Small change

[esprit]

Be sure to get some small US notes when you change your holiday money to pay the tolls from the airport, unless you are driving from Sanford on 1-4 where there are no tolls. The toll booth attendants will not thank you for giving them a $100 note or travellers cheque for a 25 cent toll. Other than that, there is no need to bring large sums of cash with you as most shops, restaurants etc will accept American Express travellers cheques as cash and give you change in dollars. Travellers cheques in sterling are not so acceptable and will need changing at a bank.

Julie Carty

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

We hardly ever take much cash with us - perhaps £200 maximum for 2 weeks. As already stated we always make sure we have lots of low denomination notes for the tolls on the way from the airport to the villa.

We put just about everything on our credit and debit cards then worry about paying for it when we come home.

John & Sarah

John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas

[fiona]

If you are doing the Miami - Orlando route make sure you have some cash with you on your return journey. We found it impossible to pay for lunch at the McDonalds nearest Miami Int Airport, and ended up eating at the airport where they do accept travellers cheques. Also had to wait about 20 minutes to pay for some coffees at one of the breaks off the Florida Turnpike, they didn't know what to do with a $25 TC. So we now make sure we have about $50/100 in cash if we're doing that route.

Never had any problems anywhere in the Orlando region.

Fiona

[orlandobabe]

I only ever pay in cash.
You should have seen the receptionists face when I counted out $2000 for hubby's op-I don't think she had seen so much cash in her life!

Orlandobabe

[esprit]

We often pay by credit card but got caught out in Steak and Shake. It looks like a restaurant not fast food but they don't accept cards, just cash. Fortunately we just about avoided doing the washing up by raiding sons piggy bank for our burgers!!

Julie Carty

[blott]

There are lots of fast food eateries where they're very suspicious of travellers' cheques/travelers' checks. Make sure you have some identification with you, ie passport or driving licence with your photo on it to verify your signature.

Blott

[porky]

There are lots of ATMs around where you can take cash from your bank back home using your cashpoint card. Most Publix, Wal*Mart and Winn Dixies have them in as do 711 petrol/convenience places.

Be careful to read the instructions carefully. Some are like are UK ones, you type in your number, amount, take your money and go. I found another sort one year and if I hadn't looked back at the screen for some reason as we were walking to the door, we could have gone home to find nothing in our bank. This machine waits for you to type in the fact that you've finished.

Please make sure you don’t leave the machine saying, “Do you want to make another request?” The person coming along after you could have a field day if you did and you’d have a huge bill when you got home.

Jacqui

[fiona]

Do be sure that your bank gives you travellers cheques in sensible amounts ie. $20, 50 and 100. Our bank always gave us that amount without us having to specify, until last summer when some bright spark gave us $2000 in $500 cheques. Ever tried changing them? I brought Gap to a standstill. From then on we had to go to a bank or the Publix on the 192 past Splendid China would do it - not one of the other branches.

Also we give our daughters TC's so they can look after their own money and they were really put out that Mum & Dad had to buy everything and then hand over dollars to them. They much prefer their own cheques to write out.

Fiona

[blott]

As Fiona says, get small denominations as very few places can cash more than $100 and small shops sometimes don't take $50. You get cash change for US$ cheques/checks in shops, restaurants, etc and you aren't charged a fee.

American Express also sell travellers' cheques/travelers'checks for two. Two people sign them on collection and then either can sign (without the other one) to cash them.

We always take some of our 'spends' in these as they are useful if you want to go in different directions or an emergency arises. If only one of you who has to sign all the travellers' cheques is taken ill, etc and unable to do so, then you still have some means of obtaining money.

Blott