thanks flyertalkers
 

On the 14 /9 we fly to Cairo to pick up our mglob34 and leave a few days later to S-America.
The last question is about the payment,
can i pay at the B.A office in Cairo in cash euro?
THANKS WHALESHARK

No. You will have to pay in either Egyptian Pounds or with a Credit Card. Why do you think you could pay with Euro's? Would SN or BA in BRU accept Egyptian Pounds? I do not think so!


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Gaza's oneworld & Star Alliance Round the World Information Pages - www.rtw-info.co.uk

If you have a Euro based credit card then they will charge you in Euro's using the current BSR (generally more favorable then the credit card company's rate). Otherwise, convert you Euros to EGP at the best rate you can find.

Whale,

Last year I was able to pay OWE related reissue charges in USD to BA in EZE.

I think it is a well established that BA in CAI charges your card directly in EUR or USD so asking if they would accept cash is reasonable to me. In addition, the same currency collapse that has made these tickets so cheap, has probably lead to wide spread acceptance of the USD and EUR through out the country.

If you try the cash route let us know how it goes.

rich

On my AONE tickets, the USD equivalent was printed by Sabre right on the front of the ticket. If they are equipped to take cash, I don't see why they wouldn't take cash.

In the same way that the major currency collapse of the USD against the Euro led to the widespread acceptance of the Euro in the USA you mean?

It's a cute l'il jab-- but I'm sure you realize the scope of the EGP's collapse far eclipses the small swing... oh you know (I hope.)

They L O V E US dollars over there.

Actually, maybe if whale leaves the ticket open dated it will solve all the worlds problems. Oh wait that is someone else's line.


rich

You left out the "PEOPLE HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS-- ARE YOU ALL SO DENSE????!!!!"

Would you care to go check your facts and then come back on this?

The data I have says that in the 18 months from 10 March 2002 to 10 September 2003 the difference in the highest and lowest interbank exchange rate of the USD against the EGP and the EUR is almost exactly the same:

EGP: 4.6-6.25 EGP/USD (6.25/4.6 = 1.36)

EUR: 0.84-1.14 EUR/USD (1.14/0.84 = 1.36)

This from http://www.oanda.com which I have always found to be a reliable source.

I have no understanding what a random comparison of exchange rates amongst major currencies has to do with using cash at the BA office in CAI. While sometimes I get frustrated by the level of repetitive questions on this board I have never really found it helpful to get into the flamewars some seem to bait.

It is a fact the USD and EUR are widely accepted all over Egypt and even more so since the recent fall. The reasoning behind this wide spread acceptance eludes me and perhaps our actual currency expert MikeInSin could explain it. The question of if "BA in CAI will take foreign cash" is still open.

My guess is that even if BA does not the store owner down the road will make arrangements with you.


rich

So if talking to us here upsets you so much why the f**k don't you just fax Mrs Sobhi and ask her?

The reason I posted the details of the currency fluctuations over the last 18 months was because aspersions were cast on my knowledge in this area. I always find that the facts are helpful in determining who is right in this situation, but perhaps you live in some parallel universe where facts are irrelevant?

[This message has been edited by christep (edited 09-10-2003).]

ok, i will fax her a copy of the history of the USD vs. EUR and ask for her opinion. Perhaps she has wonderful insights into the USD/EUR exchange rates future course.

Regardless of the relative change in exchange rates, the impact of the free flaoting EGP on the Egyptian economy is far greater than the current, past, or futures predicted EUR vs USD rate.

While i see you know loads of big bad scary words, I am still not sure why you brought up the USD vs. EUR rate???

well, i do live in washington so i am not sure i can dispute this assertion!!!!

rich

Because JonNYC asserted that
I was simply quoting the data to show that the EGP and the EUR have in fact undergone almost exactly the same degree of fluctuation against the USD over the last 18 months (which is a reasonable period since it is roughly the timescale in which OneWorld reviews the pricing of the OWE fares).

