Hello All,

I am going to Europe for the first time and I would like to know in what way should I exchange my U.S. dollars for the Euro?

Some say do the exchange at the airport, some say the ATM, some say to exchange here in the US... Where should I exchange?

Thank you in advance.

Check out this thread for help.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35150462

Wait as long as you can! The dollar has been strengthening against the Euro for several days. Today, it's about $1.40.

Hello All,

Great advice.

Called the bank and no fee on ATM withdraw (from my bank) but maybe a fee from the ATM. So next question.

Should I use ATM at airport (Paris) or wait until in town? I know that the ATM fee at our airport is a lot highter compared to an ATM in town.

Thanks in advance

There are no ATM fees anywhere in France.

Bank ATMs in Europe will not charge a transaction fee for US bankcard holders. ATMs in airports are usually bank-operated, not the freestanding for-profit ones you often see in convenience stores, etc., so there would be no difference between the airport ATM and the one on the street in the city.

Hi All,

You are the best. Hope not to bother...would you say this is the same case for Rome? ATM fee I mean?

Thanks in advance

Nank-owned ATMs will not charge you a fee - in Italy or France.

But I'd double check about your own bank - very often stateside bank customer service staff really don't have the right info. Most banks (thought not every single one) do charge a fee between $1 and $5 per overseas transaction. Some credit unions are fee-free.

Bank of America is fee-free IF you use their partner banks in Europe (though they don't have a partner in Italy)

But, even IF you bank does charge you, ATMs will still be your best bet for getting cash.

The no-fee for foreign ATM cards applies at bank ATMs throughout western Europe, as far as I can tell -- anywhere the Euro is currency at least, and some others too (Denmark, in my experience).

"Nank-owned"?? should have said "Bank-owned" . . . .

From the exchange rate point of view, the most favorable rate is obtained by using your debit card at ATM at the destination.

However, there are other considerations beyond the exchange rate.

What is your backup plan if 1) your card does not work or 2) you cannot find a functional/accessible ATM machine?

There are many who had never had any ATM problems and see no reason for a backup plan. I had my share of ATM problems so I always go with a plan. I carry three different debit cards from three different banks. At least one card failed to work at some point during my trips. Others cards came to the rescue. I also carry U.S. dollars in high denominations that I can convert to Euro on cash-cash basis. I only get hit with the high fee when I have to activate this backup option. Otherwise, the dollars go home with only a loss of meager interest it could have earned at my home bank. When I find out someone traveling to a Euro country close to our trip, I tell them to bring home the leftover Euro and propose to buy them at the official conversion rate; they get more dollars and I get more Euro than going through a bank.

Since one of my card is from Bank of America, I try to use this card at BNP as much as possible in France (no fee, not even Visa's 1% fee.) BNP ATM machines are easy to find in Paris but rather sparse outside, so I plan withdrawing cash from BNP in larger cities. The Bank of America hits me with very high fees if I don't use alliance banks.