I posted this in the US board, but I thought I would post it here as well as some of you don't look over there.

I'm going to Paris at the end of the month. I'm also going to NYC tomorrow so I thought it may be cheaper to get euro's there than at home. I'll be in the area of 34th to 54th along broadway, 8th and 9th. Is Travelex any good? Any recommendation for a currency exchange would be appreciated. Thanks!

I wouldn't get any Euros at all before arriving in France. I haven't done it for the last thirty trips. There are ATMs at the Paris airports where you can put in your debit card and Euros will come out of the slot. You can get to your hotel by train, bus, or van without cash, then find a nearby bank ATM with friendly terms.

I carry a few hundred USD as a backup. Never used them.

well, I was planning on only exchanging about $100 and use atm's otherwise. I guess I was just nervous b/c of people talking about their cards not working.

I haven't exchanged from them in a long time as I usually return with enough euros for my next trip. But when I did have to exchange to euros, I would go to:

Peoples Foreign Exchange
575 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10017
(212) 883-0550

3rd Flooor of the L'Oreal building, 47th & 5th.

The last time I went, about a year ago, they charged $2 to exchange, and the rate was about 8 cents above market rate.

I feel Travelex is a rip off for exchange purposes, though highly recommend them for travel insurance!

But seriously, don't worry about ATM usage in Europe, particularly Paris.

Have a great trip!

Hi rf,

You can get your $100 worth of Euros at the departure airport.

Get the rest of your Euros in Paris.

It does help if you get a second ATM card on your account.

When you exchange cash for foreign currency as opposed to using an ATM, when all is said and done, depending on the fees your bank charges, you are out from 6 to 10% if done in Europe and 8 to 12% if done in the United States so on $100 you can be throwing away as much as $12...certainly not a big deal given the money you are spending to travel but I've always wondered just what you are getting for the $12...people speak of peace of mind...god bless them I suppose for wanting to keep their blood pressure down but this is thd 21st century.

Do ATM's have problems every so often...apparently yes but it's never happened to me....you're going to have to wait for your baggage anyway most likely...why not a visito to an ATM while waiting? Oh yes, if the ATM doesn't work, then mosey over to the airport's exchange desk (if you really need euro before arrival at your hotel...the RER takes credit cards for fares BTW) and exchange there....I wouldn't waste one minute of my time exchanging before arrival but that's me.

I agree with xyz--if all else fails use the cambios at the airport and pay them the 8 to 12%--which kills me.

You don't mention your departure airport, so I'd be careful assuming that you can exchange at the departure airport, as one poster suggested. Not all airports have exchanges, and some smaller ones that do require advance warning so they can have the right currency on hand (based on my experience). It's likely the last airport you travel through in the US would have an exchange, but depending on connection times, you may or may not have the opportunity to use it.

But, as most others have suggested, I would also suggest getting them when you arrive in Paris and not worrying about it until then.

You'll pay a huge premium to change your dollars into euros, even in NYC. I got just 100 euros before my trip last week to Rome, and I got the worst exchange rate (considerably less than what I got from ATMs in Rome).

That premium is simply the cost of the "comfort factor" if you want to arrive with euro in your wallet.