½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

This is familiar to me, being Canadian. For the maximum amount of cash per day (that's midnight to midnight) from an ATM (40,000) use Co-operative or I&M which don't charge an international fee.

KCB and Absa will also accept an international debit card.

For larger transactions I transfer funds to an e-bank in Canada which will have arrangements with an international transfer organization like WISE. There are many others, different in the US. They will transfer directly to Mpesa. But Mpesa has a limit for a daily transaction. Amount you can transact within 24 hrs is 450,900/-.

I don't have a bank account here in Kenya. I've heard too many nasty stories about behaviour of bank employees. Since I'm not buying anything big this works for me.

We lived in Kenya for years with an account at Barclays.  We received a fantastic rate on savings and never had an issue with anything with them.

@sarnia78

Wise told me I couldn't use it onca I was outside the US,I been trying to get by with Xe,tap tap send,and xoom.Most times Mpesa is the problem.Im trying to work it all out,it's hassle.I almost would have rather just brought the cash and declared it

I use MPesa mainly and transfer funds from my IK bank account via Sendwave. Although there’s a daily limit similar to MPesa, it’s extremely rare that I  will be spending anything like that amount in a day.

Visa debit cards work well, but othered are not so widely accepted. I’ve never had an issue withdrawing cash from an ATM (apart from the fee), or paying bills using my Visa debit cards.

we have banked in Kenya for many years and still have active bank accounts. Never had an issue despite at times having Kes several million in the account.  I don’t think that it’s significantly more likely that you will be the victim of a rogue bank clerk in Kenya than in my home country.

I've been banking in Kenya with my Visa debit card from my USA Credit Union for many years. My experience:

1.  Only Visa debit cards are used by all ATMs in Kenya. MC and proprietary cards will disappoint you greatly. MC typically works fine for purchases.

2.  The institution issuing your card has much to say about how your card will or will not work. Also, some US financial institutions charge a fee if your card is used in an ATM outside the US.

3.  Most banks in Kenya will charge a fee for using getting cash from their ATMs. NCBA charges no fee at all.

4.  Most ATMs in Kenya are limited to Kshs 40,000/- per transaction. But you can do multiple transactions to the daily limit set by your US instituion. If you have a joint account with a partner, each of you can withdraw the maximum each day.

5.  Some US institutions not only do not charge for using ATMs outside the USA, they also refund charges that the local bank in Kenya (or elsewhere) may charge. My Charles Schwab account works that way.

6.  The exchange rate one gets at ATMs in Kenya is better than one would get from a wire transfer or even at a Forex using cash.