Credit Cards & ATMs

[tony_montanaa]

American Express

The office at Jr. Belén 1040 (tel. 01/330-4485) is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. There is another office with similar hours at Pardo y Aliaga 698, San Isidro (tel. 01/222-2525). Both are housed with Lima Tours travel agencies; they will replace stolen or lost traveler's checks and sell American Express checks with an Amex card, but neither office will cash its own checks.

Cheers!

 

[tony_montanaa]

Be aware that visitors can use their credit cards almost in any decent place, like restaurants, gas stations, department stores or hotels. Visa and Mastercard are the more accepted. Also, be aware that almost no call-girl will accept your credit card. There are some agencies that do accept credit card but I've never use them. Just remember to have some soles prepared when you call the girl. Supertrump.

yep! however do keep in mind that if you pay with a foreign credit card you have to show a valid ID to the seller/waitress. 0nly very few times I've seen that the sellers just smile while your credit is being aapproved by the machine and without any ID submission....beware!

Have fun,

TONY

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here. The 0nly two places that they have asked for ID when I used my credit cards are Roky's on Av. Angamos and at La Quinta opposite Parque Central/Kennedy in Miraflores.

Everywhere else, they just ran the card.

Of course, all the hotels had my passport on file already.

 

[tony_montanaa]

RTB,

I agree with TIGRE. You were lucky this time and I suggest you better take any ID with you all the time. A copy of the passport helps a lot and a driver license is also good for these purposes.

A relative of mine got a HUGE problem at the supermarket once when she realised that she forget her ID at home. You can imagine the ruckus in front of the cashier Jesus! and it really was an annoying situation with all the cart full of products and other customers witnessing all the embarrassing situation....

Cheers dude,

TONY

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here. I always have my driver's license with me. For the most part, I 0nly use my credit cards in the top-end restaurants, hotels, and in one of the shoe stores near Ripleys in Miraflores. Usually, I pay cash.

Probably, I was just lucky. Or it could be my innocent-looking face!!!

 

[Juan Alimaña]

I never had any problems using my driver's license as proof of ID in Lima or any other part of the worls except at Tottus. It was an annoying experience. I hope it's not a company policy and just an ignorant supervisor afraid of accepting foreign ID's

 

[Homo_Lo_Gato]

I never had any problems using my driver's license as proof of ID in Lima...

Law requires, in Perú, to exhibit the official ID document when using credit cards. That would be DNI for peruvians, Carnet de Extranjería, for resident foreigners, and Passport for all other foreigners.

Most top-end restaurants and hotels will accept a driver's license as proof of ID for foreigners, since they know that is customary elsewhere; but in Tottus, probably the one in Mega Plaza Norte which is located in Los Olivos (not precisely top-end residential or tourist area), they probably just don't know.

In any case they are not obligued to accept anything less than a passport; they would certainly not accept anything less than a DNI from a peruvian, no place would.

Sorry!

 

[Juan Alimaña]

Thanks for the clarification Gato, but it is such an inconvenience carrying my passport around. Besides, Metro next door accepted my driver's license with no problems.

 

[macmasher]

I've been mongering in Latin America for awhile (DR and CR)... but will be visiting Peru for the first time in March.

I'll be in Lima for a week, and rarely spend more than $150 per day (including lodging) on mongering trips. So assume I'll want access to a bit less than $1000 for the week.

Do I dare just bring all cash? If not, how about a Visa/PLUS debit card? Or traveler's checks (again, Visa brand)?

If my hotel choice might affect your suggestion(s), I'll probably be staying at the Maria Luisa. I look forward to your advice, and promise a comprehensive trip report upon returning to the States.

mac

 

[P69]

I can tell you that Banco Continental does not accept Mastercard in their ATMs. The most efficient ones for me are the Interbank ATMs. They are ubiquitouos and yellow. Bear in mind too that US bank usually impose a limit of $500/day. You can access that amount in the Interbank ATMS by doing 2 transactions within the same ATM access: I mean, the $ limit posted on the screen is $300. So you access that, get your $s, when the machine asks if you want another transaction, say yes , and then get the remaining $200. Finito.

