More than a million British
holidaymakers will be heading to Greece this summer, and as the crisis
unfolds many will naturally be feeling nervous about how it could affect
them.
Greek banks are shut and there are restrictions on how much Greeks can withdraw from banks - known as capital controls.
But
tourists' credit and bank cards issued abroad can be used at
functioning cash machines freely - subject to queues and the amount of
cash in them.
Here is the latest advice from travel experts.
How much cash should I bring?
Travel advice from the Foreign Office
says that while banks are closed in Greece, tourists should make sure
they take sufficient euros in cash "to cover the duration of your stay,
emergencies, unforeseen circumstances and any unexpected delays".
Media captionGillian Edwards, from Abta, has some advice for tourists travelling to Greece
"You
should take appropriate security precautions against theft. There are
currently no restrictions on taking unspent euros out of Greece at the
end of your stay," it adds.
Andrew Brown, from Post Office Travel
Money, says couples spend an average of around £500 in cash on a
fortnight's holiday - on things like meals out, local trips and coffees.
For a family, that figure is £700.
That does not include
accommodation, and the advice is to contact your hotel, internet booking
company or villa owner beforehand, to see whether it is possible to pay
in advance in sterling.
Once there, visitors are advised to use safes and deposit boxes to store cash, and to split money between family members.
The
Foreign Office also updated its travel advice following the recent vote
rejecting the terms of an international bailout, saying that "the
outcome of this referendum may lead to an increase in demonstrations
across the country".
Is this cash covered by travel insurance?
Insurance group Aviva has doubled the cover for stolen money for people travelling to Greece having bought its travel insurance.
The standard amount of lost cash covered goes up to £600 from £300 per adult, so a couple would have £1,200 of cash protected.
The
insurer said it wanted customers who were carrying more cash to Greece
to be confident that they were covered if the money were lost or stolen.
Other
insurers have followed suit, adding to the cash protection available
but stressing the need for travellers to take care of their cash.
Travel
association Abta has updated its advice, saying: "Holidaymakers should
check how much cash their travel insurance policy covers them for and
should take appropriate security precautions against theft such as using
their hotel safe or splitting cash up between their party."
Will I be able to use credit or debit cards in restaurants and shops? If so, will there be a limit on how much I can spend?
Will tavernas take plastic?
The new limits on withdrawals
from ATMs by those with Greek bank accounts do not apply to tourists,
but there is concern that cash machines will be empty.
All cards currently accepted, such as MasterCard and Visa, will continue to work as normal.
Previous
experience suggests that smaller shops and restaurants may be reluctant
to accept credit and debit cards, preferring customers to pay in cash
instead. That is because they might find it difficult to get hold of
cash from their own accounts.
What about my car rental?
There
have been reports of car rental providers asking for cash, rather than
vouchers, although this has not been confirmed by the companies.
As with accommodation, it may be a good idea to check in advance.
Will the ATMs have enough money in them?
It
depends on where you are, but it is certainly a risk. As a general
rule, ATMs are more likely to run out of cash on the Greek islands than
on the mainland.
Cash is king in Greece
Will I be able to use pre-paid currency cards or travellers' cheques?
Currency
cards can be loaded with a foreign currency at a pre-agreed exchange
rate and used in shops or at ATMs whilst abroad without incurring
commissions or transaction fees.
Again, smaller shops might start to be reluctant to take them, although they are still fully functioning.
Travellers' cheques are not widely accepted so it would not be advisable to rely on them as the only source of payment.
Western
Union, the world's largest money transfer company, is closed for
business in Greece but transfers can be made into the country.
If Greece were to leave the eurozone, how long would euros be valid for?
Post
Office Travel Money's Andrew Brown says holidaymakers should not panic
if Greece leaves the eurozone. If this happened, it would take around 18
months for the Greek drachma to be re-introduced, during which time the
euro would continue to be the legal currency.
A Visa spokesman
added: "While there are some issues that would be outside Visa's
control, we would work with all relevant parties to help ensure a swift
transition to a new currency with the minimum possible disruption to
consumers and retailers."
Will my insurance policy cover my losses if I decide to cancel?
The advice from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) is always to check the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice.
An ABI spokesperson said: "Those who have their summer holidays planned
in Greece remain covered by their travel insurance, in line with the
terms and conditions."
She said that would only change if the FCO
changed its stance and decided to advise against all travel. In that
case, travellers would not be covered if they still decided to go, but
they would be entitled to a refund, either from their travel agent or
tour operator, or their insurance company.
The
good news is that Greece continues to be a great bet for bargain
hunters, according to the latest Post Office Travel Money resort
research. The strength of sterling means families changing £500 into
euros will get the equivalent of £65 more to spend compared with a year
ago.
Prices in resort islands such as Crete and Corfu are down by
more than 13% this year anyway - which means a meal in Crete with
drinks will be almost £6 cheaper, and a bottle of suncream will be £3.32
less than it was last year.
The price of holidays in Greece has also dropped.
This
may be why UK package holiday bookings to Greece were up 2% in the year
to 27 June, compared with the previous year, according to GfK Ascent's
Leisure Travel Monitor.
However, the Greek Tourism Confederation
said that, following the referendum announcement, it had recorded a 30%
drop in last-minute bookings.
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