Hello to ALL ! My first post Here..I will be visiting the Phillipines during August

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I have a Visa, a Master Card, Discover, and American Express.  Here in the PIs I have never had the Visa or MC turned away. Many places have said they do not accept Discover or AmEx. 

[Ice Patrol]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome and informative comments.I have never traveled outside the US.so getting to the Phillipines and visiting for a time seems a bit intimidating in some respects.Usually I just retain 2 or 3 visa credit cards for their convenience.But I have already acquired a card that is travel specific for my trip.With that,I will have 2 cards with no foreign trans fees and they should work great for me.Although I may send for a Capitol One Mastercard as a backup .If I can decipher the Peso system by the time I get there ,that will be a plus for sure.Thanks again and any / all comments are appreciated 

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, Ice Patrol said:

.But I have already acquired a card that is travel specific for my trip.With that,I will have 2 cards with no foreign trans fees and they should work great for me.Although I may send for a Capitol One Mastercard as a backup

Those cards are all good so long as you stay in the touristy areas.

Much of the Philippines is cash based.  There are still many small shops that do not take cards of any kind, but if you change up $100 or so into low denomination pesos (taxis and small business people often say "no change") then you should be fine.

[Mark Berkowitz]

8 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Much of the Philippines is cash based.

The US is so far removed right now from being a 'cash based' country.

Upon my return to the US, I was shocked when stores were telling me to go elsewhere because they would say:  "we are are not a 'cash friendly' store."  Sometimes, they would try and be nice and look somewhere (apparently in a dark corner of the shop) for change to give me for my 100 dollar bill.

[Dave Hounddriver]

26 minutes ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

, I was shocked when stores were telling me to go elsewhere because they would say:  "we are are not a 'cash friendly' store.

Its almost 3 am in Texas as you wrote this.  It seems you are a night person.  Perhaps it is the time of day they do not like.  Do they accept cash during the day but not after dark?  Is it crime related?  Why do you suppose they don't like cash where you are?

[Tukaram (Tim)]

30 minutes ago, Mark Berkowitz said:

The US is so far removed right now from being a 'cash based' country.

Upon my return to the US, I was shocked when stores were telling me to go elsewhere because they would say:  "we are are not a 'cash friendly' store."  Sometimes, they would try and be nice and look somewhere (apparently in a dark corner of the shop) for change to give me for my 100 dollar bill.

I use my debit card more than cash when I visit the US. I pretty much quit using cash around 2010, when I still lived in TX.  On my last visit I found many stores in Dallas had maybe one register that accepts cash, the rest are credit/debit only.  When I see someone pulling out cash it is almost like the old person still writing a check ha ha

But when I get to the PIs I am fine using cash most places.  I was surprised how many places here actually accept cards.  

[Hobbit112]

41 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Its almost 3 am in Texas as you wrote this.  It seems you are a night person.  Perhaps it is the time of day they do not like.  Do they accept cash during the day but not after dark?  Is it crime related?  Why do you suppose they don't like cash where you are?

What!  And pay more to hire a person who can do simple math on a register and be able to count change???

I am being funny but sadly it is true.  I can't tell you the number of times I have had to correct a teller and hand money back to them because they couldn't count.

Edited June 16, 2019 by Hobbit112

[Jack Peterson]

 Maybe it is me but I am finding it strange how we get to talk about the problems encountered in the US when the OP @Ice Patrol was asking about Cards here in the Philippines 

[Hobbit112]

8 minutes ago, Jack Peterson said:

 Maybe it is me but I am finding it strange how we get to talk about the problems encountered in the US when the OP @Ice Patrol was asking about Cards here in the Philippines 

You are correct.  It was one of those "Left turn, Clyde" moments! 

Actually I think it was "Right turn, Clyde" as I don't think they allowed Clyde to drive unless Clint had a few too many!

Edited June 16, 2019 by Hobbit112

[Mark Berkowitz]

2 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Its almost 3 am in Texas as you wrote this.  It seems you are a night person.

I'm not really a night person, but things do come up, such as a long video chat with my family in the Philippines, and my children wished me a 'Happy Father's Day.'  Right now, I'm awake again at approx. 5.30 am because I just finished driving my wife to work.

2 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Perhaps it is the time of day they do not like.  Do they accept cash during the day but not after dark?

Since I only shop during daylight hours, I cannot answer your question about "after dark."

2 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Is it crime related?  Why do you suppose they don't like cash where you are?

Good Question!  I don't really know the answers to that, but I do know that there is a trend in western countries to limit the use of cash.  I believe that Finland has gone completely cashless at this point.

1 hour ago, Hobbit112 said:

It was one of those "Left turn, Clyde" moments! 

Actually I think it was "Right turn, Clyde" as I don't think they allowed Clyde to drive unless Clint had a few too many!

No Sir Hobbit, I wasn't drinking but I'll toast to you later when it's evening over here (since it's Father's Day and I'm in a celebratory mood). 

Thanks Sir Hobbit for the reference to "Right turn, Clyde" ... I had almost forgotten how funny that movie was