The Logistics of Settling In 143For long-term residents, establishing a bank account at
one of the larger international banks located in Egypt is
probably easiest. Cashing foreign cheques, other than
traveller’s checks, can involve a quite lengthy procedure,
often taking several weeks before you can get the money.
I managed to withdraw money from my Check-Cash
card at a local bank whenever I needed money, and
only had a problem once or twice with the system being
down somewhere. You cannot do this at every bank,
but it is easy to find one that will get you cash with
these cards.
Internationally recognised credit cards, such as American
Express, Visa and MasterCard, are accepted in many places
throughout Egypt. Some places that accept credit cards have
different rates for credit cards and cash. When you plan to
make a purchase, it is best to ask in advance if there is a
difference in cost. Small shops, local services, local businesses
and, of course, the multitude of private vendors on the street
do not accept credit cards. For these you will need cash.
When in doubt, just ask.
Communication
Mail Services
Forget snail mail! If you actually want to send something
by snail mail, the Central Post Office in Cairo, located in
Midan el-Ataba, is open 24 hours a day. All other post offices
are open from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm every day except on
Friday when it is closed. Most major hotels have outgoing
post boxes. Stamps are available at most hotels and you can
post items from the hotels.
There are several ways to send packages overseas. An
export certificate must first be obtained at the Central Post
Office. Usually, the store from which an item was bought
will take care of these formalities for you, for a small fee.
Several express mail carriers, for example FedEx and DHL,
also have offices in Cairo and Alexandria. They are expensive,
but will also take care of all formalities. The best way to get
things back-and-forth is through friends and relatives that
are travelling. Seriously!