Best way to get euros

[Erikamac]

We will definitely bring some with, but we are staying in Venice, and in civitavecchia one night before we leave. While on cruise what is the best way (best rate etc) to get euros?

[Phxazzcruisers]

If your bank does not charge a fee, using the ATM of a local bank will get you the best exchange rate. We also use a no fee charge card for most, if not all of our purchases. Capital One does not charge a foreign transaction fee and we get a great rate.

[mickeysgal]

I am planning on getting some Euros before we leave and using an ATM for anything extra that we need. If we need a cab/bus for transportation right away after landing, I don't want to rely on an airport ATM to give us our first amount of needed Euros. We also have a Capital One charge card that doesn't have any foreign transaction fees.

[Erikamac]

We have a cap one, but taking day trips that are $ only...I'll have to check with my bank on the ATM fee

[Phxazzcruisers]

If they have an ATM fee, take as much as you think you will need so you only have to use it once. Also, please use a Bank ATM machine. There are true horror stories about non Bank ATMs that are not legit. Thieves sometimes add a tracer to the readers to steal your number, Better safe, than sorry

[dorisis]

Banks have usually been best on exchange rates.

[drafterdw]

If your bank does not charge a fee, using the ATM of a local bank will get you the best exchange rate. We also use a no fee charge card for most, if not all of our purchases. Capital One does not charge a foreign transaction fee and we get a great rate.

 

Does your card have a chip & pin? I was under the impression that not many US credit cards do and not many places in Europe take cards that do not have the chip & pin. Have I been misinformed?

[Phxazzcruisers]

Does your card have a chip & pin? I was under the impression that not many US credit cards do and not many places in Europe take cards that do not have the chip & pin. Have I been misinformed?

 

I do not yet have a pin and chip credit card. We were just in the British Isles in June and did not have a problem using my card. They understand that the US is years behind them. I have been promised a pin and chip card in 2015.....

[CathyCruises]

ATM's are the best place to get Euros; never had a problem with a debit card with a 4 digit numerical PIN.

[joandian]

I always buy some International currency from our bank before we leave. If we need more, we use our debit card at an ATM but make sure you check out any fees.

[SadieN]

Does your card have a chip & pin? I was under the impression that not many US credit cards do and not many places in Europe take cards that do not have the chip & pin. Have I been misinformed?

 

Right now the problems are with other types of automated machines- unattended gas stations and ticket machines in train stations.

 

DD lives in Rome and only recently has she had a problem at one certain local bancomat.

 

We found it easier to use cash rather than CC in Europe.

 

***

On another note--get a coin purse. The smallest paper Euro is the e5. Europeans have no problem waiting for someone to dig around for exactly e3,41.

Had an 'I Love Lucy' experience getting change at DD's local chain grocery store when paying with a e50 note. The cashier didn't have e24 + change in her drawer.:rolleyes:

[mickeysgal]

Friend of mine just returned from Italy a couple of weeks ago. Had issues at automated machines using U.S. regular debit ATM card. Had no issues with same debit card except one at stores/restaurants.

 

I still need to call BoA...i was on hold with them, listening to one of their travel recordings...which said to not have a pin number starting with a zero. Can't find anything written on their site about that though. Anyone hear of issues with that?

[Keith1010]

Lowest price is via the in country ATM.

 

Keith

[dancinman66]

ATM us always the best for any currency

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[KirkNC]

we will definitely bring some with, but we are staying in venice, and in civitavecchia one night before we leave. While on cruise what is the best way (best rate etc) to get euros?

 

atm

[OzKiwiJJ]

Friend of mine just returned from Italy a couple of weeks ago. Had issues at automated machines using U.S. regular debit ATM card. Had no issues with same debit card except one at stores/restaurants.

 

I still need to call BoA...i was on hold with them, listening to one of their travel recordings...which said to not have a pin number starting with a zero. Can't find anything written on their site about that though. Anyone hear of issues with that?

 

I had a pin starting with a zero for many years, and used it all over Europe without any problems.

 

ATMs are the easiest and the best way to get cash out.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Assuming that you don't mind spending time in Venice looking for an ATM - which may only take 5 minutes - that's probably cheapest. I'd get some before you travel, though. Because if you're spending half an hour looking for money before you can get a canal boat or even a taxi, then it's precious time you won't get back.

