Does anyone know if you can exchange money at the airports or hotels in Johannesburg?
Posted in ->South African Hotels
Are there places you can cash your travler’s checks in South Africa? I am coming from the USA. Or should I do that before I take my trip?
March 14th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Yes, you can….at the International airport you’d be coming through…..otherwise at any of the hotels……there are some shops that accept traveller’s cheques………you can also exchange them at any of the banks…
March 14th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
It is not necessary to exchange your money before taking your trip. There is enough places at the Airports and Hotels to get South African Rand in exchange.
Hope you will enjoy your stay.
March 14th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
To answer your question, yes you can. My advice to you is to try and get some South African Rands from your exchange in the USA before you fly over. That way you do not need to change money at the airport in a public place but you will have some local currency in your pocket. Remember all airports are frequented by criminals and they do observe who change money. If you do not have to change money in an airport you will come across as a local in any country and less noticeable to this criminal element. Foreign airports can be confusing and if you are tired you might make an easy target. The bulk off your money you should bring over either as travelers checks or in an account that is accessible with an electronic card. This you can then safely exchange at a bank or your hotel away from prying eyes.
Remember to keep a list of your checks numbers seperately, in case they get stolen, you can then use these numbers to cancel these checks and get refunded.
March 14th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
The simplest and probably the safest way is to bring your VISA or Mastercard with you and simply use an ATM to get cash. Just check with your own bank before you come that your card is cleared for forex transactions.
March 14th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Darth Vader has given very valid points. i would just like to add, that in hotels one does not get a very good exchange rate.
March 14th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
yes there are numerous places where you can cash your traveler’s checks. I personally didn’t get traveler’s checks when I went to SA to get married. Waste of money to be honest with you, even though it is insured. I used my mastercard and my visa card at the atm machines. The exchange rate doesn’t fluctuate that bad its around 7R =$1. I just let my bank know ahead of time that I will be traveling to SA. To be on the safe side I would not visit any ATM’s in the early morning hours where theres no one around, because that is the time where most muggings tend to happen. I tried not to carry any cash on me while I was in SA. I carried Cash only to buy petro (gas) since they don’t take credit cards.
March 14th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Yes there are points in the Johannesburg International Airport where you can exchange your cash eg. ABSA and Rennies, etc. It’s not necesarry for you to bring cash though. ATM’s are widely available as much as they are in USA, and you can use your debit card (maestro, visa, electron, master) to withdraw money. So long as you see the above-mentioned signs on the cash machines, then you should be fine. Electronic (ATM) exchange rate is much cheaper than in exchange offices. Just confirm with your banking institution before you leave USA.
March 14th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
There are facilities at ORTIA (Jhb airport) and most major hotels to cash travellers cheques. It does however remain a crappy procedure. Much better option as stated above is just to bring a cash/credit card and use it at one of the thousands of atms that can be found anywhere. (It is safe and can be used anywehere in SA, even some of the smaller local towns where you will have difficulty cashing cheques)
March 14th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Yes you can at the airport.