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When preparing for a road trip in New Zealand there are a lot of things to think about, from what to do & see to the exact route to drive. But what about money and how to pay for things in New Zealand? As not many travellers give this a lot of thought they tend to end up with extra costs charged by their bank or card company. Let’s dive into this topic to find a solution.
You are probably aware that the currency of New Zealand is the dollar. Not the American Dollar but our own dollar aka the New Zealand Dollar. As NZ is a modern land card payments can be done almost everywhere, from small shops & market stalls to big supermarkets. And you’ll come across plenty of ATMs in case you prefer to use oldskool money.
So what is the problem? We can hear you mumbling this. Well, there aren’t any problems but there are some challenges or things travellers can do better. Here’s the list.
Pay in New Zealand Dollars by using a debit card for travellers
Traditional banks and card companies haven’t changed much throughout the years. They supply you with a (free) debit card or credit card which you use at home or overseas without thinking about it. But do you know how they make money off your spending habit?
Banks & card companies have various ways to earn money when you swipe or tap your card. These are some of the reasons why you pay extra on foreign transactions without realising it.
- Charging you an overseas banking/spending fee. Maybe not everywhere in the world but Down Under we still see this charge on our statements. In a lot of countries this fee is often hidden due to the next item on the list: unfavourable conversion rate.
- When converting your overseas spending to your local currency they use a currency conversion that isn’t favourable to you. Each bank uses its own currency conversion and it never is the fair mid-market rate, the one you see in Google when you ask it to convert X currency to Y currency.
But the financial world has changed. There are now Financial Technology (FinTech) companies that have shaken up the banking industry. Take for example Wise. They have created a low-cost way to transfer money fast & secure from country X to X country Y. But they didn’t stop there,
Their next product to shake up the banking industry has been the debit card for travellers: the Wise Multi-Curreny Card. It looks like a simple debit card but it holds over 40 currencies and gives you the power to pay in another currency.
For example, load it with USD or EUR and simply pay in NZD when in New Zealand or in AUD when in Australia. And yes Kiwis, it works the other way around as well: load it with NZD and pay in EUR or USD. Therefore, we call this a debit card for travellers.
It will save you so much time and money. When it converts money it does it at a super low fee and at the mid-market rate, so a much better rate than your bank uses.
You can create your Wise account online and order a card today. There’s just a low fee for sending the card to your home address. Or use a digital cards you can create in your account, online or via the app. It’s so easy to add your Wise card to your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
And yes, you can also use your Wise card to pay your Spaceships booking or the remaining balance. Pro-tip: you can set an alert in the app to make payments or transfers at the moment the currency conversion is the most favourable for you. Another way to save money.
Hand with debit card is about to tap the payment system to pay for groceries
Check if your card will work in New Zealand
There are some countries or regions where banks supply their customers with payment cards that might not work in other parts of the world. Looking at you Europe, with your oldskool Maestro bank cards. Luckily these are being replaced by modern Visa or MasterCard debit cards but lots of people still have a classic Maestro card
You can use these to get cash from an ATM in New Zealand, but these Maestro cards won’t work to pay for things in shops or supermarkets. Foreign credit cards from popular brands do work in NZ shops but Maestro bank cards don’t. So to be on the safe side, a debit card for travellers like the Wise Multi-Currency Card is an awesome addition to your regular bank cards in case they don't work in New Zealand.
When using your regular bank card or credit card in another country, keep in mind that lots of banks and card companies wordwide have security settings & rules in place that gets triggered when a card is used in a territory you haven’t been to before. Let your bank know you will be travelling overseas, which is often a simple setting in the bank’s app or online banking.
And last but not least, make sure your credit card has a limit that is big enough to cover your purchases, especially if you plan to use your card for the bond your car rental or campervan hire company charges. Luckily, if you are hiring a Spaceships campervan, the bond isn’t taken from your card, just frozen – but the spending limit still needs to be able to cover this – and you can upgrade your insurance to a level without any bond or excess. You can select $0 bond insurance aka Stress-Free Insurance via the Online Check-in Portal.
Using cash in New Zealand
You can still use cash New Zealand dollars in New Zealand, especially on markets or smaller shops. Going cashless is also a trend in New Zealand, so almost everyone pays their groceries by card – physical card or on their smartphone or smartwatch. And there are also companies that don’t accept cash, for example Spaceships Rentals is cashless as well, due to the fact that it is just safer to pay a large sum by card instead of cash. And there are no fees for making a card payment at Spaceships – no fee for online card payments.
However, when roadtripping in New Zealand, it is wise to keep a small amount of cash in your wallet. Places like DOC campsites - budget campsites throughout New Zealand - often work with an honesty box system. To stay at a Department of Conservaration (DOC) campsites, you simply fill out a card from the registration board, tear off the payment slip, put it in the envelop with the cash amount required and drop it in the drop box of the campsite.
And with your debit card for travellers you can get cash from ATMs in New Zealand just as easy. You'll even get a fee-free ATM cash allowance every month. See for more info.
The honesty box system of DOC campsites is easy: register & add cash
Bring a back-up payment method
Never travel with just one debit card or credit card. Things can happen. Your card can get damaged, you can lose it, your bank could block it temporarily as a security measure. Just a few things that could mess up your holiday if you rely on just one card.
So always have a back-up card with you, either from your bank or a debit card for travellers like the Wise Multi-Currency Debit Card. When something happens to one card, you still have the other one to pay for activities or groceries.
Which cards are accepted in New Zealand?
The most popular card brands in New Zealand are Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Debit cards and credit cards from these brands are widely accepted in New Zealand, especially from Visa and MasterCard. American Express is more like the challenger in New Zealand so is mainly accepted in big chain stores and supermarkets and less by smaller shops.
Save money when paying in New Zealand
When paying in NZD in New Zealand with your Wise card you’ll save time and money. No more conversion stress or excessive costs. A great way to save money when exploring New Zealand.
Other ways to save money on payments in New Zealand is by paying early. When you book activities early you’ll often get a better price and with flexible terms you won’t lose any flexibility on your road trip. The same goes for booking the ferry. Their prices are like airlines tickets so they bounce up & down, depending on supply & demand and seasonality. When you use a Spaceships Ferry Voucher you’ll get a flexible ferry ticket so your road trip stays flexible.
And there are more reasons to book the ferry early. It's also a great way to save some more money while travelling New Zealand. Ferry tickets are like airline tickets, the price increases the closer the sailing date gets.
Pennies saved daily, turn into lots of dollars
It may sound like a small saving but once you start paying attention, you’ll see how much money you’ll actually save when paying in New Zealand like a local in New Zealand dollars. And it doesn’t cost you a lot of time or effort. Once you start using a modern payment solution like a debit card for travellers you’ll wonder why you didn’t know about this before.
And if New Zealand is only part of your trip, you can continue to use the card in the next country you go to. It can be used in almost any country in the world, it supports over 40 currencies. Save money, spend it on fun things and travel happy.