TRSW

There have been many, and I mean many(even one started by myself 6-7 months ago..sorry, didn't know then about the search option then)about ATM use in Italy. My question is, say on your last day, you still have 200-300 euro on hand, can you go to an ATM and deposit them back into your checking account?

I dont think this will happen. But wanted to know just in case.

Tom

elaine

No.

You can exchange the bills (not coins) into dollars at an airport exchange desk, or, if you can afford it, save them for another trip so as not to lose on another exchange transaction.

There is a fine art to spending down one's cash as the trip ends, so as not to have too much left over, but to have enough for getting to the airport, buying a snack or magazine, etc. It is the extra cash in one's pocket, and time to kill, that airport duty-free shops rely on.

subcon

i alway keep at least twenty or thirty euro for later trips. it's always better to arrive with currency than to have to find an atm at the airport. frequently they can be out of cash or out of service. then you're at the mercy of the exchanges who will skin you.

that said, elaine is right: there is an art to spending down so that you don't end up with a couple of hundred euro and wind up getting skinned again converting them back to dollars.

one possibility is to sell them to an aquaintence who plans on visiting europe. the exchange rate is published in most major newspapers and they will thank you for it when they arrive.

janis

as the others say - no you can't deposit the €. And there is really no reason to have that much cash on the last day of your trip. Every trip I usually end up w/ about £20 or €20 at end and either spend it at the airport or bring it home w/ me.

It is pretty easy to manage your cash. If you are running low near the end - withdraw a little, €50 - €60, instead of hundreds . . . . .

P_M

subcon scooped me on the suggestion to sell the euros to someone else who is going to Europe. Several times when a friend or colleague has returned from Europe, I offered to buy the euros from them at the market exchange. This benefits both of us because there is no middleman involved. As subcon suggests the exchange rate can be found in the paper, but there are also dozens of web sites with that info.

suze

Everyone covered my suggestions already... 1) take money out more carefully toward the end of the trip so you don't have so much left, 2) bring it home and save it for the next trip, 3) sell it to a friend or co-worker.

Desert_Sue

If you have $300 Euro left on your last day, I say have a fantastic meal and buy yourself something. The trick is to not have any money left. I leave the coins for the hotel maid.

TRSW

Thank you everybody. Like I said, I doubt I will have this much leftover and was just wondering what options I had. But if I do, I will just save them for my next trip.

Tom

platzman

The easiest way of getting rid of a bunch of local currency just before the end of the trip is to pay as much of the last night's hotel bill as possible in cash.

Despite that, I still always have a pocketful of coins!

Patrick

Ah, I was reading through all these ready to post my "obvious" answer, then Platzman beat me to it. Assuming you're in a hotel, putting as much as you can on the hotel bill makes sense -- and saves you a percent or two if you were going to charge it all on a credit card.

lyb

TRSEW,

If you're in a different American cities and you go to an ATM at a different bank than your own...I assume you've done that before? Can you deposit $, in fact, in the same city as your own, a different bank, can you deposit $? What made you think you could deposit $ in a bank in Italy?

LoveItaly

Hi Tom (how many days now?) that is what I do. I use the cash to put on the hotel bill and pay the balance with my credit card. Leave some cash left over for the airport (that glass of wine!) etc. But taking some Euro home to save for your next trip to Europe is a good idea also and something I will do in the future.

TRSW

LoveItaly,

Just 23.67 days to go until my flight departs Seattle for my first, of hopefully many, trips to Italia!!!(not that I am counting)

Tom

LoveItaly

Tom, I knew you had the days and hours down pat, LOL! I hope that you will be able to post all the beautiful photos I know you are going to be taken for us to see when you return home. I am really looking forward to them, as well as your trip report of course! Take good care.