MONEY & EXPENSES

ATMS

Chances are that you can use your bank card at ATMs to withdraw money from an account and get cash advances on a credit-card account if your card has been programmed with a personal identification number, or PIN. Before leaving home, check on frequency limits for withdrawals and cash advances. If you're traveling abroad, ask whether your card's PIN must be reprogrammed; four digits are commonly used overseas. Note that Discover is accepted only in the United States.

On cash advances you are charged interest from the day you receive the money from ATMs as well as from tellers. Transaction fees for ATM withdrawals outside your home turf may be higher than for withdrawals at home. For ATM withdrawals abroad, Cirrus and Plus exchange rates are excellent because they are based on wholesale rates only offered by major banks.

EXCHANGING CURRENCY

For the most favorable rates, change money at banks. You won't do as well at exchange booths in airports, rail, and bus stations, nor in hotels, restaurants, and stores, although you may find their hours more convenient. To avoid lines at airport exchange booths, get a small amount of currency before you leave home.

TRAVELER'S CHECKS

Whether or not to buy traveler's checks depends on where you are headed; take cash to rural areas and small towns, traveler's checks to cities. The most widely recognized are American Express, Citicorp, Thomas Cook, and Visa, which are sold by major commercial banks for 1% to 3% of the checks' face value---it pays to shop around. Both American Express and Thomas Cook issue checks that can be countersigned and used by you or your traveling companion, and they both provide checks, at no extra charge, denominated in various non-U.S. currencies. In much of Europe, Japan, and Australia, you can cash them in banks without paying a fee (which can be as much as 20%) and use them as readily as cash in many hotels, restaurants, and shops. Record the numbers of the checks, cross them off as you spend them, and keep this information separate from your checks. So you won't be left with excess foreign currency when traveling abroad, buy a few checks in small denominations to cash toward the end of your trip.

WIRING MONEY

You don't have to be a cardholder to send or receive funds through MoneyGram from American Express. Just go to a MoneyGram agent, located in retail and convenience stores and in American Express Travel Offices. Pay up to $1,000 with cash or a credit card, anything over that in cash. The money can be picked up within 10 minutes in cash or as a check in the United States, in traveler's checks or local currency abroad, at the nearest MoneyGram agent, or, abroad, at the nearest American Express Travel Office. There's no limit on the amount you wire, and the recipient need only present photo identification. The cost (which includes a free long-distance phone call in the United States) runs from 3% to 10%, depending on the amount sent, the destination, and how you pay.

You can also send money using Western Union (except in Southeast Asia and South America). Money sent from the United States or Canada will be available for pickup at agent locations in 100 countries within 15 minutes. Once the money is in the system, it can be picked up at any one of 25,000 locations. Fees range from 4% to 10%, depending on the amount you send