Money

It is the same world wide and recommended daily on this site. A debit card at a bank owned ATM is the cheapest and most convenient way to obtain local currency. You might want to review the answers your received when you asked basically the same question two years ago.

It's actually not the same worldwide. There are some regions where ATMs are scarce and credit cards are not widely accepted and it's recommended to bring cash. However, unless your time in New Zealand is being spent in remote locations, you should be fine.

And always be aware of the fees your bank or card issuer charges for international transactions and for using third-party ATMs. In some cases it can be smarter to use your credit card for purchases; in other cases, paying with cash is a better option. If you do a lot of international travel, it can make sense to get a card that charges no international transaction fees.

Thank you both for information. I have never been to New Zealand. I know about Europe which is what I needed help on some years ago. This question was for a friend who is about to go and is not computer savory so was asking for her. Dorothea

Lane is correct, and having spent a number of months traveling the South, North and Stewart Island in NZ, I can say that while I had zero troubles in larger cities or towns, I encountered quite a few businesses in more remote parts that wanted to conduct cash only transactions - particularly the mom & pop variety. Also, prepare ahead and plan to make some sort of cash withdrawal before you enter smaller towns or go out in the country/rural locations. In those places, it can be much more difficult to find a bank ATM. You may find some questionable "ATM" machine in a store that is not affiliated with any bank and will charge you a crazy fee. Your friend should also contact her local bank and make sure that she alerts them she is going to be traveling overseas so they know the dates and won't flag it as fraudulent activity when she goes to use a credit or ATM card. She should also find out from them exactly which banks they may have a partnership with over in New Zealand so she can reduce some of the fees charged by the bank if she stays in their network while traveling.