If this was the Eurozone I’d be quite happy returning home with Euro notes.  If this was USA I’d be quite happy never seeing a bank note as everything can be obtained on credit card.  Chile has been slightly different.

The good old Halifax Clarity Credit Card is the centrepiece of my spending abroad.  No transaction fees and all that.  56p interest on the ATM withdrawals won’t kill me either.

Chile accepts credit cards widely.  Unless the wifi is down.  They also accept US dollars widely and we paid cash in two hotels using greenbacks.

I decided early on that Chilean cash was going to be king.  So made several withdrawals early on in the trip to make sure we were stocked up.  After all, the fear of being on Easter Island with no access to cash was right up there.  Several £6 charges incurred thanks to anti-foreigner ATM fees.

The fears were overplayed a little.  We’ve got to the end of the trip with a bit too much cash.  Even if we pay for all meals in peso and tip Tomas heavily on our final trip to the airport we will still have a bit left over.  And fabulous though it is, I can’t see myself returning.

A final day wasteful spending binge is in order.  Or maybe put a smile on a homeless person’s face.

2,000 Avios For Very Little – or Turn £50 into £100!