elf618

Hmm my last trip there was in sept or oct 13 and there was a forex on the far wall in the baggage claim area. A copy of my passport was collected and official forms completed with my last sim purchase but seems you've been more recently and are more knowledgeable about the current situation. Away from the airport my experience was that visa electron only ATMs were far more prevalent than ones taking cards of all brands (same experience I. Ethiopia) but they're available. Sometimes just a hassle to find one. Hopefully this is also changing.

B747-437B

If they did this then you should be fine. I'm referring to the black market for already registered SIMs that change hands for cash premiums so as to not be traceable back to the actual user.

brocklee9000

The reason I wasn't sure if there still was a forex there is because it didn't look like it was open. That was back in mid-December. I'll be flying in later this week and can confirm, but I also believe there are all those services after baggage claim (usually I'm in such a rush because it seems like my bags are always the LAST ones off the plane, so I just grab them and go through customs and find my ride).

wrp96

Thanks.

With this trip I will most likely keep my cell phone turned off - will probably be too busy to even think about calling anyone.

Taking notes anyways in case I change my mind.

brocklee9000

I always have my phone in airplane mode as soon as we're wheels up out of JFK. I have an iPhone on Sprint, and since it's CDMA and they have a ridiculous policy of "unlocking" the micro sim card (basically the sim bypasses the CDMA and uses local cell towers, but that's gotta cost a small fortune). I still use my apps and anything that needs wi-fi when I can get it. Usually since I have someone to stay with, and it's never for more than a few weeks at a time, I just use their phones if I really needed to make a call. But as has been mentioned earlier, you can just buy a cheap phone and sim card while there. Sim cards and registrations shouldn't be more than...what, maybe 1 or 2 cedis? And MTN has a cheap little plastic Nokia that's like 40 or 50 cedis. So for about $30 you could get a phone that can at least text and call people, if you really needed it, either local or international calls (5 cedis of phone credit would get me about 45 minutes of talk time to America).

ovenbird

Will be going to Ghana next month for the first time. Most will be a prepaid tour but we will be staying a couple of nights at Labadi Beach Hotel. I've read credit card fraud is wide spread in Ghana but don't know if that applies to hotels. Would it be safe to pay the hotel bill by credit card or should we plan to pay it with cash?

elf618

Personally, I always pay for hotels with cc if possible and never had a problem in Ghana. Make sure your credit card company knows your travel plans and you should be ok. My biggest issue is having the cc issuer deny charge due to fraud concern even when I've called ahead to note travel plans and then needing to use a different card or call my bank. It's not a bad idea to be in the habit of reviewing charges posted to your cc account but you have more protection against loss this way than by carrying cash. (Debit card protection may not be the same though depending on your agreement)

brocklee9000

Credit card fraud is a problem in the West African area, but I think it's mostly just electronically (online, via those scam emails and identity theft situations, not from credit card numbers being stolen locally). Also, there really aren't many places to use credit cards, so I wouldn't worry about it. Almost everything you do, if not everything, will be done with cash on hand, whether you bring money to exchange at a forex bureau, or withdraw from an ATM. Just remember, you'll want lots of small bills. Even though there are 20 and 50 GH Cedi notes, they're difficult to use (unless you're making a large purchase).

ovenbird

Very helpful info and tips. I'll be taking a couple of credit and debit cards as well as some cash to convert at the airport. I already make it a practice to routinely look at my credit card accounts to check for suspicious charges. Thanks a bunch for the quick responses!

stuart101

Make sure you take the telephone numbers for your credit card company fraud department with you. After some years of travelling to Ghana my card company are now used to me using the card in Ghana but it has taken some years to get to this stage.

Do not expect to be able to use you credit cards anywhere except major hotels and shops.

ovenbird

Thanks for the tip to bring telephone numbers for the credit card company fraud department.