Question about Euro's?

[Cruise Junky]

LOL! I do live in a rather large (and tourist-infested) city!! And you'd be surprised how few exchange places there are here... well, let me rephrase that... they are happy to BUY your Euro at a crappy exchange rate, but they don't want to sell you any. I keep threatening to park myself in Florida Mall next to the exchange booth and walk up to everyone approaching them saying... they want to give you 1.30 to the Euro, I'll give you 1.35!! LOL!

 

 

Tourist infested might be an understatement for Orlando :) This is the link to my exchange place and they are literally across the street so every payday I buy Euro. The Euro rates are on the front page.

 

http://www.vbce.info/

[whogo]

Don't you guys have an decent exchange places in your City? I can walk across the street from work and pay $1.55. These rates that you're posting are insane. Surely some of the larger cities must have decent currency exchange places.

 

I have not found a cheap way to buy foreign currency in the USA. The lowest mark up I have found is about 5% from banks, if you can avoid shipping costs.

 

Most US bureaux de change are rip offs along the line of payday loan companies. I did find one Chicago bureau that only marked up 5%, if they were really giving me an honest quote with all fees included. The other Chicago bureau I priced at over 10%. I keep asking for a lower rate, hoping they are more sensible with a savvy purchaser.

 

Preying on poorly informed Americans is more profitable than giving a fair deal. Wells Fargo and Bank of America made big deals out of changes that allowed immigrants to transfer money home more cheaply. In reality they just lowered the cost from extortionate to outrageous.

 

Cruise Junky, you are the only poster that has responded sensibly to appeals for low cost currency. Unfortunately, Vancouver is not a handy place for me to shop. Other posters do not seem to realize that "no fee" claims hide a jacked up exchange rate.

 

Bank staff in the US are as clueless as American tourists, although given enough time they can find the one employee with a grasp of the situation.

 

AAA staff believe the hype they have been fed and push the Visa TravelMoney Card as a good deal with its 7% foreign currency mark up and numerous other fees.

 

I would love to hear from a poster who bought X euros for Y total dollars at a named institution in the USA at a rate of one, two, or three percent.

[CrucianGal]

Our college age son just returned from Spring Break in Barcelona on Sunday. We told him he could charge on our Amex Platinum. (He has a card for emergencies)

We thought it would be easier for him eating out with his girlfriend.

A 59 Euro dinner posted at $93.USD.

At this rate I think there will be very little shopping in port on our Med. Cruise next month:(

 

Regards from sunny St. Croix,

Ellen

[Globaliser]

A 59 Euro dinner posted at $93.USD.

Isn't this exactly what one would expect? At the moment, xe.com says that €59.00 = $90.61. So if the exchange rate had been the same when that charge posted, then the total cost of exchanging that money is about 2.5%, which is about what I'd expect to pay.

[CrucianGal]

My point was not that it wasn't what I would expect. My point is that if the dollar keeps declining Europe will be out of reach for a lot of Americans.

[browneyes7]

LOL! I do live in a rather large (and tourist-infested) city!! And you'd be surprised how few exchange places there are here... well, let me rephrase that... they are happy to BUY your Euro at a crappy exchange rate, but they don't want to sell you any. I keep threatening to park myself in Florida Mall next to the exchange booth and walk up to everyone approaching them saying... they want to give you 1.30 to the Euro, I'll give you 1.35!! LOL!

 

I live near a rather large city in Texas. We purchased euros for our cruise last year for 1.50. When we changed them back to dollars, they gave us 1.20 for them. I'm kicking myself for not keeping them, but at the time I didn't think we would be taking another cruise to Europe so soon. I won't make this mistake again. If I have any euros left this time, I'll be keeping them for the next cruise!!!

 

browneyes7

[bermudabob]

We are travelling/cruising the Med this summer and the private tours we have booked all prefer cash vs. credit cards. They will take credit cards but will charge fees ranging from 5% to 20%!!!!

We plan to take euro travellers checks to pay for the tours (which will be the bulk of our spending) and then use the ATM's to withdraw for incidentals.

[Sea Island Lady]

I won't make this mistake again. If I have any euros left this time, I'll be keeping them for the next cruise!!!

