The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Half a million Won

The Canadian banks are finally making it easier to obtain a little bit of foreign cash before you travel. We're headed for South Korea, and from the research I've done it's not always easy to get some local cash using an ATM in South Korea. You have to look for ATM's that specifically display a logo that says "Global ATM".

And apparently they're not that common outside of Seoul and the tourist areas.

So, we figured we had better bring some cash with us. From our bank's online website we simply ordered it! They debit your account at the going exchange rate, and deliver it to your local branch. So, we're picking up half a million Won next week! Yep, 500,000 big ones (Wons?)! Total cost of about $575 Canadian dollars.

That should keep us going for a couple of weeks. Besides which, Korea is a very technologically advanced country and from what I'm reading Visa and Mastercard are accepted pretty much anywhere including taxis (which are apparently very reasonably priced) and corner stores.

Worth about $11.50 CAN 

On to something completely off topic.

For our Canadian readers only, I came across a class action lawsuit that you can apply for. If you bought an LCD device (television, laptop, or computer monitor) between 1998 and 2006, you can apply for a slice of the $37 million dollar pie.


You can claim up to two devices without needing to have a receipt.

We bought an LCD television during that time period, so I've applied. From reading various discussions about this lawsuit, we'll probably end up with a cheque in the mail for about $25. But hey..$25 bucks for filling out a form? Sign me up!

Oh, and it's probably take up to a year to see your money. But I'll never say no to opening an envelope with a cheque in it!!!


21 comments:

  1. Don't spend your half a mil in one place! What fun to have a half a million anything. Thanks for the class action tip. Looks like a Canadian law suit. Can we USers sign up too? We bought a laptop and a TV during that time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I said, "For our Canadian readers only...",

      Don't you Americans have enough lawsuits for yourselves? You want in on ours too?? :-)

      Delete
  2. Gorgeous header photo.

    Wow...I have never met a half-millionaire.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a great pic of the park that should be added to the park's website. Beautiful! You guys have really outdone yourselves.

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Paul and Marsha and to you too, Chris!

      Delete
  3. Funny thing, those currencies. Shelagh and I cashed in a $100.00 US travellers cheque in Bali and were handed 750000.00 Rupiah!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't you feel so rich when that happens, at least until you go and buy something and all of a sudden you don't have so much left!

      Delete
    2. We brought $1000.00 US to spend over two weeks. Shelagh shopped for a new dress every day, we ate out a lot and had fun. We came home with over $200.00 remaining. I highly
      recommend south Asia for a holiday.

      Delete
    3. Sounds like you did great there with your money. Unfortunately South Korea isn't as cheap, from the research Kevin has done it sounds like costs are more in line with Canada but we will see once we get there of course. We would love to visit some of the other Asian countries like, Bali, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Thanks for the recommendation!

      Delete
  4. OK, I've never dealt with a currency that had those kinds of numbers. We only once had to withdraw money in Hungary, and we weren't sure at first just how much 20,000 Hungarian Florints was worth. Not much, it seems. Presently around sixty-five euros.
    Don't think I bought anything in that time period, but I'll check out that website just the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will be interesting to see if we get a check and if so how much it will be. Kevin sent in for a class action suit against a candy bar company a year ago and we still haven't receive any check for that. He did look it up to see where the suit stands and so far they have closed it to any new applicants but they haven't issued any checks yet, so we are still waiting on that one.

      Delete
  5. You're rich beyond your wildest dreams! :cD

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Kevin and Ruth

    It's so worth sorting out currency well in advance. Japan was such a surprise for us as they didn't take credit cards in most places.

    http://349sfttoseetheworldchallenge.blogspot.co.uk

    Sft x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is definitely important to make sure you are able to get money in the country you are visiting. We normally use the ATM's so we want to make sure that we are able to do that before arriving in a new country. There would be nothing worse than not being able to access money while on holiday! Mexico is much the same for credit cards, they are only useful in large stores and also in hotels and restaurants in touristy areas which we normally stay away from.

      Delete
  7. Half a million sounds like a good deal. Even it only last a couple weeks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hoping that it will last longer than that, especially if we are able to use our credit card in most places.

      Delete
  8. Your goal while there: buy something worth exactly one ₩ (1/10th of a cent). Or find a ₩1 coin!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe they have a Won Store!

      Great idea...we shall keep our eyes open for the cheapest item we can find.

      Delete

  9. Trip seems sooooo much closer with the $$$$$$$ in your pockets !!!!! Won't be long now !!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No it isn't long now SallyB, we are getting excited!

      Delete

There are more comments on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TravelwithKevinAndRuth

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.