[Marie51]

I got euros from my local bank before leaving on my trip. My friend got hers from AAA but they charged her a fee.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Marie51

[slidergirl]

I always make sure I have about 100EU before I leave for any trip to Europe (or $100 of equivalent currency where I'm going). I can hit the ground running, grab the cab/train/donkey without having to stop at the one airport ATM machine with the other 400 people who just landed and want money. I'll find another ATM once I'm settled in. I have fee-free cards, but even before I did, I just figured the charges were part of my travel expenses - never worried about it.

This part is for Europe: when I leave, I make sure I have squirreled away about 100EU for the next trip. For my next trip, I have 40EU extra; a guest at my hotel (here in the US) wanted to give me a tip, but didn't have any $$ and asked me if I'd take EU instead :)

[Velvetwater]

I got euros from my local bank before leaving on my trip. My friend got hers from AAA but they charged her a fee.

 

This.

 

The banks and local post offices always seem to have the best rates and when you buy currency before you go its always at a better rate.

[drafterdw]

This.

 

The banks and local post offices always seem to have the best rates and when you buy currency before you go its always at a better rate.

none of the banks in my area exchange money.....called all the major ones . Plan on doing it in airport just to have some for cab, tips, etc tell we can get to ATM.

[navybankerteacher]

none of the banks in my area exchange money.....called all the major ones . Plan on doing it in airport just to have some for cab, tips, etc tell we can get to ATM.

 

Virtually every international airport had ATM's for local major banks. They will give you much better rate than the currency exchange places.

[kirian]

I had a pin starting with a zero for many years, and used it all over Europe without any problems.

 

ATMs are the easiest and the best way to get cash out.

 

Ditto! I was on a cruise that stopped in Italy, Spain, France & Croatia last fall. The pin on the ATM card I used started with a zero. I never had a problem using it at any ATM or in stores. I also never had an issue finding a bank ATM.... they were everywhere in the cities we were in.

 

I got euros from my local bank before leaving on my trip. My friend got hers from AAA but they charged her a fee.

 

I got a small amount of Euros before my trip at AAA. They did not charge a fee as long as you got a certain minimum.... I think it was something like $100 or 100 Euros. The minimum to avoid the fee wasn't much. I believe the fee charged if you weren't exchanging a certain amount was about $7-8. I also had to give them a couple day's notice as they don't routinely have Euros in stock at my local AAA branch.

 

Hope that helps! Happy cruising everybody!!!

 

Melissa

[cruisemom42]

I got a small amount of Euros before my trip at AAA. They did not charge a fee as long as you got a certain minimum.... I think it was something like $100 or 100 Euros. The minimum to avoid the fee wasn't much. I believe the fee charged if you weren't exchanging a certain amount was about $7-8. I also had to give them a couple day's notice as they don't routinely have Euros in stock at my local AAA branch.

 

Hope that helps! Happy cruising everybody!!!

 

Melissa

 

The problem with AAA is their exchange rate is terrible. They may not charge a "fee" but they certainly make money on the markup. (You can always check the official euro/dollar currency exchange rate on one of many online locations like this one:

 

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

[kirian]

The problem with AAA is their exchange rate is terrible. They may not charge a "fee" but they certainly make money on the markup. (You can always check the official euro/dollar currency exchange rate on one of many online locations like this one:

 

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

 

Totally agree! People definitely need to check around. In my case, at that particular time my AAA office was offering the best rate (when factoring in the absence of fee) for the amount of Euros I was looking to get as compared to the other places near me that I was able to use. I also watched the rates for a couple of weeks so that I could try my best to time my exchange for when they were at their most favorable.

 

As others have mentioned though, by far the best way to get the majority of your Euros is just from an ATM once you get where you're going. Since my "regular" bank debit card would have cost me a ton in transaction fees for using ATMs that weren't part of their system, I opened a separate account with an online bank that didn't charge any fees and even would reimburse me for fees charged by the other banks. This was great since it allowed me to take out small amounts of Euros (I hate carrying around a lot of cash) whenever I needed it and not worry about extra charges.