[giftplas]

If you have someone who will faithfully deposit your cheques for you every payday, you can use your regular debit card **INSIDE A BANK** with no problem in the D.R. I would suggest you carefully look at the charges your Canadian bank account will incur each time you make a withdrawal though. It can get pretty pricey.

I have an account with TD that lets me use ATM's anywhere in the world without any charges by TD. I just pay whatever fee the bank in the D.R. charges for non account holder use. I even got TD to issue me a separate debit card with lower daily and weekly limits to use while traveling so if my card was compromised, I can't get wiped out.

I also check my account online frequently to make sure nothing is out of order. I did have a problem once last year right after arriving in Punta Cana. I had forgotten to notify them I would be out of country again and after one completed transaction they put a hold on the card. Took only a few minutes to straighten out by phoning the number on the back of the card and answering the security questions.

The "inside a bank" advise is important. Those are the only machines I will use. What bank is less important to me as long as it is in a good neighbourhood and is busy enough to make me comfortable.

Good Luck!