Cash, credit, travelers' checks?: Financial options for students studying abroad?

[Konstantin Kustanovich]

ATM machines are plentiful, and in my opinion this is the easiest and
cheapest way to get cash. My bank here in America did not charge
anything for transactions (they probably did not have the software to
handle Russian ATMs), but your students need to ask their banks about
charges. Some ATMs limit one-time cash withdrawal to R2,000, others
will give up to R9,000. There are also ATMs from which it is possible
to get dollars, but they are much scarcer.

One can cash travellers checks in Russian banks, but they charge up
to 3% of the amount.

I would suggest to take enough $$$ to last for couple of weeks, in
case the bank card is lost, and open a joint account with the parents
so that they be able to replace the lost card and FedEx a new one.

Best,
Konstantin Kustanovich

>Dear SEELANGers,
>
>Three of our students leave in January for a semester of study in Russia
>(two to Moscow, one to St. Petersburg), and an anxious parent has asked
>about the safest and/or easiest and/or cheapest way to deal with finances
>abroad.
>
>In the mid-nineties, I used my American Express card and the St. Petersburg
>main AmEx office to write and cash checks directly off of my American bank
>account. Is this still possible? If so, does it make more sense than using
>ATMs? Are ATM machines plentiful? What are the fees charged? Or should
>students simply bring enough cash or travelers' checks to last the semester?
>If travelers' checks are preferable, of which flavor (AmEx, AAA, Barclay)?
>
>I apologize for the jumbled list of questions (I also fear I haven't asked
>all the pertinent ones), but I'm out of the loop. If you have any
>advice/suggestions, please reply to me off-list [monniern at missouri.edu]; if
>there is a general interest in such information, I'll be happy to post a
>summary of responses.
>
>Curiously,
>
>Nicole
>
>
>X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
>
>Dr. Nicole Monnier
>Assistant Professor of Russian          phone: 573.882.3370
>German & Russian Studies Dept.          fax:  573.884.8456
>University of Missouri
>Columbia, MO  65211
>
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--
Konstantin Kustanovich
Associate Professor
Department of Germanic & Slavic Languages
Box 1567, Station B
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37235
Phone: 615-322-2751
Fax: 615-343-7258

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