This may be common sense and I'm asking a dumb question, but here we go anyway. Do they accept credit cards down in mexico and are there any additional fees with it or anything like that. Going to playa del carmen for honeymoon and need to know if I need to bring a bunch of cash or if I'll be able to use my card on some things. Thanks.

i've used cc all over mexico. in fact, i use a cc before i use cash. no problemo.

I like using CC in the nicer stores and restaurants. Cash is better if you want to haggle prices though.

Most places accept credit cards. However, check your terms because most cards now charge a foreign currency conversion fee.

plastico es fantastico!

We were in Playa in February and used a credit card for most everything except taxi rides. Your credit card receipt will look funny b/c it will seem as if you are paying something crazy like $25,000 for something that costs $20. I kept receipts and when our statement arrived it all checked out. Have fun!

I'd still take a decent chunk of change. Its easier to bargain when you have cash. If you do use a CC, make sure its not a check card.

Pay attention to the currency on the receipt. I looked at my receipt and it was for around 20.00. I thought that was low, as it should have been about 200.00 pesos, but they ran it in US dollars. Had they run it for 200 dollars I would have signed it anyway, thinking it was in pesos.

After that, I started writing "pesos" next to the amount so that there wasn't any confusion.

When are you going? I'm going on a honeymoon next April at The Royal in Playa del Carmen.

for real?

for real?

Following our honeymoon to Cabo, we noticed some charges on our credit card at a gas station in South Carolina. The only place we used that particular credit card was to pay for our water sports, dinner cruises, etc through our concierge in our hotel. The concierge desk had college students from Australia working it. Just take caution....if you could pay in cash versus "leaving" your # with the concierge, do so.

Call your credit cards/banks ahead of time and let them know the inclusive dates of your travel out of the country. That way they'll know to reject charges prior to/following your trip that occur in that country. They may also ask you how much you think you may spend (AMEX did) so that way if someone's trying to thieve you while you're there for big buckaroos, they'll probably get the shutdown.

You will be charged an international fee for using your CC down there. It is usually 3%, so not bad. Most touristy places accept credit cards, but the hole in the wall, local, way down in Mexico places no se acceptan las tarjetas de credito,

[This message has been edited by aggiedrew04 (edited 6/10/2008 8:52p).]

Since I am headed for Costa Rica in a couple of weeks, I called my credit card companies to see if they charged an international fee. Master Card and Visa charges 3% added to international charges. Discover (Novus) does not have an additional charge . Since I don't have American Express, I don't know what their policy is.

Do exactly what prisschris said. Some cards you will need authorization to use in a foriegn country others not.

you also might want to call your cc company and let them know that you are going international. some cards have fraud protection built in, and they may stop charges on your account for doing something "unusual" like going to mexico.