2 questions

[beeltee]

i am trying to get organized for my upcoming trip to australia and am having trouble with a few things...

i am opening up a bank account when i get there since i'll be staying for 7 months... but how do i initially get my money into that account? do i bring travellers cheques then deposit them when i get there? or is there a way to take it out of an oz bank machine directly form my bank back home when i am in oz? i am sure if there is there is a big charge for that?

next question.. can anyone give me a packing list? i have no idea what to bring, and i am trying to be really cautious and not overpack, but at the same time i am sure there is dumb little stuff i am forgetting.. if anyone can provide me with a basic packing list that i can work from (i.e how many pairs of underwear, that kind of thing) it would help a lot!!

thanks for any advice!!

[Ozpacka]

Hey beeltee (like Beetroot, lettuce, tomato?)

Im heading off to the uk (from oz) for a couple of years, and never actually thought about putting all my money into a london bank. Ill look into it, but i think the travellers checks are the way to go.

As far as a packing list, im sure here will help you.

Good luck, and enjoy oz...

[Sijuki]

if your bank card has a VISA or Mastercard logo you should be able to use it with a relatively low fee. Otherwise, I am sure a travelers cheque will work.

As far as a packing list... Packing List

That should work for ya.

[Frank Dukes]

If your debit card is hooked up to the Cirrus Maestro, Plus network, you can withdraw cash anywhere in the world these days. A withdrawl costs bugger all. In my opinion travellers cheques are more hassle that they're worth. You get stung at both ends (buying and selling) and ATMs are everywhere. Yogakarta to Shigatse.

[Ozpacka]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... sorry, i see what your saying now BLT...

I was thinking you wanted to put all your money into an oz bankacount.

Fo sure... FD is right. As long as your card has either the Cirrus Maestro or Plus logo on the back you should be fine taking money out here.

Fees will be like $3 or something a withdrawal, plus 1% conversion fee, but that will all depend on your bank back home.

For everyday travelling, Travellers Checks are oldskool. I was just thinking that you wanted to bring all you money to oz with you and dump it into a bank, and in that case i thought Travellers Checks would have been a safer option.

Dont mind me...

Leeroy

[zylah]

talk to your local bank, see if they have an affiliation with an OZ bank, or if you can accsses your money on the internet, when u set up a new account in OZ you can trasfer as much or as little as you want over the internet.
Also with regards to packing this may come as a surprise, but we do have shops in OZ.
there a whole bunch of suggested packing lists around on this site.
just bring at least one warm and one cold set of stuff.
what u need to pack depends on what your doing, will you be moving round all the timeor staying put,

[***Beady***]

Yes, but if she were to work over there, wouldn't she have to start up a bank account over there, or could she use her own bank at home to get paid through?

I'm going to open an account when I get to perth, and put some of my money into it. The only thing when your abroad, and your using an ATM machine to get money out from your account back from home, you can't check the balance of your account on the ATM machine. I've signed up to an online banking service with my bank. So, I can check my bank balance wherever I am (well, as long as I'm next to a computer...)

[beeltee]

hye guys thanks for all the tips!
i will be working when i am there, which is why i need to open an account.. i have internet banking with my bank right now, so i'll definitely have to call them and see if it is possible to transfre money from a canadian bank to one in oz..
thanks again!

[Carisia]

Hey there - for access to $, just bring a debit card w/ an int'l financial ATM logo, like VISA, Cirrus, etc.

Be sure to sign up for online banking if your bank offers it.

If you're looking to work and deposit your $, depending on how much you'll be earning and how many deposit transactions you'll be making, if it's not going to be that much and that many transactions, you can get it cashed at a check cashing facility for a nominal fee. Also, if you have an American express account, call their travel office, and see if they offer check cashing services. If you're doing small side work here and there, maybe they'll pay you cash.

If you really want to open an account overseas, b/c you'll be in one place the entire 7 months, then just be sure to ask your bank before you leave the US, but the new bank should be able to do an electronic funds transfer of your balance in the US to the new bank overseas - it'll probably take several days though in any event for the transfer and/or for the check to clear.

Carrying travelers' checques around is no longer a convenient way of traveling.

Really, opening a new bank account for 7 months seems like a lot of trouble...

[beeltee]

hmm.. i was told the best thing to do was open a local account in australia... it's super easy to do, all you need is y our passport.. and it seems to me that having an account in teh country i will be in will be much more convenient that withdrawing cash from my home account and trying to find otehr ways to cash my paycheques.,

[echo]

The company that I work for here in Australia deals with multi-currencies and it can get really expensive doing lots of currency exchanges and you can loose chunks of money that way. For example, to deposit a US$ dollar cheque into our AU$ bank account will usually cost around AU$15.00 in fees. To deposit an AU$ cheque into our AU$ account it costs nothing.

While you are in Oz, earning and spending aussie dollars, your absolute best bet will be to have an aussie bank account. This means that you won't be converting from AU$ to CAN$ to deposit the money, then back into AU$ when you withdraw the money. Also, most employers here will pay your wages directly into your bank account which won't be possible for them to do into your Canadian bank account unless they have foreign currency facilities linked to their bank accounts. And 7 months worth of wages will be a considerable amount of money. So definately stick with your original plan of getting an Aussie bank account.

In terms of how to get your money from home into the AU$ bank account, it would be easy enough to just withdraw the money over a week or so using an ATM here, then depositing the cash into your account. Apparently, ATMs offer great exchange rates and the fees are whatever your home bank charge you. Also, they don't charge the commissions that banks and foreign currency exchange companies will charge.

Sorry for the detailed response!! Ya can't half tell that I have to know all this crap for work hey!!

Have a great time in Australia

[Carisia]

Thanks for the great insider's info echo!