Currency Exchange
 

Hi, it is the future honeymooner again!

As you know we will be traveling to Germany in the near future and wondering about currency exchange. Should we exchange our money before we go? Or exchange it in the airport? Or use our credit and debit cards? if we use our cards, what kind of fees will I be stuck with and can I get my money out of my checking acct while I am over there.

Thanks so much!

here's one of the many threads on the same topic.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35056843

And if there are any other questions about money - do a search for "ATM"

Well future honeymooner do a little reserch yourself. This question is asked and answer hourly.

Germany, too, is part of the 21st century - and banking/payment there is largely electronic - just like here.

You pay for as much as you can with your credit cards and pull cash for walking around money with your ATM card. Just make sure you have a 4-digit pin and the ATM card is attached to your checking account. (No - the ATM machines won;t let you transfer between accounts. To do that you would have to go to an internet cafe and do it on-line.)

Depending on your CC issuer and your bank you will be charged a small fee (1 to 3%) for these services - much less than the 7 to 10% you would be charged for changing cash or Trav Checks.

Use an ATM to get local currency after arrival from your checking account; fees come from your home bank (ask them).

Change money at your arrival airport.

Buy currency ahead only if you don't mind fees, lesser rate of exchange, and want cash on your person before you arrive.

Use charge cards for major purchases, again fees and exchange rates come from your carrier (ask them).

t00d33: Congratulations on your wedding! But just one little comment re your post . . . &quot;<i><b>As you know</b> we will be traveling to Germany in the near future . . . .</i>&quot; You posted that info 15 days ago - Since then, literally thousands of new threads have been started. There is practically no way anyone would know your plans from a post 2+ weeks ago.

(use you ATM card to get cash and your credit card(s) for most purchases - and yes this is answered about once an hour)

And even without checking whether your bank is one of those that charges outrageous fees and currency conversion charges, it is almost guaranteed that in the worst possible scenario of ATM and credit card use, you will still not be spending as much as by &quot;exchanging&quot; currency either at home or abroad.

Our bank (Wells Fargo) charges $5 per ATM transaction {insert eye roll here}, but it didn't make a huge impact on our trip. We took out the max each time we went to the ATM, so over a 2 week span, I think we only accumulated about $20 in fees. Definitely cheaper than travellers checks.