Maximizing Convenience: Cash vs. Debit Card for Conference Expenses

[Intrepid_Chef]

For safety and convenience reasons, I prefer to use my debit card most of the time.

The bank I mostly use for savings and PC stuff has "National" in its name (National City" but I am pretty sure it's hard to find one of their ATM's handy. Ditto for Chase, which I use to pay my bills.

This may have been addressed before, but out of the expenses at conference, how many have to be paid with cash and how many can use my debit card. In other words, do I have to pay to take the shuttle bus?

I'm just wondering how much CASH to bring and how many things I can just use my debit card for ...

 

[crystalscookingnow]

Mainly, you'll need cash for cabs & tips. I would say that most everything else can be debit. Except if you're planning to get a hot dog from a corner vendor. Even then, they may accept debit! I know that some cabbies do, too!

 

[DebbieJ]

As noted, the only cash you'll need will be for tips and cab fare. The shuttles to/from Mc Cormick Place and the conference hotels are provided by PC.

 

[wadesgirl]

I took cash last year but alot of places will run a debit card as a cc if it had the ViSA/MC/etc symbol on it instead of having to find an ATM every time you want to pay for something.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I took cash last year but alot of places will run a debit card as a cc if it had the ViSA/MC/etc symbol on it instead of having to find an ATM every time you want to pay for something.

There are also drug/convenience stores near the hotels. You could buy a snack tehre and get cash back if you need it.

I would think $30-50 would be plenty to cover cabs and tips - and is probably more than you'd need. We always share cab rides and I think last year we each spent at most $10 for cabs - and we did not stay at the same hotel that our dinner was at so that was an extra trip...