Credit Cards & ATMs

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!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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!

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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).

 

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

 

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?

 

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

 

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