Emergencies cannot be planned, but you can plan for emergency money (cash & card) situations. Have spare cash on hand. Why? We explain in this post.
Warning
We understand, there are so many details to cover when travel planning. But, make it a requirement to always have emergency cash on hand for surprises & emergency situations.
Cash Is King
Cash works everywhere : Cash in main currencies (Euro, USD, etc.) are preferred. Local currencies might work. The Thai baht (Thailand currency) is easily exchanged, while the Khmer Reil (Cambodian currency) is not accepted anywhere outside the country even at currency exchange kiosks.
Other options:
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Western Union
Western Union is reasonable option, but it demands a 10% fee and you will need to find a Western Union shop + hope they are open.
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Preloaded debit cards? Maybe…
Preloaded debit cards might work, but internationally? Maybe… maybe not.
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Travelers checks?
Travelers checks … not sure where or how to use those. There certainly is added bureaucracy using those since you will need to find a place that accepts them.
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Crypto currency?
Scenarios – Debit/Credit Cards Gone Wrong
You’ll be happy that you had cash on hand when you encounter these situations.
#1
No ATM nearby.
#2
ATM does not accept your card.
The airport in Vientiane, Laos has several ATMs that are from only 1 bank. These ATMs were not accepting some foreign cards, so people had to use the currency exchange kiosk. Fortunately, they had cash.
#3
Expires – your card expires & gets canceled.
#4
Loosing your card <- VERY COMMON!
ATM decides to “eat it” and not return it to you. Or, fraudulent charges leading to canceled card.
You will need a new replacement credit/debit card. Your bank will most likely (check with them on this) send you a new card anywhere in the world. While this sounds great, see section, “Bank Sending You A New Debit/Credit Card“, below for the reality of what to expect.
Also, fraudulent charges are becoming more common and frequent, in which your bank will cancel your card and send you a new one.
Tip
The booking site, Booking.com, has a ‘pay on arrival’ option. To lower your risk, we suggest to pay with cash on arrival instead of paying with a credit card online.
Get a receipt for proof of payment. Although we have never had issues of paying in cash, we have heard people say that the hotel claimed they never paid. This is rare.
However, we have had a few fraud charges after using online booking sites.
Bank Sending You A New Debit/Credit Card
Don’t expect it to be quick when you bank sends you a new debit or credit card from your home country to Southeast Asia.
Receiving a new card in a foreign country may take several weeks + a ton of headaches! Shipping a new card to Southeast Asian most likely will not have a tracking number, and the delivery infrastructure is not formal like it is in the Western world. Furthermore, you delivery is dependent on customs clearance, having an accurate address (not always easy in a foreign country), and delays that pop-up.
Your bank will say delivery in “10 business days (2 full weeks)”, but in reality it can take a full month to 6 weeks! So, think far in advance where you will be and have it shipped there.
You can request your bank to expedite (to speed up) the shipment of you card, but they may charge you a fee for this. In which case, expect the delivery to come faster. However, shipping into Cambodia is infamous for super slow delivery, which will extend your delivery date even when expedited.
See this link post for more information.
Tip
Have your new, replacement, debit/credit card sent to wherever you plan to be in 6-7 weeks. If the shipment is expedited, then you should plan for 1-2 weeks (except for Cambodia as mentioned above).
This ensures that you will get the card. It may come sooner, but chances are it will take longer than the bank’s shipping partner states it will. Unfortunately, shipping time estimates from your home country to Southeast Asia are not reliable.
HOW – How To Plan Your Emergency Cash
We answer this and more within this linked post.