AAA for currency exchange?

[WineDown17]

Last month AAA started offering currency exchange partnering with Wells Fargo. Has anyone used, and was the rate competitive??

 

(I know ATMs are best.. but also need to purchase some Euros in the next week..)

[hezzy]

For our cruise last year, we purchased Euros online from Wells Fargo and they were sent by Fed. Ex. The exchange rate was ok and the fee the same as most banks. We like to take some Euros since we are limited in the number of withdrawals from ATM.

[cberge]

Last month AAA started offering currency exchange partnering with Wells Fargo. Has anyone used, and was the rate competitive??

 

(I know ATMs are best.. but also need to purchase some Euros in the next week..)

Best to do some comparison's...in the past I have found AAA to be VERY high..can't speak for anything recent,but muy guess would be you can do better.

[cruisemom42]

Best to do some comparison's...in the past I have found AAA to be VERY high..can't speak for anything recent,but muy guess would be you can do better.

 

I agree. I found AAA to be high in the past in terms of their exchange rate. Just do some comparison shopping before you buy.

[WineDown17]

They state they just started offering this service March 2009- So I am curious what you used them for in the past?

 

I thought they just offered tip packs in the past??

 

Now I am really confused.

[cruisemom42]

They state they just started offering this service March 2009- So I am curious what you used them for in the past?

 

I thought they just offered tip packs in the past??

 

Now I am really confused.

 

They may have just started collaborating with Wells Fargo, but they certainly offered currency in the past.

[Fblack]

My local Wells Fargo has foreign currency. You save some shipping fees then. Check with Wells Fargo to find a branch near you with currency. Their rates are as good as I have seen.

[13point1]

They state they just started offering this service March 2009- So I am curious what you used them for in the past?

 

I thought they just offered tip packs in the past??

 

Now I am really confused.

According to this link, the AAA and Wells Fargo partnership is at least a year old.

 

http://www.aaanewsroom.net/Main/Default.asp?CategoryID=8&ArticleID=604

 

 

Its quite possible your Club just started participating.

[nparmelee]

We checked out the rate from the new web link, you have to go find their Travel Money page and then Foreign Currency, and the rate was not bad at all. If you buy more than $1000 worth of currency the shipping is free too. In our case the rate is a tiny bit higher than what our bank is charging us, but not by much, so we just went ahead with our bank. It was about 1.35 on AAA site, 1.32 from our bank and 1.304 from the xe official rate.

[Greek2me]

Hi. What bank did you use? I'll head there tomorrow. Thanks.

[WineDown17]

The only local bank around here that has Euro is BoA.. I will call both tomorrow and compare.

 

Thanks!

 

Appreciate everyone who took the time to reply.

 

PS: Nparmalee- my brother lives in Reno!! :)

[cberge]

They state they just started offering this service March 2009- So I am curious what you used them for in the past?

 

I thought they just offered tip packs in the past??

 

Now I am really confused.

Maybe they are offering the service with WF in March of 09,but they have exchanged money for years.

[OregonGal56]

Just checked on Friday with our local AAA, they said it is a $7.50 fee for up to 1000 E, comes in 3-5 business days, and would use "bank" rate on the day you order them for the exchange. I will check next week with WF to see what their fee is.

[nparmelee]

The local offices seem to be different rates than the online system. You may want to check that as well and compare.

[Bowie MeMe]

Our local American Express Travel Agency used to have a currency exchange that was good enough for "pocket money". Also major international airports (Dulles and Baltimore) have foreign exchanges also which I usually find the rate is not in your favor but again good until you can get to ATM on arrival. Many smaller countries and lesser economies will not allow their money to be available or foreign exchanges do not keep supplies on hand so you end up not being able to get the correct currency. Euros are the easiest to acquire. In most countries exchanging money is not the big deal/hassle that it is in America IMHO.

[nparmelee]

Heck, American Express has even done away with their online foreign exchange purchase options, which were a decent deal. Now you have to go to a local office and the rate is not very good usually, at least when I called them recently the rate quoted was not worth considering.

[CintiPam]

Even CVG, the Cincinnati airport, has a bank that will be happy to sell you as many Euros as you want before you leave the U.S. Personally, I will get all mine using my ATM card in Europe, starting with the airport machines at my first European destination.

[agabbymama]

Call me old fashioned, but my Debit card stayed home. I wasn't willing to take a chance something could happen thousands of miles from home with a card tied to my bank account.

 

I did get a Capital One card for purchases without the exchange rate fee that most cards charge. I believe Visa charges 1%, but Capital One absorbs that and doesn't charge an exchange fee.

 

And I purchased EUROs from Amex (which they no longer offer on-line) three different times during the year before our cruise. I took 1500 EUROs and $500 in emergency U.S. currency and needed every bit of it. I ran out of money on Corfu with still Venice and Paris to go, so went into a bank, and got the best rate of $1.26 for 1 EURO (with no fees of any kind)for the whole 18 months prior to, during and after our cruise.

 

So nobody knows what the rate is going to be, or what you will end up paying in charges. You have to decide if convenience is worth anything to you, or if you want to chance using your debit card. Whatever you decide, have a great cruise.

[luvcdays]

Hello.

 

I keep reading that Capitol One Visa Card has the lowest fees, but when I checked them out online, it shows that they do not help you with vendors on purchases made more than 100 miles from your home. So if a store or a restaurant in Europe charges you more than they should, you are just out the money. Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

Thank you.