Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kmg199]

I will be leaving for Seoul in a few weeks time (August 20th to be exact) and am wondering, which is better- Traveler's Checks or my preexisting Debit Card. I spoke with the people at my bank and of course they recommended that I not purchase Traveler's checks. They stated that I would get the best exchange rate when using my debit card and that this card should work in all foreign machines. I am wondering if this is true, b/c obviously I would be more comfortable relying on the debit card. Any thoughts?

[Hollywoodaction]

Although you can exchange traveller's cheques at most banks, be ready to pay a large enough fee (say 5 to 10 dollars) per transaction. There are bank machines around the largest cities and at highway rest areas that are compatible with the Cirrus and Plus systems. But, don't expect to be able to find thes machines in smaller towns.

[prosodic]

It's been a couple of years since I've tried using a U.S. debit card in Korea. When I did, it didn't work. The machines in Seoul had no problem taking credit cards for cash advances but didn't work for withdrawals through a debit card. I'm not sure, but I think it had something to do with the machine not being able to log into my bank's network and verify funds. Again, this was a few years back, so things might have changed.

How much money are you planning to bring anyways? I usually feel safe carrying $2,000 cash and I don't think you would need more than that going into Korea. If you already have a job lined up and will be starting September 1st, you need only enough to eat until your first payday. Honestly, you can do that on $3-400.

[desultude]

I have no problem using my U.S. debit card in Daegu. As someone else said- it may not be possible in smaller towns.

Now, this is very weird to me. I used my Korean and my U.S. cards, both, in small towns in Viet Nam! Some things are so hard to understand in Korea. When I'm in the U.S., I can only use my Korean card during Korean business hours. Strange.

[bucheon bum]