 

browneyes7

That reminds me. When he was younger, my parents brought back Euro from a couple of trips and gave it to my son. I'll have to go rob his piggy bank! :D

 

Bank staff in the US are as clueless as American tourists, although given enough time they can find the one employee with a grasp of the situation.

 

I would love to hear from a poster who bought X euros for Y total dollars at a named institution in the USA at a rate of one, two, or three percent.

I'm working on it! My DH is a banker and he thinks he can get the Euro, NO charge. :rolleyes:

 

As for the bank staff,,,the average teller is not going to know a thing about exchange rates. My DH didn't even know when I asked him what I should do about exchanging (he is not going with me on my cruise). The larger banks will have a personnel rep that deals solely in foreign currency. Ask for that person. ;)

 

Many of the tour companies that I have researched do not take credit cards, but they do take personal checks!

Personal checks from the US? :eek:

 

Also, my guides do take traveler's checks, so I will get those before I go, and set them aside just for the tours.

 

Do you get Euro Travelers Checks or USD Travelers Checks?

 

I'll have to ask our tour guides if they take checks and Travelers Checks.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by LennyPoo

I am on Brialliance May 19th. My question to anyone who might know.

When tipping on the cruise, outside of the normal gratuties, such as tipping room service or a bar tender. Should I tip in Euros or will dollars work?

 

Thanks

LennyPoo

 

I asked this question awhile back on the HAL board and it was unanimous that the crew would prefer USD.

 

They can exchange what they need on the ship, if they plan an outing off ship (perhaps without a fee). However, most of their purchasing is done direct on the ship .

[TinaLee]

I just thought I would like to share this...

 

Back when we first started planning our cruise to the Med, some 2 years ago, the thought of how best to convert USD to euro was the farthest thing from my mind. But eventually it sunk in that I had better figure it out, so I started doing some research. I read these boards, the other travel boards, a bunch of travel magazines and books, and everyone was pretty unanimous that the best way to get my "cash" euro was to wait until I was in Europe and use my ATM card. Great! No problem! Checked with my bank, and they charge no extra fees, so I was tickled pink.

 

Now... when I started doing all this checking and figuring, the interbank rate was 1.33 USD to the euro... and my local money exchanger was offering a rate of 1.45 USD to the euro... so I thought - NO WAY!! That's too high a mark up, I'll just wait like they said and use my card when I get there!!

 

Guess who is kicking herself NOW?!?

 

I guess the point I'm trying to make, and as stated in the title, this is JMHO - I think everyone needs to make this decision for themselves. I still think if you are traveling SOON to Europe, that the best thing is to wait and use your ATM card to withdraw the euro as you need them. BUT if I were not traveling for 6 months or better, I'd be giving some serious thought to buying my euro now.

 

BUT - I would encourage everyone to be an informed consumer. Just because whomsoever is exchanging your USD to euro, be it your bank, credit union, American Express travel office, AAA office, does not charge you a FEE does not mean they are giving you a good exchange rate. You need to know what the current interbank exchange rate is, and ask them outright what exchange rate they are giving you. The best available I've been able to find here in Orlando is 1.65 USD to the euro, and the interbank rate is 1.55 today. So that's a 10% markup.

 

Let's face it - it's a crap shoot - maybe the interbank rate won't rise 10% between now and when you go - or maybe it will rise more. As for me - I'm splitting the difference. I'm going to bite the bullet and pay the 10% markup for SOME of the euro I need, and plan to use my ATM card to withdraw the remainder as the need arises and we travel across Italy, France, and Greece.

 

Happy sails everyone! :)

[CoralReef]

I would like to order some euros ahead of time. I would be OK with the 10% markup... but what I'm finding is that some providers charge a ridiculous fee ($15-20) for shipping. Others with more reasonable shipping ($7-8) will charge my credit card, resulting in a $15 cash advance fee.

 

If anyone knows of a way to pay cash or debit a bank account for euros, without paying a large shipping fee, please share!