And as you well know, the question for Mrs Sobhi is simply whether she will accept Euros in cash as payment. I find it implausible that you would get a better rate for 4000 Euros or so from a shop adjacent to the BA ticket office than you would from a bank, and I would say the risk associated with walking around with that much cash in Cairo is not insignificant.

The silliness and petulance of the above statement-- which started this whole thing, BTW-- speaks for itself. If you can't see that, I can't help you any further.

The idea that the Euro would be as acceptable in the US as the USD is in Egypt-- or to compare the relative weakness of the USD to the EGP in any way, shape or form-- is, of course, just plain dumb.


[This message has been edited by JonNYC (edited 09-10-2003).]

You pick a fight.....

Post rates chosen from arbitrary dates that show you have no understanding of the impact of chronic currency devaluation versus currency fluctuation.

now you are losing the battle so turn to name calling and bad language claiming that I am the one that is upset.

you then revamp history claiming JonNYC started this and you edit his quote to change the meaning...

and now you prove you have zero idea how much a mglob34 actually costs nor how life works in countries where there is a gray market in currency.

The reality is that a discussion on the use of perceived hard currencies in recently devalued countries would have been interesting. Sadly there is little room for that with you here.

rich

[This message has been edited by RichLond (edited 09-10-2003).]

Guys, please, leave it be. Points have been made. Rehashing does little good. We have no moderation to kill this thread -- let's keep it that way and self moderate. P L E A S E.

Agreed.

Ode to RichLond by Darren.

RichLond, oh Richlond. You are my soul and my inspiration. You are not brilliant...you are brilliance. You are the light down my dark path. Without you, I would be a puppy in the kennel of life. You have tutored me, you have mentored me, you have filled me with the knowledge of a thousand flyertalkers. You are the caramel in my box of Godiva and the pink heart in my bowl of Lucky Charms. A day without you is like a ball game without peanuts, Peter and Paul without Mary, or a donut without the creamy filling. Rich, thank you. Thank you for being my creamy filling on Flyertalk.

Sincerely,
Darren

at last the proper respect!!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

rich

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Because you take it as axiomatic that anything American is inherently better, stronger, bigger, etc? And you wonder why most of the world hates you?
(One of my most memorably shocking experiences in HK was on the morning of 9/12 being told by the random taxi driver who took me to work that the US had got what they deserved at last.)

And as an investor it is not inherently obvious to me that an environment with a reasonably managed and predictable devaluation of 35% over 18 months is in principle less attractive than one where the exchange rates swing quite rapidly and less predictably across a 35% range.

It is not clear to me how I changed the meaning of JonNYC's statement. Please could you clarify this for me. What I wrote was exactly how I understood (and still understand) his original statement.

My apologies for misquoting the rate for the mglob34 - my success in investment decisions and management of multiple currencies means that I have never bought economy class RTW tickets - I generally buy AONEs so I automatically thought of that price.

Finally, I have real and extended experience of living in a country undergoing major currency trauma (far, far more major than the minor managed devaluation in Egypt), being Russia which was my home during during 1993-1995, so I am very familiar with how a grey market in "hard" currency works. This includes being robbed with violence while negotiating an unofficial currency transaction. Your experience is?

[This message has been edited by christep (edited 09-10-2003).]

Mine is the exact same as Darren's-- I owe my very life, happiness and humanness to RichLond.

And, no, I don't "wonder why the whole world hates [the US]." Nor do I care.

May I be the first to wish you a very:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starsmilie.gif Happy September 11th, christep! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starsmilie.gif

Regrettably this seems to be a common view amongst your compatriots, and, I believe, provides a perfect summary of the cause of many of the world's problems at the moment. There's nothing more that needs to be said.

(But, by the way who was it that you were quoting? If you look back that isn't quite what I said.)

[This message has been edited by christep (edited 09-10-2003).]

Omni!!!!!

(sorry guys, just had to shout it, been so long since I've seen it around here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif )