Cost of euros on a ship

[DIGTHIS]

AHoy,

Can anyone tell me how much Princess is charging for euros on board?

AAA wants 19% which seems just a little high.

Thank you in advance,

Dave

[Jadn13]

3 minutes ago, DIGTHIS said:

AHoy,

Can anyone tell me how much Princess is charging for euros on board?

AAA wants 19% which seems just a little high.

Thank you in advance,

Dave

Try your bank, they will usually have better exchange rates. Most places take credit cards so you  should only need minimal paper money. 

[Astro Flyer]

I get my Euros at ATMs in Europe which like chargecards uses the current exchange rate…do you need Euros prior to arriving?

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

My wife and I always get our euros at an ATM when we get to Europe, usually at the airport. Just opt for the option to have your bank make the conversion. This is always the easiest and best way to get foreign currency. 

[Thrak]

9 minutes ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

My wife and I always get our euros at an ATM when we get to Europe, usually at the airport. Just opt for the option to have your bank make the conversion. This is always the easiest and best way to get foreign currency. 

 

I just checked an my Wells Fargo ATM card seems to have fees involved with getting cash from a foreign ATM. I don't like fees!

 

I also checked about getting foreign cash in advance from my bank. They show me the exchange rate and offer to send it to my house within a couple of days. I'm seriously considering ordering $300AUD in advance so I can hand it to Customer Services as OBC. I don't trust having the ship convert USD to AUD for OBC.  (Acronym soup anyone?)  I have also run into a case where we wanted to book a shore excursion in Mexico at port and the folks running the tour didn't want to take a credit card. We were lucky that we were ashore with another passenger who always carried MXN Pesos.

[SCX22]

The agency you speak of (don't want to mention name because it's technically not allowed) isn't a bank and outsources this to a 3rd party vendor.  They and the 3rd party vendor have to make money on the transaction, which is why the fee is so high.

 

Better to start with your bank.  Certain banking packages waive the transaction fee altogether or will have a flat transaction fee instead of a percentage.  

 

Depending on how strict the fraud credentials on your ATM usage, you should also be able to withdraw from European ATMs no problem.  Again, depending on your banking package, there may or may not be a fee and if you do have fees, you will be levied this fee every time you withdraw.  The nice thing about getting local currency on demand is that you will be able to better judge how much you need and not have so much overage, which you can save for the next trip or unwillingly spend to get rid of it.

Edited July 20, 2023 by SCX22

[cr8tiv1]

2 hours ago, DIGTHIS said:

AHoy,

Can anyone tell me how much Princess is charging for euros on board?

AAA wants 19% which seems just a little high.

Thank you in advance,

Dave

 

Princess doesn't charge you for getting euros on board because this is NOT a service they provide.

[DIGTHIS]

Thank you for your response.  I would have been caught flat footed this fall.

Dave

[wallyworld1059]

Whatever you do do NOT use the ATM machine that is sometimes by the gangway.  Bad exchange rate and excessive charge to convert.  Made that mistake only once.  I have to agree with others that getting Euros at an airport ATM is easy and, depending on your bank, cheaper than most other places.  

[Essiesmom]

Look into the kinds of checking accounts your bank offers.  I bank with Wells Fargo and as ex military I have an account with no foreign transaction fees, although there may be an atm fee.  Haven’t had to use it in years.  Also check with your credit cards for foreign transaction fees, if you plan to use them in foreign countries.  EM

[bjkTX]

14 hours ago, DIGTHIS said:

Thank you for your response.  I would have been caught flat footed this fall.

Dave

When we cruised to Europe last Fall I wanted Euro's in my pocket even though all the experts told me I wouldn't need them "everyone takes a CC."  I ordered some from my bank and had them delivered to my house.  I am a past employee of that bank and have the account that "waives" most things - but I felt like an idiot when I realized how much they charged me...  It was very easy getting money at the airport at a much better rate.  As for "everyone takes a CC" none of the tour operators we used did - they all wanted cash!  I did convert some money at the Pursers Desk - but I don't remember the details.

[bjkTX]

4 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Look into the kinds of checking accounts your bank offers.  I bank with Wells Fargo and as ex military I have an account with no foreign transaction fees, although there may be an atm fee.  Haven’t had to use it in years.  Also check with your credit cards for foreign transaction fees, if you plan to use them in foreign countries.  EM

Did you have an account with Wells Fargo Military Bank when they were still in business?

[Steelers36]

38 minutes ago, bjkTX said:

When we cruised to Europe last Fall I wanted Euro's in my pocket even though all the experts told me I wouldn't need them "everyone takes a CC."  I ordered some from my bank and had them delivered to my house.  I am a past employee of that bank and have the account that "waives" most things - but I felt like an idiot when I realized how much they charged me...  It was very easy getting money at the airport at a much better rate.  As for "everyone takes a CC" none of the tour operators we used did - they all wanted cash!  I did convert some money at the Pursers Desk - but I don't remember the details.

What I do is track all tours on a spreadsheet with the cost and what wife and I owe and if in USD or EUR.  I get all that cash ready ahead of voyage and put the correct amount in an envelope and label with date, port, and excursion company.  When we get on the ship, I keep them all in the safe and take out each envelope as needed.  In addition, some additional for walking around cash. 

[beg3yrs]

Do NOT use ATMs operated by currency exchange operations like Travelex. They aren't banks and give you a crap rate. Look for ATMs with a well known bank's logo.

[Hello, Newman]

17 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Princess doesn't charge you for getting euros on board because this is NOT a service they provide.

Princess absolutely DOES provide this service.  On our recent transatlantic cruise on the Enchanted Princess we stopped by Guest Services and exchanged a few hundred US dollars to Euros.  

