I have to either buy euros here(US) at the airport or when I arrive in Paris next week. Too late for my banks here. Any experience with service fee for buying say 600 euros at the airport compared to waiting till i get to Paris? Thanks...

You shouldn't be "buying euros" anywhere. Just take your ATM card with you and use ATM machines to withdraw cash, and have a credit card for big purchases. Tell your bank where and when you're traveling and if you need to, ask your bank to raise your daily dollar limit.

ditto

but if you insist on buying euros for some reason, the exchange rate at the airport is roughly a 10-12 pct markup, I noted when I was there a couple months ago. In Paris, if you go to the right places, it can be as low as 3 pct. I know some exchange bureaux like that. But what's the point, use an ATM card, it's easier.

I agree with the others, it makes no sense to buy €'s in this world of international ATM use. Call your bank and advise that you will be using your card overseas so your card won't be flagged for irregular activity. If your bank is Bank of America then you can use BNP Paribas ATM's at no charge. You can use your credit cards for large purchases but call and advise them as well.

Ditto the above. If you have leftover euros at the end of your trip, don't exchange them for dollars. Save them until your next trip.

If you are going to do this AT ALL, just buy enough to get you from the airport into the city, just in case. Banking technology has advanced so rapidly that your bank account now "goes on the trip with you". Wherever you are, it is almost always there with you.

A local bank in your town or airport has to pay to get those euros into your hands and make a profit. Euros at the ATM in Paris are already 'home'.

Fees and exchange rates are better at ATMs also, with a caveat that you might not want to be taking out 20 euros at a time. Take out enough to minimize the effect of any bank charges on your withdrawal.

Not to dissuade you from following the good advice you got so far about using ATMs (mostly called Bancomats), but there is a scam going around that needs to be avoided. Use Bancomats at or preferably inside of banks, not just any freestanding one anywhere. Crooks have found ways to "read" and record your keystrokes,

And if a machine refuses to proceed, be very suspicious - it could, just could, be one of those that have been doctored to read your data then block any further transaction.

Having read recent reports on this, I would call my bank at home if such a refusal had happened. So have the number handy (not the 800 number).

That's also a reason for having more than one card if you can draw on different checking accounts (for ATM use it has to be checking, not savings).

And I recommend that you change maybe 50 or 100 Euros on your way to France - the small extra you pay in the lesser exchange rate at airports on that amount will be offset by the convenience of having Euros on arrival.

What if you need about 10 grand. Let's say to put down on a property. Will the exchange rate on a tranfer be better at some banks than others?

I don't think they usually call them bancomats in France, although what they call them doesn't really matter too much (unless you had to ask someone). They call them distributeurs automatiques de billets (abbreviated DAB on some signs). I think they call them bancomats in Switzerland.

sure, exchange rates can vary by bank, they set their own terms.

<i>What if you need about 10 grand. Let's say to put down on a property. Will the exchange rate on a tranfer be better at some banks than others?</i>

Not in my experience. I've held an admittedly ordinary account with BofA for 20 years. I walk in and ask about money transfers. It charges a hefty fee for it, and do it in dollars, which means that I have no control over the conversion rate charged by the bank abroad. No negotiation was possible, based on being a long-time customer and the amount transferred. I then went to xe.com. Its fee is more reasonable, and when using electronic transfers, there is no charge by the foreign--in this case, French--bank. But the limit is less than $10,000 per transaction every 24 hours.

I've done bank drafts for ~1000 euros, for about $6.

I've done several bank wire transfers, ~2000 euros each, for about $50 each.

A debit card at the ATMs and a credit card with little or no foriegn transaction fee is a good combo. BofA Venture has no transaction fee for foriegn purchases, but charges for ATM use. Be careful in using the ATM that you do not exceed your daily limit. That can be easily done because of fluctuating exchange rates. Our debit card was rejected a couple of times in quick succession at different ATMs. A free call to the issuer revealed that the exchange rate had changed and we were 18 cents over our limit. He raised our limit just in case.

<i>I've done several bank wire transfers, ~2000 euros each, for about $50 each.</i>

and the conversion rate if the original amount was in dollars?

I always take some cash in US$ in case the ATMs at the airport won't work for me. I've never had that situation, but it is nice to have a little cash as a backup.

Wire transfers are in the currency of the destinator. You would not wire your currency to them, not best plan.

Conversion rate is the newspaper rate + ~4-5%. I believe, but would have to check, that it is the same or less than the straight currency rate my bank would charge.

>>>>>
What if you need about 10 grand. Let's say to put down on a property. Will the exchange rate on a tranfer be better at some banks than others?
<<<<<

My bank in Canada tell me they will negotiate on the exchange rate if the transaction is over $100,000. Sadly, none of my transactions are ever that size. ;^(

Bank ATM exchange rates do not vary by bank in most of Europe. They are set by the network--usually VISA or MC controlled. Do watch out for non-bank ATMs, as the owners of those ATMs can charge whatever they want.

Hold on. What does VISA/MC have to do with me taking money out of my savings account at a BNP ATM machine??

"What does VISA/MC have to do with me taking money out of my savings account at a BNP ATM machine??"

They own the Plus and Cirrus networks that ATMs are connected to.

WOW. I have learnt something today. I had always assumed banks ran those, but I guess it is rather that banks associated with certain credit cards will use that CC's network for ATM transactions.

OK. So my bank may/may not add a service charge, but the exchange rate is set by CC company. Interesting.