Need euros to pay for these excursions.

Hey guys. Know its best to get euros from ATMs once in Europe but I am gonna need quite a few to pay for these excursions. Don't want to risk not having as much as needed. Any one have any tips to get the best rates while in the states. Bank vs Change agency vs Online?

Thanks in advance

TD

I don't know for sure what the best way is, but we actually ordered money we needed from our bank here in the states. I didn't want to have to take the chance of getting what we needed there. Mostly because one of the excursions was right away in the morning, and I didn't know if we'd have time before leaving the port. So I ordered Euros, Pounds, and Krone from our bank here in the states.

I always order what I need for the first day plus a little and then get more from an ATM when we arrive.

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Hey guys. Know its best to get euros from ATMs once in Europe but I am gonna need quite a few to pay for these excursions. Don't want to risk not having as much as needed. Any one have any tips to get the best rates while in the states. Bank vs Change agency vs Online?

 

Thanks in advance

 

TD

We've gotten some good exchange rates at AAA.

We've also use AAA for euros and pounds. Also bought travelers cheques from them when we needed a lot of cash and didn't want to carry that much. The cruise ships will cash them easily and will cash more than a personal check. I think the amount was $900 or more.

Thanks for those replies. AAA sounds like a good idea. The bank rate I got yesterday 1.25 Dollars per Euro. Basically 3000 Euros was gonna cost me about $3750 dollars. I got a little better of a rate with currency exchange international and it was gonna cost $3,704. So about a $46 savings. I just recently saw a video online of an ATM skimmer overseas and thats what really scares me. I don't usually go online and check my bank account and credit card transactions when overseas. So difficult to monitor for fraudulent activity. 1st world problems! :')

Thanks for those replies. AAA sounds like a good idea. The bank rate I got yesterday 1.25 Dollars per Euro. Basically 3000 Euros was gonna cost me about $3750 dollars. I got a little better of a rate with currency exchange international and it was gonna cost $3,704. So about a $46 savings. I just recently saw a video online of an ATM skimmer overseas and thats what really scares me. I don't usually go online and check my bank account and credit card transactions when overseas. So difficult to monitor for fraudulent activity. 1st world problems! :')

Use ATMs at a true bank if you are concerned about skimmers. It is usually the places with less security (i.e., just a single camera, freestanding ATM, etc) that have skimmers successfully installed.

In addition, check to see if your vendors will take credit cards and charge you in local currency. Then use a credit card without foreign transaction fees--less of a need for thousands in local currency that way. Make sure you use a credit card with Visa or another major transactional company to limit impact for fraud; Visa debit cards have a limit of $50 hit to you, but I still prefer carrying multiple credit cards (my backup card stays in the safe, of course). That way, any fraud you can catch AFTER your trip without impact to you.

We've traveled to Europe quite a few times, and other than the first time back in 1995, we use the ATM at the airport.

If you talk to your bank, it's possible to reduce the transaction fees, but we've always found the exchange rate that way was far better.

We also try to charge as much as we can to credit cards and pay them off immediately. Those also have the best exchange rates, and some even have no foreign fees.

Skimmers happen in the US, too- so the key is to find locations that are more secure than others- like the airport inside the secure zone. Or larger banks that have individual booths that require work to get into it.

It pays (literally) to check all of your sources.

OH- and call your credit cards, regardless. So they know you are going overseas, and that there will be charges in other countries. We just had ours frozen on a trip for a short while because we had an automatic local payment go through while we were in the southern Caribbean... Oops. We knew better, and just got lazy and forgot. Our fault.

I think that your chances of losing your money to a pickpocket are greater than using an ATM with a skimmer. All it takes is a moment of inadvertence.

First, I would see if any of your tours take credit cards, then get a cc that does not charge an international transaction fee, for ex Capital One.

Get 100 eu before you leave so you don't feel pressured, and then get more at an ATM once you get there. Try to use bank ATMs (rather than one in a shop somewhere) and use them during bank hours (if possible) in case your card gets taken by the machine (don't think it will happen, but I like to be careful). I have used ATMs at the airport with no problem. There are bank ATMS everywhere. You can even look up a local (international) bank before you leave, and see a map of where their ATMs are.

One thing to note is that the ATM may have a withdrawal limit, in my experience, 250-300 eu per transaction. So you may incur a fee each time you withdraw. It helps to have a debit card that does not charge a fee for using another bank's ATM, like TD Bank, etc. Also, if you keep a certain minimum, some banks will refund you the foreign bank's ATM fee as well. So you can get a good conversion rate with no fees.

Make sure you know your daily ATM withdrawal limit. Ask your bank before you go. Also note that if you have a certain limit, and you use the card on a Friday, you will not be able to go over that limit until Monday morning (business day) so again, plan accordingly.

Another thing to look into is that your US bank may have a relationship with a bank in the country you are visiting. Such a relationship may waive the ATM fee at the foreign bank, but not currency conversion fees. For example, Bank of America is allied with Barclay's in England, etc. Check your bank's website.

btw when I am talking about 'cards' at an ATM I mean your debit card, not your credit card.

I'd only exchange enough to cover your first excursion then ask your tour guide to stop by a bank to use ATM. This is by far, the best rate you will get. Make sure to check your daily withdrawal limit with your bank. I also make sure to have enough left over for my next trip to Europe. Always use Bank's ATM, and also check to see if your bank charges a fee for using ATM overseas.