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

Look into the kinds of checking accounts your bank offers.  I bank with Wells Fargo and as ex military I have an account with no foreign transaction fees, although there may be an atm fee.  Haven’t had to use it in years.  Also check with your credit cards for foreign transaction fees, if you plan to use them in foreign countries.  EM

 

My credit cards (all of them) have no foreign transaction fees but getting cash advance is not a good thing to do with a credit card. I think I have €30and $30 CAD sitting in a drawer. I'll likely use them one of these days. If I get $MXN I can always use any extra on a later cruise. $AU on the other hand is something I won't likely have a future chance to use any extra.

[bjkTX]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

What I do is track all tours on a spreadsheet with the cost and what wife and I owe and if in USD or EUR.  I get all that cash ready ahead of voyage and put the correct amount in an envelope and label with date, port, and excursion company.  When we get on the ship, I keep them all in the safe and take out each envelope as needed.  In addition, some additional for walking around cash. 

LOL I did the same thing.  BUT the tours were mixed - some I arranged and people were going to pay me, and some others arranged and I had to pay them.  So I figured out how much of everthing I needed only to be hit with "we decided to pay in $ instead of Euro's" or v/v - and all bets were off 🙂  But as always it all worked out.

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, bjkTX said:

LOL I did the same thing.  BUT the tours were mixed - some I arranged and people were going to pay me, and some others arranged and I had to pay them.  So I figured out how much of everything I needed only to be hit with "we decided to pay in $ instead of Euro's" or v/v - and all bets were off 🙂  But as always it all worked out.

Oh my.  All I know is that I forward tour info via email to anyone sharing a private tour with us and clearly indicate how payment is to be made.  Sometimes a payment is required via online portal from home as a deposit and often it is cash on the day, but they expect Euros in Europe.  I don't care what people do with any personal gratuity after, but better have the correct cash to pay on the day.  Never had an issue yet.  Most people doing this are experienced I have found.

[Tranquility Base]

18 hours ago, Hello, Newman said:

Princess absolutely DOES provide this service.  On our recent transatlantic cruise on the Enchanted Princess we stopped by Guest Services and exchanged a few hundred US dollars to Euros.  

Correct, they may well have this service on some ships.

 

Coral Princess  currently has both EUR and GBP available for purchase on a cash basis.

[beg3yrs]

19 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

My credit cards (all of them) have no foreign transaction fees but getting cash advance is not a good thing to do with a credit card. I think I have €30and $30 CAD sitting in a drawer. I'll likely use them one of these days. If I get $MXN I can always use any extra on a later cruise. $AU on the other hand is something I won't likely have a future chance to use any extra.

Yep, cash advances on credit cards is generally a no-no. Debit cards where funds are taken directly from your bank account are the way we do it.

[Tedferg]

19 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

My credit cards (all of them) have no foreign transaction fees but getting cash advance is not a good thing to do with a credit card.

I used a Schwab Debit card, and it too has 'No Foreign Transaction Fees' Most Banks charge an ATM fee for non-customers of that Bank and Schwab refunds those fees too.

 

However, I used Schwab Debit in a small village in Scotland. There was a mobile Bank of Scotland there, but they did not allow withdrawals, so I had to use an ATM - it had a fee of more than $10 for a $60 withdrawal. Schwab refunded ATM fees but not the fee from the Scottish cash point ATM.

 

I had no complaint about this, just pointing out that all 'ATM fees' are not International Transaction Fees or Bank fee for using their ATM.

[JGmf]

In Europe (like anywhere) just make sure you use an ATM that's inside a bank (or hotel), not just any random ATM in what appears to be a very public place.  I learned the hard way - my card was skimmed in Copenhagen.  That sucked.

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

i’m shocked by the number of people saying rates are good at airports

 

not in the UK for sure. I’m not convinced airports in the EU have good rates either. I’d like to know if USA airports have decent rates to exchange?

 

i would never ever exchange money at my local airport Gatwick. The rates are hideous. I order in advance & get it sent to me or sent to pick up at a local currency exchange point, or go through my bank

 

i’ve also been to a currency exchange place in town for money needed urgently and had a much better rate compared to Gatwick or Heathrow

 

you can even use online comparison site to see what company can get you the best return for your money

 

otherwise most places take card so large amounts of cash are not needed in Europe. We tap & go on buses. Even the ice cream vans at our daughters school fair took card!

[coloradocruiselover88]

On 7/19/2023 at 5:33 PM, DIGTHIS said:

AHoy,

Can anyone tell me how much Princess is charging for euros on board?

AAA wants 19% which seems just a little high.

Thank you in advance,

Dave

AAA uses Wells Fargo for foreign currency; so there is a middle man fee unfortunately.

[Steelers36]

On 7/21/2023 at 2:51 PM, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

i’m shocked by the number of people saying rates are good at airports

 

not in the UK for sure. I’m not convinced airports in the EU have good rates either. I’d like to know if USA airports have decent rates to exchange?

 

i would never ever exchange money at my local airport Gatwick. The rates are hideous. I order in advance & get it sent to me or sent to pick up at a local currency exchange point, or go through my bank

 

i’ve also been to a currency exchange place in town for money needed urgently and had a much better rate compared to Gatwick or Heathrow

 

you can even use online comparison site to see what company can get you the best return for your money

 

otherwise most places take card so large amounts of cash are not needed in Europe. We tap & go on buses. Even the ice cream vans at our daughters school fair took card!

The ones in Canadian airports may as well have a gun and stick you up.  I wouldn't buy currency in an airport.  That said, it seems to me that some small foreign place we were once was okay at one location and I had read about it (a DR airport, perhaps??).  Best idea is a local bank to exchange funds.  It may have been in the DR, but I mainly used a bank in downtown Las Terrenas with the best rate.