Dollars into Euros
 

As many of you have done, I have to arrive at my apartment with 1500 euros in cash. I know that it's expensive to buy the euros in the U.S. The apartment owner has agreed to allow me to bring the US dollars and change them at a bank near the apt in Montparnasse Blvd. Does this make more sense? Or should I keep trying to get my bank to agree to let me draw the 1500 euros out at the ATM at the Paris airport? And has anyone had luck with their bank agreeing to that? Appreciate all suggestions.

Thanks,
Nancy

I would contact your bank and ask them to increase the amount that you are able to withdraw in France; I just did that with Bank of America and it was a simple procedure on the phone. You will lose money on the exchange if you change the US dollars to Euros.

Be aware that the ATM may only let you take out 250 Euro/transaction, but you can just keep entering your card and PIN until you get the desired amount.

BTW, you should also ask your bank which French banks it is affiliated with so that you can avoid ATM fees.

Hope this helps--enjoy your trip!

Are you traveling w/ a spouse or someone?If you and your spouse each have an ATM card on the same account . . .you can <i>each</i> withdraw up to the daily max.

So maybe buy/bring €300 or €400 from your home bank and each of you withdraw €600 (multiple transactions)

Have your bank temporarily raise your daily limit to $1000.

ATM withdrawal amounts are limited by your local bank, not by the French bank ATM. I regularly withdraw 400€ at a time (which equates to $500, my bank´s daily limit); nor do French bank ATMs impose fees of any kind.

Only B of A uses the ¨affiliate bank¨ scam. I never pay a fee to use any bank´s ATM.

Needing 1,500€ in cash means carrying cash and the inherent dangers. However, these Paris exchange bureaus typically charge from 2% to 3% (ignoring the no fee hype, the cost is in the exchange rate degradation) which is lower than what many people pay to use their credit cards:

http://www.bureaudechange.fr/
http://www.ccopera.com/
http://www.fcochange.com/

I had the same problem with an apartment in Paris, but, as a last resort, I asked if they would take PayPal and the answer was yes. Problem solved!

get them in france

"<i>get them in france</i>" . . . from ATM machines (or at least as much as you can).

Thanks everyone. I'll try and get my bank to increase the amount I can withdraw to 1500 euros. Been with them for 20 years, so maybe it will work. Am traveling alone, otherwise it wouldn't be such a problem.

In my experience, the ATMs at CdG are operated by HSBC, which does indeed limit the amount per withdrawal. If they won't let you make multiple withdrawals, take what you can get. There are sure to be machines from other operators in the vicinity of your apartment. It's a nuisance but not insurmountable. The suggestion about PayPal is worth following up.

I would ask for more than 1500 limit from your bank as you need to pay the apartment 1500 and that leaves nothing for entertainment and meals until the next day.

In addition to the above advice, I would also suggest you open a second bank account at a different bank as a back-up plan. We have had issues twice when traveling and haven't been able to get money from one checking accounts and had to use another. We notified our banks ahead of time about our travel plans, but still had issues.

Exchange of physical cash money always gets a worse rate than electronic transactions. And, after fees and poor exchange rates, the places that will convert cash take a lot more than 3% for the service.

Just a word of caution: Taking large cash withdrawals from an outdoor ATM can make you a target for the less honest folk who live off of others.

Is there any chance of a cashier's check from your bank to him?

I don't think anyone else has asked this question. Why do you feel you have to withdraw money at the airport. Why can't you do it closer to the apartment. You've already said there's a bank near the apartment. What am I missing?

I have the same situation, and I usually order online via Wells Fargo. Orders over a $1000 do not incur any type of delivery fees. You can pay with any Visa® or MasterCard® credit or debit card....I use one of my points credit cards and then pay it off immediately which helps to make up for the fact that I am not always getting the best exchange rate. Additionally delivery is next business day if ordered before noon (requires a signature).

This is my preference so I am stress free when I land and have enough money to pay for my living quarters and a taxi and meal without having to worry about finding an ATM machine when I am tired...for everything else on my trip I withdraw money via an ATM machine like others.

Below is some info to help you decide. The first is the Wells Fargo site for ordering and the other is the current days exchange rate. Only you can decide what will work best for you.

https://www.wellsfargo.com/foreignexchange/

http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-co...R;to=USD;amt=1

Happy Travels

Thanks, Klieghj. I too bank with Wells Fargo and they have given me three debit cards to use so that I can get the 1500 euros when I arrive and will not pay the exchange rate if I purchased it here. The apt. owner would only accept cash so I couldn't do what you suggested. I usually swap houses so don't have this problem, but it seems like this is the best solution for me.

In case no one has mentioned this. make sure you contact all credit cards/banks to tell them of your travels. Or they will freeze your account if they think someone is using it abroad.