We are flying Delta, and will land in Terminal 2. We will be met after baggage claim by a driver for our trip to town.

Are there ATM's in this area?
Thanks,
Barb

AFAIK there are cash machines in every terminal.

HSBC machines are all over . . .

Thanks for the quick response.
Barb

Don't use the Travelex machines inside baggage claim as they charge extra fees. Wait until you see ATMs owned by banks. I know I used an HSBC machine that was in the area just before you go outside to catch a taxi. Your driver will know where the ATMs are.

Non Travelex machines are outside the secure areas.

I have used Travelex machines inside the secure side at CDG. It "can" be used to avoid DCC scam - suggestion to charge your account in dollars with at least 6% additional hit. However, Travelex machine screens are very deceptively constructed. I am amazed that this is even allowed. The crucial buttons to click to avoid this DCC scam are physically shown smaller, dimmed (even though it is ACTIVE!) and described in cryptic language you have to really think. I found the "hidden" video game like button only when I got to just before "ok" button when it finally coughed out an astonishingly unfavorable exchange rate. I then back tracked the operation looking for where in the steps I needed to push this obscured button to avoid the DCC.

Avoid the Travelex machines.

There are HSBC and la Poste ATMs, which charge no fees, once you pass through Customs.

If you don't have to pay the driver immediately why don't you ask him to stop at a reputable bank machine a retrait when you get near your destination? Less confusion and less hassle than running all over the terminal and waiting in line.

If I were a taxi driver asked to stop at an ATM before continuing on to a destination, I would have one of two reactions:

1. If the meter is running. I would say, "take your time!"
2. If it were a fixed price job like CDG to the city centre, I would make your life as difficult as I can and offer you a few choice words to boot.

Why should you, the passenger, put a fellow human being through this merde when it is so easy to find an ATM?

Travelex isn't a bank, so it isn't just an issue of DCC, they mark up the exchange rate. At least that's the way it is in the US at airports, and I can't imagine they are doing it for free in Europe.

And this is why we always travel with some currency of the country we are visiting. I would rather pay a few extra dollars before we leave, and know I do not have to look for an ATM first thing off the plane.

>>Travelex isn't a bank, so it isn't just an issue of DCC, they mark up the exchange rate. At least that's the way it is in the US at airports, and I can't imagine they are doing it for free in Europe.<<

Not at all relevant . . . you ask the machine for € and get € . . . the exchange RATE is entirely determined by your own bank.

Just get some € at which ever machine you find first -- either HSBC or Travelex. The extra $2 or $3 it <i>might</i> cost you is hardly worth frettng over.

We have always gone to our local bank and bought the currency of any country we were visiting about a week before our trip. It only takes 10 minutes and costs a small service fee and is entirely worth it for peace of mind. We always get enough to last a couple of days so don't even have to think about using ATMs until we're settled in. All banks can do this nowadays thanks to the internet.

On two spur of the moment trips we did ask the taxi drivers to pull over at a machine and they didn't mind doing it at all. No choice words, no nothing except good service. I guess you get what you give.

>>It only takes 10 minutes and costs a small service fee and is entirely worth it for peace of mind.<<

That may be possible where you live/bank -- but where I live (a pretty large urban/suburban area) no banks have foreign currency on hand. You have to order it at the branch and return 2-3 days later to collect it.

Some international banks do have some foreign currency on hand but usually not as much as you need.
It only takes 10 mins to fill out the paperwork.
Chances are you'll be running around town anyway so won't take much time to run in and collect the cash. Plan ahead that's all. No need to make such a big deal out of it.
Arriving in a foreign country without the money that's used there is just a stupid idea. Worse than not knowing the language because after all money talks.

"Arriving in a foreign country without the money that's used there is just a stupid idea." Frankly, I don't understand the panic about needing local currency before you depart on a trip.

I never get foreign currency before I leave on a trip. It's expensive and a hassle, and there is no reason to do it. There are ATMs in virtually all international airports. And if there is not an ATM, there is an exchange window. You will get better exchange rates in country than outside a country. Also, I travel to many places where you cannot get their currency outside the country - ask your bank for Myanmar kyat, for instance.

>>Arriving in a foreign country without the money that's used there is just a stupid idea. <<

Huh? I sometimes have a little 'seed money' left over from my last trip -- but if not I never ever pre-purchase ££,€€,¥¥ or whatever.

If in the very unlikely even the ATMs are down when I arrive, I step the 20 feet over to the nearest Bureau de Change and buy a few ££,€€,¥¥ w/ the US$ I have.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...t-cards.cfm?15

<i>If in the very unlikely even the ATMs are down when I arrive, I step the 20 feet over to the nearest Bureau de Change and buy a few ££,€€,¥¥ w/ the US$ I have.</i>

A very sensible solution and one that precludes one´s regularly overpaying for money exchange. It´s a great backup plan when there is an urgent need brought on by very unusual circumstances.

In addition to the HSBC ATM machines at CDG, each terminal has at least one postal facility and in France, the post office is also a bank so there are la Poste ATMs in each terminal as well.

The taxi article mentions the fact that many drivers are working sur le black - off the books - so claim that their machines aren't working or they haven't gotten them yet. Can't count on anybody accepting cards even tho the law says they have to.

>> Can't count on anybody accepting cards even tho the law says they have to.<<

IT does not matter -- if taxis do or don't It is very very easy to get € at CDG -- either w/ a debit/ATM card or buying w/ US$ at the Bureau de Change. While one is waiting for their bag to come off the carousel they can get cash out of the wall or at a window. I honestly don't understand why some think this is so complicated.