Congrats on taking the plunge! One suggestion is would you be able to apply for a citibank debit card? I used this card for my trip & left my mastercard at home. It's amazingly easy to use. No fee per transaction & conversion rate is very good too. Have fun planning your trip!

@Ethelman - The source that clued me in to the $400 limit was a booklet titled "Korea Travel Guide," put out by the Korea Tourism Organization.

http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/GK/GK_EN_2_1_2.jsp

There is a paragraph on p. 125 that includes the following: "If you depart Korea with expensive items, (i.e. computers, golf clubs, cameras, etc.) and intend to bring them back, they must be declared. Goods under $400 need not be declared." At first, I thought the $400 referred to the price of each individual item, but as I've been researching the matter, it seems to refer to the total value of the goods.

http://people.howstuffworks.com/us-customs-service3.htm

In fact, I just stumbled on the link above, which goes into detail about U.S. customs policies when re-entering the States. Judging from this, I think the $400 is actually the total value of the goods you're allowed to bring back into the States without paying an extra tax on them. Apparently, this is a U.S. policy, not a Korean policy. Since you're out of London, that's probably why you've never heard of the $400 limit :-)

A coworker seconded your suggestion that I bring a small amount of cash and exchange it for won at the airport. I can make most of my purchases with my debit card, since I plan on doing most of my shopping in and around Seoul itself, where credit/debit cards are usually accepted. That way, I avoid the ATM fees for withdrawing large amounts of cash. I really only need the cash for the traditional markets and other locations where cash is required.

I've read good and bad about the exchange counters, though. I like the idea, because then I'm not having to depend on whether I can find a machine that actually works--but if the fees are significantly higher at the counter, I'd probably take my chance with the ATM.

@schirac - Thanks! I'll look into it. I'm not worried about losing a SMALL amount in the exchange. I just don't want to be hit with HUGE fees from using an ATM. I don't need a LOT of cash--just enough to get me by with merchants who don't take credit or debit.

Thanks for your replies!!

When I came to Korea I just had one of the ladies at the exchange counters change my dollars to won. I don't remember there being any high fees included with that. It was a pretty simple process at the airport. I was trying to avoid using my US debit card because my bank charges high fees. I'm actually pretty glad I did since the banks in Korea are run a bit differently from banks in the US. Hours are different (they close super early) and even the ATM machines were different which can be a bit overwhelming at first (some machines will still display some of the instructions in Hangul even after you have pressed the "English" button). I used Korean Air to fly here and it was a pretty awesome flight. Service was great and they provided pretty decent food.

I am currently living in S. Korea and mail items from S. Korea to America all the time. It varies in price but my last package (which was a big heavy box) was around 55,000 Won ($51.64). It took about 2 1/2 weeks to get to Texas. I just wanted to mention that while you are in Seoul you may want to carry extra won with you. Many merchants will take your credit card to let you pay but there may be some shops that will only accept won. This has happened to me so many times that I tend to always carry extra cash when I shop.

Good Luck in your travels. I hope you enjoy Korea as much as I do. :)

Thank you! That definitely makes me feel better about using the exchange counters. There are just so many ways that things can go wrong when you're dealing with computers. Of course, that includes debit cards, too, but I feel pretty confident at this point about using my debit card for the majority of purchases (for those shops that accept them, that is).

I've shipped packages from the U.S. to Japan for a good friend who lives in Kurume province, and it sounds like the rates are similar from Korea to the U.S. I may be traveling at the same time as a friend who plans to visit family in Seoul, so he may be able to take some of my stuff back with him.

Thanks for the input!

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.