How much cash to carry, and where a Pakistani card actually works

Money is the part of a first trip that people plan last and worry about at the airport. It is worth an hour of your time a week before you fly, most of which is spent talking to your own bank.

We are not going to print amounts here. The limits change, they differ by bank and by country, and a number on a website that is two years old is worse than no number. What follows is what to check and who to ask.

Do this with your bank before you fly

Turn on international use. On many Pakistani cards, use outside the country is a separate permission that you switch on, either in the app or by calling the bank. A card that works perfectly in Islamabad can be declined in Baku for this reason alone, and it is the most common money problem we hear about.

Ask what your limits are. There is usually a limit per transaction and a limit per day, and they may be set differently for a withdrawal at a machine than for a payment in a shop. Ask what yours are and ask them to be set for the dates you are away.

Tell them where you are going and when. A card being used in a country you have never visited is exactly what fraud monitoring is designed to stop. A note on your account prevents a block on your second day.

Ask what your card is accepted on. Cards are issued on different international networks, and acceptance abroad depends on the network rather than on your bank's name. Ask which one yours is on and whether it works at your destination.

Ask what it costs. Foreign use usually carries a fee, sometimes as a percentage and sometimes as a flat amount per transaction, and there may be a second fee charged by the machine you use. Ask so that you are not learning this from a receipt.

At the machine and at the till

Fewer, larger withdrawals. Where fees are charged per transaction, taking money out four times costs more than taking it out once. Take what you need for several days and keep it somewhere sensible.

Choose the local currency. When a machine or a card terminal offers to charge you in rupees instead of the local money, that conversion is being done by the machine's provider at their rate. Choosing the local currency and letting your own bank convert is usually the cheaper of the two.

Expect to be asked for cash in small places. Taxis, small shops, markets, tips and anything sold from a stall are cash in most of the places we travel. Cards are for hotels, restaurants and larger stores. Do not assume a card works everywhere just because it works everywhere at home.

Keep a card for the hotel. Hotels often want a card for incidental charges and may hold an amount against it for the length of your stay. That hold is released afterwards, but the money is not available to you while it is held, so do not plan to spend to your last rupee.

How much cash

The right amount is the amount that covers what a card cannot: the first taxi if you are travelling independently, tips, markets, small purchases and one bad day where a card is refused. Everything else can be a card.

Two rules that matter more than the amount:

• Split it. Not all of it in one wallet, not all of it in one bag, and never all of it in a bag you are checking in.
• Change money before you need it urgently. Rates at an airport counter are usually worse than in a city, so change a small amount on arrival if you must, and the rest later.

If you are travelling with us, ask what is already paid for on your departure. On a group tour with the hotel, transport and most meals inside the price, the money you carry is for yourself, and people routinely carry far more than they end up needing.

The rules you have to check, not guess

Two of these are law rather than advice, and both change.

Taking currency out of Pakistan. There are legal limits on how much foreign currency you may carry out, and they depend on your circumstances. Ask your bank or check the State Bank's own guidance close to your travel date, and do not rely on what a relative did three years ago.

Declaring money on arrival. Most countries require you to declare cash above a stated amount when you enter. The amount is set by the country you are entering and it is published by their customs authority. If you are anywhere near it, declare it. Declaring is a form. Not declaring is a problem.

Before you go

Carry your bank's international helpline number written down somewhere that is not your phone, and know how to block a card if it is lost. Then stop thinking about it.

If this is your first trip out of Pakistan, the rest of the preparation is here: a checklist from passport to boarding.