Money and ATM'S and US dollars

Hi, I'm off to Myanmar in July. My trip notes recommend US dollars brand new only. I'm hoping to be able to take debit cards with the maestro label on them. These worked in Vietnam and in Nepal but will they work in Myanmar? Also are ATM'S in the major spots like Mandalay and Bagan ?
I also thought to take some USD but wondered if nice new Australian dollars would also be exchanged for Kyats.

Oh well it's gotta be better than the situation in the 1970's when I exchanged a bottle of whisky and a carton of cigarettes with the local customs official at the airport for enough money to live on for a week.

any $US cash you take does need to be in very good condition...but, the only real need for $US now is to change into Kyat...pretty well everything can be paid for in Kyat now (Euro and Singapore $ are also widely accepted at official changers).
$ aussie can be changed only at Farmer Exchange Bank branches - there are several in Yangon but not in the downtown, 1 at Mandalay airport, and 2 in Mandalay itself)
ATMs are quitter widely available now....for Visa and Maestro anyway....they are nearly everywhere most tourists will go - Yangon, Mandalay, both those airports, Bagan, Nyaungshwe, Lashio, Hsipaw, Hpa'an, Mawlamyine, etc. etc.
Local bank fee of 5,000 Kyat per transaction, and withdraw up to 300,000 per go, and more than once a day if needed.
Last trip I took a mix of $oz, which I changed into Kyat, $US (which I used a couple hundred to pay for plane ticket and MTT permit at an agent, and ended up keeping most for the next country I went to after) and CCs...

Had no problem withdrawing money at ATMs in Myanmar with my Australian Commonwealth Bank MasterCard. However the bank was charging me 3% withdrawal fee on top of the 5,000kyats charged by the ATM in Cambodia which meant that a withdrawal of the maximum 300,000 kyats was costing me about 14,000 kyats (roughly US$12 at the exchange rate at the time) for every withdrawal. I remedied that by opening a Citibank Visa debit account which charges no withdrawal fees so I only had to pay the 5,000 kyat ATM fee.
Plenty of ATMs where you're likely to go in Myanmar. I kept some US$ in reserve but never had to use them during the 4-5 months I was working and travelling around the country.
Make sure you let your bank know where you're going (and explain to them if necessary, as I had to, where Myanmar is).

I have used NAB Visa and Debit and Westpac Visa cards and all worked fine...allowing for buying $US with $oz here, and loosing out 3-4 cents per $, vs. using my cards in the ATMs, with the associated fees at each end, it worked out pretty similar. Best bet is to change $oz, just requires a bit more effort to get to Farmer Exchange Bank branches...

I remedied that by opening a Citibank Visa debit account which charges no withdrawal fees

Yes! Let me put in another endorsement for this marvellous service. And no annual fees, either, and the world's best currency exchange rate.

I've spent most of the past four years outside of Australia and yet I maintain accounts in Australia. I top up my Citibank Plus account from time to time (as a precaution against theft or coercion I don't keep all my money in it) and have used this debit card without any problems in every country that I visit. Be aware, however, that if an ATM operator charges a fee, as in Myanmar, you will have to pay that. In Thailand almost every ATM imposes a fee of 150 to 180 THB per withdrawal. With the Citibank Plus debit card you can avoid this by using your Citibank card in a Citibank ATM.

• http://citibank.com.au/aus/banking/everyday_banking/citibank_plus.htm

For changing AUD In Yangon, there are a few (but only a few) options to the Farmer Brothers Bank mentioned by @rivaltribal. I wrote about these in another post.

For AUD you can also exchange them at the money changer just behind the Thai embassy on Pyay road. I don't know the name of the money changer as the last time I was there was in October 2013 but it's another option.

Thanks everyone. I now have a Citibank Visa debit card. I'm thinking of just using it at ATMs plus taking some $AUS and some $US but only enough for emergencies, say $US50. Does this sound like a good strategy?

I'm going back in a few days...am taking around $120 US (just because that is what I have left from last trip), some $oz, and a couple cards.
Maybe take 1 or 2 hundred US...$50 is hardly worth it...??

No you're probably right. I'm doing a tour so only need meals and a few nights post tour so may not take any $US. I gather only major ATM cards are accepted . I have a maestro debit card from a local credit union as well as a Citibank Visa debit card. Is the maestro debit card likely to be accepted?

If all your travel and most accommodation is pre-booked and paid, then you shouldn't need too much extra $$..
You can withdraw up to 300,000 Kyat per go, and that would be plenty to cover a few days...
Have never tried Maestro, only my Westpac and NAB Visa Credit and NAB Debit cards...but the ATMs have the Maestro logo, so assume they work. I think in the early days it was just those 2, even tho the machines had other logos, but maybe now others like Cirrus also work..?

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