Every ATM I encountered in Rome this past April told me there was a minimal (I forgot the amount) charge to use the ATM before I even started my transaction. Maybe Italian banks are recognizing this opportunity to make a buck.

xyz123, YOu don't know what you are talking about and "I" don't know what you are talking about when you say "running around at home from bank to bank getting currency".
One ORDERS (the euro)them by phone and they are sent directly to your bank to pick up OR can be sent to the home.Simple as that!!! No fooling around with ATM's overseas!!!!(unless as a suppliment or part of your planned money). We checked thoroughly and there isn't much difference at all in the two methods of obtaining money. Well, to each his own...and we all do what we feel is best......and it's certainly not worth arguing about it. YOu just did NOT fully understand the reply. We found the exchange rate quite a bit higher for changing dollars to Euro or pounds when we arrived in Europe (just checking as a curiosity because we had all our needed money!) ...just this past April.

Hello from Paris. ince arrival four days ago have been unable to use my 4 digit PIN ATM card to get cash from any ATM here. My bank tells me it is linked only to my checking account, I have used ATMs with the Cirrus logo (as well as several others that also appear on my card) with no luck.
Previously I have been an avid fan of using ATM abroad for reasons cited above, but DO check with your bank before you leave to be sure it will work in Europe. And get an email address or phone number you can call from Europe (US toll free numbers wonlt work from here) if you run into problems. Last time this happened Chase told me to use my Visa card and they would refund any fees, and they made good on that promise.

mari3:

I travel to Europe quite a bit, and never in 27 or so years of such travel have I encountered a situation where purchasing European currency here in the USA ahead of time gave me a comparable rate to what I can get once I'm in Europe. Particularly these days, with the prevalence of ATM machines, most of which don't charge a fee in Europe, it is ALWAYS a better deal to get your currency once in Europe.
That said, I am one of those who likes to arrive in Europe with about $100 or so, so that I can proceed right to a cab or train or wherever I'm headed without a stop at an ATM machine.
Carrying wads of currency that you've obtained pre-trip would never, ever be a consideration for me. Balanced against "fooling around with ATM machines" - which usually takes under a minute - the choice is clear to me, especially since I get more money for my dollars.
And for the record, I always look for xyz123's posts when I need to understand something about exchange rates and currency.He/she is correct that there is always a lot of misinformation out there about this and similar topics.

StCirq....doesn't it really boil down to buying foreign currency the way one wants to? We lived 5 yrs. overseas, in the late 70's and return once or twice a year to a different part of Europe. Just several weeks ago we DID find the exchange rate worse in UK after we arrived...but I guess that was at a time when the dollarl was steadly dropping.(believe me!) We took a couple of ATM cards, but didn't need to use them....but have , in the past years, used a machine several times.
I wonder if people get a little dab of ATM money at a time, and are paranoid about their money being stolen....or if they REALLY feel the are saving a LOT of money on the exchange rate.
ANyway..I hope we are all "travelers" and NOT "tourists".....and that we enjoy the beautiful sights and countryside, the fun and interesting things, the good food, and the wonderful people of Europe!

Mari3: I think you may be confusing the exchange rate with the processing fees charged, and may think that there is, somewhere, a fixed exchange rate. The most commonly reported exchange rate is the interbank exchange rate, and it varies from minute to minute, just as the cost of a listed share of stock varies from minute to minute. I am pretty sure the VISA system uses the interbank exchange rate at a specific time daily, possibly closing time if the exchanges still do close. Thus, since the exchange rate is free to vary from day to day, when you say that you got a better rate at home than overseas some days later, you may very well be correct, but only because you got lucky; you could have easily had the reverse happen.

I note that you consistently fail to provide any specific data in support of your assertions. Do you have any? I am not aware of any bank that will provide currency exchanges at the interbank rate without tacking on some sort of processing fee; they are not charities.

SEAMUS: Please post the causes of your ATM problems when you have discovered them. I am convinced that the ATM exchanges are the best deal going, and I want to be able to continue to rely on them.

clevelandbrown....Duh! Of course I know the difference between exchange rate and processing fee....and I do know that the exchange rate varies by the minute (and day)....
AS I said before....we should all get our "traveling money" the way we are the most comfortable doing. I have nothing against ATM machines in Europe!
Nobody as yet has mentioned the OLD travelers checks...which are now extinct aren't they? (am I "ornery" enough to open up a new discussion??...not really)
This is all in fun isn't it and anyone looking at what to do the first time abroad to get/take currency can make their own decisions, can't they? I don't think there is any "right or wrong". And I still think that "convenience" plays a big part..WHATEVER that would mean to each person.