[Liz]

Check with your bank or credit union. Especially the larger banks (Bank of America, for instance) have the ability to order foreign currency and deliver it to your branch banking center. Usually they will just charge your bank account. My bank does not charge me a fee - I know they build it into the exchange rate, but I'm okay if I have to pay a bit for convenience. Don't expect any bargains onboard a ship though - I tried to exchange 3-$20 bills on NCL Jewel and they said I'd have to pay $14 in exchange fees!!

If you plan to use your debit or ATM card (or credit card, for that matter) be sure to notify your bank before you leave, or they may block your account from international access.

 

Liz

[ljrfrm]

My husband travels to Europe on a regular basis - and always just takes euros out of the ATM when he arrives. Last night, he arrived at the Madrid airport, put the ATM card into the machine and it ate up his card. It was after midnight and nobody was around. Even if someone was around, I doubt they could have helped him. He called me to have me report the card lost so it couldn't be used. There was no other available ATM machine close by. He had another card he could use but he was afraid to risk it and lose his last card. He had no cash at all. I'm not sure what he did - I haven't heard from him since - I can only assume he worked it out. But, my advice from this is always travel with at least a little cash (euros) in case of a situation like this or if the ATM is down when you arrive. We've compared exchange rates and the ATM still seems our best option - but from now on we will always have some cash backup - just in case!

[CoralReef]

My local bank provides euros through Travelex, which charges the crazy $15 shipping fee.

 

Bank of America has good shipping rates, but you have to have an account with them. I would open an account just to have a backup ATM card if I were traveling to the U.K. or Germany (where they partner with Barclays and Deutschebank for free ATM withdrawals). But they don't have free ATMs in the Eastern Med where I'm going, and I heard they charge $10 for foreign ATM withdrawals.

 

Any other specific bank suggestions to get euros?

[agabbymama]

I have gone from Travelers Checks in US currency, to Travelers Checks in the Country visited currency, to US currency exchanged in the Country visited, to exchanging US currency here for foreign currency, to using a credit card for purchases. But alas the credit card companies now charge a fee for that exchange rate too!!!

 

You are going to be paying outrageous fees for the exchange, no matter what you do. They are going to get their fee for the transaction.

 

I no longer even worry about it. I plan to get the EUR here before I leave.

 

I do wish I had bought some last year when we first started planning this trip when the rate was $1.35 to 1 EUR, but as Tinalee says (I'm kicking my own behind) I was praying the exchange rate would get better, but alas it has only gotten worse. So now I'm holding off again to see if it gets better, still have 6 months for something to happen.

 

Happy travels to all!

Happy travels to all.

[H2Otstr]

Last year I needed Euros and Swiss Francs. B of A charged me $15 for each currency mailed from their CA office. I was not told there would be 2 fees or I would have waited untill I got to Switzerland to get my Francs. The currency was mailed in 2 separate envelopes, so I had to pay 2 fees. I will not order from them again.:mad:

[sandij]

I thought the same thing a year ago, oh it can't go any higher, but it did. so I bit the bullet and bought some last week. we go in May and I wanted to be prepared. You need them right away for a taxi to wherever and I would imagine the airport in Rome is pretty busy.

[rsquare]

Why on earth would anyone want to spend precious shore time hunting around for an ATM, possibly standing in line to get to it, possibly finding that it is not affiliated with your bank's network so you get charged a fee....? Cash is universally acceptable, and allows you to do what you came to that port to do. Yes, you will take a hit on exchange rate and/or commission, but in the big picture of what you're paying for the cruise, it's lunch money.

[genni]

Hi everyone,

As far as ATM's go - in Italy when the tourist season comes into full swing, there are often attemps to insert scanners etc...in the - I tend to use the ones outside banks while those are open (usually there is video surveillance outside and definately avoid (when possible) using them on weekends (since perhaps no one is controlling them).

 

Tipping on board - Since Euro cash may wind up a problem - why not tip in dollars (remember Euros are worth more)? Just as you can get them changed onboard, so can the crew! Or mixed if you have Euros left over and won't be needing such at an airport.

 

Travellers cheques - true many don't take them willingly any more because banks (in Italy at least) charge something from 5 to 10 Euro per check to cash them - better to cash those on the ship, favorable rates or not.

