Euro Strategies for Ireland :

My wife and I are departing for Ireland soon … and we’re wondering about this euro thing … having never encountered it before. What is the best way to crash-learn about the euro in advance … and how best to take advantage … if any … of the monetary situation?

Should we convert our funds to euros before leaving home … on arrival at Dublin … or a combination of both? Which way is most cost-effective in terms of fees, etc? How much … in what denominations … should we bring along for out-of-pocket? And what about any unused euros on returning home?

We’ll have our MasterCharge and CitiBank cards along … which we understand are accepted over there to replenish our euro funds. Are there CitiBank ATMs in Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork, Killarney, and Galway where we’ll be visiting?

Direct replies … and helpful websites … are most welcomed. Thanks.

Mike (shamrock838)

ATMs all the way! They were everywhere, and we had no problems just getting money that way. The daily limit seems to be 220.00 euros but that's per card not per account so you can always use your wife's card and yours if you need more money, say for a B & B stay. I wouldn't use your credit cards for cash unless you have to, because then cash advance fees will apply. The cost per ATM transaction through my bank was $5.00.

"the euro thing" is just like the £ thing, or the $ thing. Don't convert your funds anywhere. Use an ATM card to get € cash while you are in Ireland. By far the easiest/cheapest way to do it.

then use your credit cards for purchases, car rentals etc.

Don;t know what you mean by "euro thing". You pay for as much as you can - in euros - with your credit cards. For walking around money you go to the ATM and withdraw euros. Just make sure your ATM card has a 4 digit pin, is linked to your checking (not savings) account and is part of at least one of the major international networks. (If it just a small local consumer union it may not be - in that case you would have to check.)

If it isn't clear from the other posts, you don't need to find a Citibank ATM, your Citibank ATM card will work in most ATMs from other banks. And I'll repeat -- YOU DO NOT WANT TO USE YOUR CREDIT CARDS IN AN ATM. But do use them for purchases.

If you Google money in ireland you will find websites that will inform you of everything you need to know and then some.

I also found it helpful to have two different cards - for some reason the Visa didn't "work" in Italy on a Saturday but was perfectly fine afterwards...no reason for those things but good to have a backup.

shamrock838,

Go to your bank and tell them the amount you'd like to take out of your checking account per visit. I like to pay as much as I can in cash and I would take out 500 euro at a time. Be sure you tell your bank you will be in Ireland and also tell your credit card banks that you will be in Ireland and the dates.

Have a great trip, Joan

In Ireland especially watch out for shops & hotels trying to charge you in the "dollar thing". This is an attempt for them to make more money from you by giving you a bad exchange rate. INSIST on being charged in the "Euro thing".

ATMS ARE GREAT, HOWEVER, JUST CARRY SMALL AMOUNTS OF CASH. MOST PLACES TAKE DEBIT CARDS AND YOU GET THE BEST EXCHANGE RATE WHEN YOU USE THEM. ALSO, IF YOU DO WITHDRAWL MONEY FROM AN ATM, THEN MAKE SURE IT IS A LARGER AMOUNT (I.E. 150 EUROS OR SO) SO THAT YOU ARE NOT GETTING A LOT OF FEES FROM THE BANK!

Hi S,

What is it about the Euro that you are unsure of?

Oh. And don't obsess about mentally converting everything from euros to dollars. If something costs 34 euros, then pay 34 euros; don't stand there trying to figure out how many dollars that would be. You know that it would be more dollars, but what difference does it make? I've stood behind many tourists buying bus tickets or whatever and they stand there worrying about how much that would be back home while everyone waits for them. What difference does it make? You're not back home.

Oh I so agree with NeoPatrick!! I've seen this too and been with folks doing it. Sure, its at the back of my mind but it stays at the BACK of my mind!!! It takes a lot of money, time and effort to make a trip overseas so make the most of it..many folks won't ever get back there and for some it might be a long time before they get there again so just enjoy and buy as much as you can and don't worry about every euro cent!!! You will be happy when you get home and years down the road that you bought this or did that...the memories are priceless.
Shadow

There is an ATM in the Dublin airport. There are ATM's all over Dublin. When we were on the street waiting in line in Dublin to use a ATM a nice Irish gentleman warned us to make sure to put our hand over the key pad as we typed in our pin. He said sometimes mirrors are placed so people can get your pin.
I know a lot of the posters here get all their Euro when they get to Ireland, I like to have some when I arrive. I always order some from AAA. You pay a service charge and a little higher rate but it is worth it to me. I usually have some Euro left over when I get home and then I have some for the next trip.

I loved Dublin and we are going back summer of 2008. Have a wonderful time.

That ATM in the Dublin airport made me laugh. One machine for deposits, one machine to check your balance, and a third machine with a huge line to get cash. Who makes deposits in an airport anyhow?

Monica - there's more than one ATM in Dublin airport! There are two in the arrivals hall - one is well hidden near the toilets and there's never any queue. Perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut about it?! There are two upstairs in the departures hall, and more once you get past security - although they're only useful if you're leaving the country.

I have used the deposits machine at the airport - I didn't have time to get to my own branch before going on holidays and wanted to lodge a cheque into my account!!

Many people go through dublin airport to the UK and continent for vbusiness for a day or a few days for work so the deposit machines are more for us local travellers. I have used it as when you travel for work there are always last minutes things you need to do and have cash in the account! There are a few machines in the departure area and they give euro dollars and STG. Citibank do not have retail branches here its commercial.

Shamrock, look on this forum for discussion of DCC or dynamic currency conversion. Ireland is one place where Americans should be especially on guard against this practice (if they care about the cost of using credit cards). Recent threads will tell you all you need to make informed decisions about your credit card purchases.

<<The cost per ATM transaction through my bank was $5.00.>>

Wow. The charge for ATM transactions from my credit union was 0.

"Who makes deposits in an airport anyhow?"

I can think of no innovation that would simplify my life more. The number of times I've nearly missed planes because I had to go to a bank (first finding somewhere to park, or pay a fortune to get the cab to reroute), deposit cheques, then fight through the traffic to get to the airport probably explains my high blood pressure better than anything else.

The person who criticised this helpful idea clearly hasn't got the faintest idea of how real European cities are laid out.