Speak very little Spanish

BrandonBP wrote:

Don't have your credit cards and passport on you; carry photocopies. I'm guilty of not doing this once and I promise you, getting your passport and credit cards nicked in another country is a world of hurt.

Great post, Brandon.

I agree with the idea of carrying only a copy of your passport unless you’re on a travel day or visiting a government agency.

But about the concept of carrying copies of your credit cards instead of the actual cards....

I figure I’d be laughed out of the supermercado if I picked out a bunch of groceries and handed the checkout girl a paper copy of my Visa bank card.

Were you serious?

cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera

cccmedia wrote:

I figure I’d be laughed out of the supermercardo if I picked out a bunch of groceries and handed the checkout girl a paper copy of my Visa bank card.

Were you serious?

I was drunk.

And I meant passport and drivers license. I don't carry my credit card or ATM unless I'm going directly to the bank to get money.

BrandonBP wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

I figure I’d be laughed out of the supermercado if I picked out a bunch of groceries and handed the checkout girl a paper copy of my Visa bank card.

Were you serious?

I was drunk.

OK, that also explains your unvarnished use of the f-word in paragraph four.

cccmedia

Markus01 wrote:

Thanks Brandon! So do most places accept debit cards? I know the exchange rate doesn't favor me, so how much US dollars would you recommend I exchange for pesos? I won't be spending much....

I’ll leave it to Brandon to guess how many dollars you should exchange for pesos .. while I discuss debit cards.

Yes, your debit card with a leading North American bank or institution will be honored at merchants who are used to selling to extranjeros.

However, in Colombia it’s my experience that merchants find it easier to get cards processed as credit cards.

Meaning:  Present your debit card and ask that it be processed as a credit card. 

Since they almost always ask, I tell them to make it a single payment, though you’d be within your rights to spread out the payments.

Procésela como tarjeta de crédito .. con una cuota.

  -- cccmedia in La Zona Cafetera

Markus01 wrote:

So you're saying if a card is processed as credit  rather than debit, the bank fees apply? That is why you prefer this method?

Negative.

I did not say anything about fees.

My point is that in my experience, it’s easier -- not necessarily more or less expensive -- just easier to get Visa Card purchases processed in Colombia if the purchase is done by the merchant as a credit-card purchase, not a debit-card purchase.  Even though the actual card is a debit card.

Before I started regularly asking to have debit-card purchases processed as credit-card purchases, many times the debit-card transaction would not go through.  Then, when we switched to credit-card purchase, the transaction did go through.

cccmedia in La Zona

dcasanares wrote:

Can you explain why not to accept business cards, flyers and other things like that on the streets?

There have been anecdotal reports that drugs, possibly including scopolamine, have been applied to the edges of such cards and flyers.  Causing a paper cut while delivering such to you could possibly alter your consciousness and put you at the mercy of the  maldito callejero.

Obviously, a similar result could occur if sampling food or beverage offered on the street.  So don't accept if offered.

cccmedia