Do they accept credit cards or travelers checks?

So, if I pay with credit card and later on I change my mind about it I can just cancel the transaction.

With an ATM card is difficult to cancel a transaction?

Thanks, Tomas.

Rolly laid it all out so why the confusion. A credit card often has extra charges that an ATM (in an ATM machine) won't. Using a credit card in places of business also poses the risk of theft of your number.

Go to an ATM machine every few days to get what you need ... period !!

Cash and Atms are best.A buddies debit card worked nowhere in Mexico last year but mine worked fine .Bob made a good point about no protection on purchases and fraud with debit card.Anyone remember the days of devaluation when using a credit card meant getting the bill way after arriving home and the cost being much less?I guess you could bring some travelers checks as emergency, but I have heard of problems getting them replaced quickly if lost
.

Just to clarify what everyone is rambling on about:

You use an ATM/debit card (or credit card) to take out money - there aren't that many places where you would use the card directly, unless you are staying at swanky hotels and eating very expensive meals. Mexico is still primarily a cash economy, at least for day to day life for regular people.

I say go ahead and bring a few hundred dollars in cash, just to be safe should your card be eaten or stolen.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Credit cards are fine in tourist hotels and major restaurants, except there are various add-on fees by the credit card companies for foreign usage. (from rollyb's earlier comments)<hr></blockquote>
The fees many (maybe most) people pay for using an ATM can and often do exceed what a credit card company charges (as a percentage of the transaction) - when the cards are used in Mexico (and otherwise internationally). I'm talking about the comparison of fees when you use an ATM for cash withdrawals and a credit card to make purchases and to pay hotel bills, etc. (not cash advances, for which there is a hefty fee in addition to the currency conversion charge). Typically, the bank that sponsors/owns the ATM charges you a usage fee and some home country banks charge their customers additionally for using a machine out of its network, and then there's the mandatory currency conversion fee everyone pays (which varies by bank/card issuer - from 1% to as high as 3% of the withdrawal). When you use your credit card, merchants typically don't charge you a separate fee because they're accepting your card; the only fee a cardholder is charged is the one for currency conversion.

Here is what I have taken past 4 trips and seems to work well. (Perhaps this thread could be placed in the FAQ section of this forum, since it gets asked often)

1.ATM card issued by Paypal, I can transfer more money from my main account to this account.(never have been charged a fee for ATM withdrawals)

2. and an additional ATM card issued by Visa travel money, also can transfer more funds to this account if needed never have been charged a feefor withdrawals)

3. a backup credit card that I have used once or twice at a few high end hotels (not typical for my travels) and was charged a currency conversion fee
What works for me about my system: backup ATM card just in case.... and the ability to add funds from my primary account, no fees paid for ATM withdrawals with the specific cards I use.
What I do not take anymore. Travelers checks because they are not convenient and my ATM card that is linked to my primary account because I do want to take the chance of funds being taken from that account in the rare case of ATM fraud.

Thank you very much everyone, you've been so helpful.

No traveler's cheques, no credit card, ATM only to withdraw money out of the ATM and some cash just in case of an emergency.

Thanks again, Tomas.

Unless you have a bottom-less pit of money sitting in your bank accounts, traveling with a credit card to use in case of something expected (emergency, need to purchase another airline ticket, etc.) makes sense. You don't have to use the credit card, but having it with you provides a layer of financial security just in case . . .

I should have been more specific: I use a credit card at atms. I would never use it in mexico to pay a bill. Too many people working angles, and even if they don't empty your account (your bank catches suspicious charges), it makes that card useless for the rest of the trip, at least with my bank.

@_@

I always thought a debit card is an ATM card since my bank issued my that card and I always use it to get cash from their ATM machines! oops...