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Old 17-09-2018, 09:35   #20
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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Sorry but a 4-5% charge for using a credit card is very common. ATMs are a rare thing and one that works even more rare. Some banks will give you cash advances on credit cards but they charge a fee. I live here.
I'm in shock! I spent 15-16 and 16-17 there and remember very few premiums tacked on to my cc bill.....are they burying it?
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Old 17-09-2018, 09:41   #21
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

As to if you can use CC's in the Bahamas I won't weigh in. I will tell you that the very first time I used my card in the Bahamas (at a major marina) my number was skimmed and I had fraudulent charges within a day and had to shut the card down. I know that can happen anywhere but it sucked to have it happen the first day in the Bahamas (February of this year).
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Old 17-09-2018, 09:46   #22
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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I'm in shock! I spent 15-16 and 16-17 there and remember very few premiums tacked on to my cc bill.....are they burying it?
You must not have been paying attention. The only place I've not had a credit card charge tacked on to my bill is Emerald Bay Marina on Great Exuma. Every place else I've been charges 3-5%.
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Old 17-09-2018, 09:47   #23
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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Yes! For a while the lovely First Caribbean Bank had programmed their ATM to eat foreign cards! Dealing with any Bahamian bank is an experience, to say the least!
We are talking a mark-up of the bill from the merchant not a foreign exchange fee charged by the credit card company are we?
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Old 17-09-2018, 10:36   #24
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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We are talking a mark-up of the bill from the merchant not a foreign exchange fee charged by the credit card company are we?
Correct, a merchant markup. Never used a cc in the Bahamas without that extra charge.
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Old 17-09-2018, 10:43   #25
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

So, it sounds like a credit or debit card is an option when needed but cash works better as always. Then where to hide a bunch of cash on board is the next item to figure out va
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Old 17-09-2018, 11:34   #26
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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I'm in shock! I spent 15-16 and 16-17 there and remember very few premiums tacked on to my cc bill.....are they burying it?


The merchants in the Berries and Exumas always warned me about the extra CC fee in 2018. One time I needed cash to buy diesel because the network was down. They said that was a regular occurrence. Twenty dollar bills seemed to be fine.
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Old 17-09-2018, 12:35   #27
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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Then where to hide a bunch of cash on board is the next item to figure out va
I'm not tellin'
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Old 17-09-2018, 13:01   #28
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

We stayed on Great Exuma last February. The one time we had a nice meal in a restaurant their credit card processor was not working correctly. We did not have enough cash. It was not a pleasant experience. They eventually got it working but not after some tense words.

I will be bringing plenty of cash next time
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Old 17-09-2018, 16:10   #29
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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Yes! For a while the lovely First Caribbean Bank had programmed their ATM to eat foreign cards! Dealing with any Bahamian bank is an experience, to say the least!
First Caribbean is wholly owned by CIBC, a Canadian bank. But if you're a loyal CIBC customer, don't expect any benefits or a break on the rates. The other common banks are Scotiabank and Royal Bank, also Canadian - I understand they are somewhat nicer to their Canadian customers. All of these will tack a fairly sizeable transaction fee onto any withdrawals, and usually have a low limit, $3-400 iirc. We much preferred the BOB (Bank of Bahamas) - no withdrawal limit, and no transaction fee from them; still had the transaction fee from my home bank. Only downside was $B only. The others generally offer $US withdrawals from their ATMs. The only other bank we saw was Commonwealth bank, but their ATMs did not accept any other cards.

Didn't use CC often - only at marina, higher end restaurants and maybe the liquor stores, and don't recall them adding a surcharge. Kept a couple hidden stashes of cash on board, including a few hundred in the ditch bag. It's true that the networks will "go down" frequently, but only needed to access the emergency cash once - power outage on Providence on Friday, and even when power came back, the ATMs at all the banks stayed down all weekend, as no-one comes in to reset them - it's a Bahamas thing, so roll with it.

Don't need a stupid amount of cash with you, just enough to cover you for any eventualities. Just about anywhere you can spend money, there is an ATM not far. If you want to carry a stash of anything, make it beer, or paper towels and TP.
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Old 17-09-2018, 17:05   #30
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Re: Cash for Bahamas trip

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I'm in shock! I spent 15-16 and 16-17 there and remember very few premiums tacked on to my cc bill.....are they burying it?


They aren’t burying it, it’s just tacked in like tax to the total.

You stay at Brunswick Landings Marina in Ga and they give you a discount if you pay with cash, but its the same as saying you pay extra for a CC.
This is a fair practice I think cause the merchant pays the CC company, that is one way they make money.
I have often when making a big purchase offered to pay cash for a discount like when buying a motorcycle for example. Usually it’s accepted.
I suspicion that sometimes it’s easier to not report a cash sale tax wise, where a CC leaves a trail of course, but that’s just me being suspicious.
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