 

It seems strange that tour companies won't take credit cards. Is it to avoid paying taxes or have they had problems with customers?

 

Since the Euro - Italy has become expensive for the Italians too!

[browneyes7]

Hi everyone,

As far as ATM's go - in Italy when the tourist season comes into full swing, there are often attemps to insert scanners etc...in the - I tend to use the ones outside banks while those are open (usually there is video surveillance outside and definately avoid (when possible) using them on weekends (since perhaps no one is controlling them).

 

Tipping on board - Since Euro cash may wind up a problem - why not tip in dollars (remember Euros are worth more)? Just as you can get them changed onboard, so can the crew! Or mixed if you have Euros left over and won't be needing such at an airport.

 

Travellers cheques - true many don't take them willingly any more because banks (in Italy at least) charge something from 5 to 10 Euro per check to cash them - better to cash those on the ship, favorable rates or not.

 

It seems strange that tour companies won't take credit cards. Is it to avoid paying taxes or have they had problems with customers?

 

Since the Euro - Italy has become expensive for the Italians too!

 

Genni,

 

Thank you so much for your help. It is wonderful having someone who lives in Italy helping the rest of us with all this useful information. I can't wait to get back to Italy. You have a beautiful country!!

 

browneyes7 (Mary):)

[CoralReef]

AAA has "tip packs" worth $100 US. As of 3/13, they contained 60 euros in mixed small denominations. That's a rate of 1.67-- not bad. You can get up to 6 packs, no charge for members, 1% fee for non-members. No shipping charge because you pick them up in person... but check your local branch, because not all carry them.

 

You can pay in cash, debit/credit card, or by check with some conditions. That rate and the small fee may actually be better than you can do at an ATM in Europe, since most cards charge 1-3% foreign exchange fee for ATM withdrawals, plus any foreign ATM fee charged by your bank.

 

Members can also order through the AAA toll-free number, and according to the person I spoke with, credit card payments will not be counted as a credit card cash advance.

[goofysmom99]

If you have an account with Bank of America, you can use your ATM card at the largest European bank ATMs with no fee or up-charge. In Barcelona, you would use Barclays or Deutsche Bank, which has locations throughout the city, as well as at the airport. In France, it would be BNP Paribas, but beware, there is no button on their ATMs for English instructions. I was so sure I could do it anyway, but needed help (tour driver helped me). As some previous posters mentioned, we use CapitalOne exclusively as our credit card because it also does not charge 3% that most others do. Plus they really give you the best exchange rate.

 

We are planning to be in Spain in November and I'm prepaying any and everything that I can. . .hotel room, transportation, and anything else I can think of. I need to see if we can buy tickets online for the HOHO bus. With the dollar dropping like a stone, and it doesn't look like it will improve for the rest of the year, whatever I spend now will be cheaper than it will be in November.

[whogo]

AAA has "tip packs" worth $100 US. As of 3/13, they contained 60 euros in mixed small denominations. That's a rate of 1.67-- not bad. You can get up to 6 packs, no charge for members, 1% fee for non-members. No shipping charge because you pick them up in person... but check your local branch, because not all carry them.

 

You can pay in cash, debit/credit card, or by check with some conditions. That rate and the small fee may actually be better than you can do at an ATM in Europe, since most cards charge 1-3% foreign exchange fee for ATM withdrawals, plus any foreign ATM fee charged by your bank.

 

Members can also order through the AAA toll-free number, and according to the person I spoke with, credit card payments will not be counted as a credit card cash advance.

When I priced AAA tip packs they were 15% over the interbank rate, your quote was only 6% over. I wonder why there is such a big difference?

[dancing]

We will be in Tuscany 4 days before boarding the ship, how many euro's should we have on hand before we arrive? How easy is it to exchange money once in Italy?

[signman]

Best to use an ATM. Check with your bank for fees. If you know someone traveling in Europe, ask them to bring back some Euros, or check with your bank. They should be able to get them for you.

[pawnbroker]

don't use atms the fees are to high they charge at both ends. Get them from Bank of America you will pay about 1.60 for 1.00.