I’ve travelled across Mexico for a couple of months now and my rule is simple - never use outdoor ATMs after dark. Even in well-lit areas like Condesa...

That happened to me in Puebla and I totally panicked. It was a Santander ATM outside a pharmacy. I went to the nearest Santander branch the next morni...

In Mexico City, the Metro still runs mostly on physical tickets or reloadable cards like the Tarjeta de Movilidad. You can’t just tap your internation...

I made that same mistake on my first day in Mexico City. I thought choosing USD made sense since that’s my home currency, but I ended up getting a wor...

I stayed in a few hostels across Oaxaca, Mexico City, and Tulum. Some accepted cards for booking but asked for cash when you arrive. One place said th...

I used my Schwab debit card in San José and Monteverde and found Banco Nacional ATMs had no local fees. I could withdraw up to about 200 000 colones (...

During my trip to Costa Rica in May, I tried my Amex at a pharmacy in Heredia and it got declined even though I had credit available. The cashier said...

Just landed in San José last week and was tempted to exchange at the airport counter because it looked convenient. Glad I checked the rates first. The...

I had the exact same issue with my Chase Visa card when I first arrived in Costa Rica. Tried to pay at a restaurant in San José and it declined twice ...