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here. Last week, I walked into the Hacienda Casino, went to the cage and handed them my Capital One credit card and my Florida Driver's license. I asked the clerk for 500 Soles. She ran the card, had me sign the slip and gave me chips for the 500 soles.

I just checked my online statement. The transaction was run as a sale, so there was no cash advance fee, and I was charged $157.73 for the money, an exchange rate of 3.17. This morning's rate was 3.173, and the guys on the street were offering 3.15 that day, so this was a good, easy, and 24-hour deal.

 

[RT Gooch]

I just checked my online statement. The transaction was run as a sale, so there was no cash advance fee, and I was charged $157.73 for the money, an exchange rate of 3.17. This morning's rate was 3.173, and the guys on the street were offering 3.15 that day, so this was a good, easy, and 24-hour deal.

RT here.

Well, screw me. I did the same thing this week with my First National Visa and was hit with both a cash fee and a foreign transaction fee.

So much for that plan...

 

[RT Gooch]

RT here.

This is more ATM than Credit Card, but I didn't want to start a new thread.

The ATM at the airport where you wait for your luggage charged me a 5 Sol fee; the one that I used today at the supermarket didn't charge me anything.

 

[TinTin]

RT here.

This is more ATM than Credit Card, but I didn't want to start a new thread.

The ATM at the airport where you wait for your luggage charged me a 5 Sol fee; the one that I used today at the supermarket didn't charge me anything.

All the supermarket ATM's appear to now be limited to $200 withdrawals. I now find the ATM at Banco Continental seem to be the 0nly ones that allow $500 at a time.

 

[Homo_Lo_Gato]

All the supermarket ATM's appear to now be limited to $200 withdrawals. I now find the ATM at Banco Continental seem to be the 0nly ones that allow $500 at a time.

I haven't noticed that problem, at least not in my neigborhood's supermarkets. Could it be a matter of the time of the day (or the night)? Most ATMs I know drop the limit from S/.1,500 or $500 to S/.500 or $200 after 9:00pm (some even earlier).

 

[RT Gooch]

Most top-end restaurants and hotels will accept a driver's license as proof of ID for foreigners, since they know that is customary elsewhere; ...

... In any case they are not obligued to accept anything less than a passport; they would certainly not accept anything less than a DNI from a peruvian, no place would.

RT here.

I was paying for some, ahem, supplements, at one of the drug stores on Avenida Pardo over the weekend.

I handed the cashier my credit card and Florida Driver's License. She gave me back the license and told me that she needed my passport number.

The weird thing is that I just told her my passport number and she smiled and wrote it down on the slip. I could have told her any number on the planet, and she would have been happy with it.

Later that day, I bought a new cell phone at the Vivanda on Pardo. The phone clerk used my Florida License without batting so much as an eyelash for the activation (he even called it in to headquarters, wherever that is). I then used my card and DL to pay for the phone at the supermarket's cashier with no issue whatsoever.

 

[jacobrio]

hi where can i get more than 1000 dollARS FROM ATM IN LIMA IN 1 TIME , IN MI BANCO I GET GET 800 DOLARES IN 1 TIME THANKS FOR ANY INFORMTION

 

[jake]

Well, I wasn't sure where to post this and I don't want to start a new thread. I have a Capital One atm card that I brought just in case of emergency and tried using it at a couple of atms in banks and could not make any withdrawals. I think the problem is that they(Capital) use the allpoint network and the atms that I tried using did not have that logo. Anyone know which atms use allpoint network?

 

[Sergio Armani]

I dont know about allpoint but go to a casino"s atm if that doesnt work try the counters tell the girl at the ventanilla you want a cash advance fron your credit card/debit card or whatever if that doesnt work..well next time bring a second credit card for emergency, bringing 0nly one is not good ..and when I was saying casino I was thinking in Golden Palace san Isidro but I think any casino in miraflores will do that for you

 

[jake]

I do have my citibank atm card but Capital One does not charge for transactions