Flat fees charged by banks vary by bank and by customer. We use citibank as our primary and I have seen people complain about the fees they charge for withdrawing foreign currency - but we haven;t been charged anything. I think it depends on how much business you do with the bank, what kinds of accounts you have there and how much is in them.

If you don't want to pay te $3 to $5 your bank charges - pick another bank. (But $3 on a 300 euro withdrawal - is really minimal.)

I will only be making small cash purchases at a time probably under $10 btw.
I use TD Bank, and i only have a debit card. I can use this to take out Euros/Swiss Francs European ATMs?
That's all i want to know. I'm ver inexperienced and i don't understand alot of the banking terms you all are using. I just want to know how to get those Euros in my hand! :)
Thanks everyone

You can use your debit card to take cash out of ATMs.

Yes, you can use your debit card - not a problem. Wherever you use your card, the ATM will give you local money.

And I understand your confusion. It can get complicated.

One thing that I always do is carry a couple hundred dollars (US) in cash - that way if for some reason I can't use my debit card at an ATM, I can exchange my dollars for local currency and have money until I get the issue sorted out. It is just a back-up, which I have never had to use, but it makes me feel more comfortable.

I personally like to get cash from the ATM and use it for as much as I can - no concerns about whether a place takes cards, cash is easier to budget day-to-day, I don't have a big credit card balance when I get home... Just personal preference. I like to eat at small places, get snacks from food carts, etc.

Yes, you can use your ATM card to get local currency - but be sure it is linked to your checking - not savings account. Separately - not sure what you think you can buy for $10 - but it's not much of anything. It doens;t make sense to do a zillion small withdrawals. (Do you take out $20 at a time here? - I can't imagine anything more wasteful.) Get a couple of hundred at a time and it will last you more than a few hours.

Cirrus or Pulse or Maestro will really not care what account your ATM is linked to as long as it has sufficient funds to cover your withdrawals. Why would it make any difference as to what type of account from which withdrawals are to be made?

It should be noted however, that if you typically select from among several accounts when you make ATM withdrawals, French ATMs will not offer you a choice. One account, at your bank, is designated as primary and it is from this account that your withdrawals will be made. It may be prudent to know in advance specifically which, among your various accounts (assuming you have more than one), has been so designated.

Some confusion here. With many banks, you can get a debit or vanilla ATM card with a savings account and it will work in European ATM's. European ATM's do not give you a choice; they use the priary account on the card. It is usually a checking account but not always.

Secondly, it's a question of fees. I withdraw €20 from ATM's (£20 in the UK) as I use a bank which charges no fees for withdrawals and I use credit cards for everything, for every purchase no matter how large or small if permitted. Of course there are certain countries where cash is king (what a silly thing in this day and age) in which case evidently I would need more local currency.

I didnt mean i was going to withdraw 10 or 20 at a time, haha. I'll take out 100 or so, ya..i just meant that i will only make small purchases so ill just use cash for transactions. Ok i got my answer...thanks everyone.

Good - glad we got you sorted out eventually.

The reason to make sure that your ATM card is linked to your checking account is that (god forbid and very unlikelt, but possible) if someone gets into it they have access only to the (presumably limited) funds in your checking account and not everything you have in savings. (Yes, if this happens youwill get the money back eventually - but better it be a much smaller sum).

Make sure you notify your bank that you'll be using the card out of the country so they don't put a stop on it when they see international usage!!!!

Most European ATM keypads only have numbers on them (no letters) and use a 4 digit pin.
You may need to change your pin before you go, otherwise you'll find yourself standing in line at a bank on your vacation :(

I usually have 40-50 Euros on hand for when I arrive in Europe for taxis, train, drink, etc. If you don't have some from the last trip, you can order them at your bank. Depending on your bank, allow a week for them to come in.

About Swiss Franks - the currency abbreviation is CHF, I asked on Fodor's what does it mean, somebody replied: you should read it right to left, it means "Freaking Holy Cr@p" :))

About Swiss Franks - the currency abbreviation is CHF, I asked on Fodor's what does it mean, somebody replied: you should read it right to left, it means "Freaking Holy Cr@p" >>

yes, Switzerland can seem expensive. However, i remember visiting there a few years ago [ok, more than a few years ago] when the UK was in the grip of inflation, and being handed a menu that was carved into wood, complete with prices.

it really did seem like a foreign country then.

The CH in CHF = Confoederatio Helvetica, i.e. the Helvetic Confederation. They use Latin so as not to offend any of the language groups by choosing a main language out of the 4. And the F is obviously franks.

Lavandula