kib

I am making my first trip to Italy next week, and am curious on whether it is better to bring Euros in cash or travelers checks. Most of our hotels and tours are requesting to be paid in Euros, therefore, I will need a lot. Is there is significant difference?

rex

Get waht you need from an ATM. As an ideal safety net, if you can get travelers checks in Euros for NO fee (this does not mean that you will get a good exchange rate on their purchase, just no fee if you turn them back in unused) - - then hang on to them in case you absolutely have to use them. Be aware that they are increasing a hassle to get anyone to take them, and banks will charge you to cash them.

In general, get all the cash you need from an ATM.

Where are you going with these (multiple?) request(s) from hotels to pay in cash? Very unusual.

Best wishes,

Rex

Intrepid1

Rex, you need to re-read the post; the person says nothing about hotels asking for cash, only for Euros (which kinda makes sense).

Kib: I would suggest you use a credit card to pay for the hotels and as rex has wisely suggested, get needed cash from ATMs.

janis

kib: The simple answer is, don't take euro OR euro travelers checks with you. You can use your ATM card to get euro whenever you need them, and most hotels will take visa/mastercard.

If you want to take a small amount of euro w/ you just get them at your departure airport before you board your plane. But don't get more than €50 or €100 this way - just rely on ATMs after you are in Italy.

xyz123

...and when you pay for anything in Italy with a credit card, make sure you tell the merchant you want the charge written up in euro even if the merchant tries to tell you he will be doing you a favour and convert the charge to US currency to save you credit card exchange fees. While not as big a problem as in Ireland, the dynamic currency conversion scam is growing in Italy from what I read.

sockboy

I rely on ATMS too, but . . .
ATM systems do go down, and an ATM could not like your card, or the system it is on. I always take some travellers cheques just in case, BUT I get no-fee ones from by bank and take them in my own currency (CAD$). That way, if I don't use them, I can cash them in when I am back home and have lost nothing. If I were to ever in the situation need them, I wouldn't mind paying a bit of a poor exchange to cash and convert them at a bank in Europe.

suze

Are the hotels and tours requesting *cash* or just stating their prices in euro?

I would check if the hotels accept credit cards, and if so pay that way. Besides major expenses I would withdraw euro from an ATM machine every few days.

kib

some of our tours are requesting cash, and some of the hotels are giving a discount to use cash rather than credit. The ATM fees are not too bad? And, we'll get a decent exchange rate for that and using credit card?

sockboy

Ask your bank about ATM fees for international withdrawls. Rates vary a lot, bank to bank, some charge quite a bit for each withdrawl - up to $5/time! But if you only take money out every few days it isn't too bad.

Credit card companies do charge an exchange fee, but for the convience at hotels it is worth it IMHO.

suze

The ATM fee is only whatever is imposed by your home bank (typically $0-5USD per international transaction), you need to ask them. There is no fee from the European bank.

Also with your own bank check your daily withdrawl limit (and possibly have them raise it) if you need alot of cash all at once. The exchange rate used will be standard and varies a bit day to day.

Sorry, don't know about fees, rates, and exchanges pertaining to charge cards. I do know there are many different types, so most likely there's no single answer without knowing exactly the bank/card you use.

nytraveler

Travelers checks - in euros or dollars - are difficult, time-consuming and a big pain to use- as well as being very expensive. Unless your hotels are all asking to be paid in cash (quite rate) you just use your credit card to them - and for other major expenses. Then you pull cash for walking around money with a debit card from any bank ATM machine.

If you are not comfy going with no euros at all change a little money - $50 or $100 - at the bureau de change at your departure airport.

kib

Our Rome hotel is requiring cash, but the others do not. It is primarily the tours. I'm not going to stress too much over fees, etc - I just wanted to know what most folks do. Thanks!

lucy0321

My husband and I are leaving for Rome on Wednesday. We have rented an apartment and the owner wants to be paid in full (for 11 days) in euros prior to turning over the key. What now? Since my ATM has a limit on withdrawals, I have no choice but to get the euros here and CARRY them with me to Rome. I really, really don't want to do that. Any suggestions? If I get the euros from a bank in Rome, won't the exchange rate be awful? Help.

suze

<If I get the euros from a bank in Rome, won't the exchange rate be awful?>

No worse than your bank at home, I don't think.

1) Your bank can temporarily raise your daily withdrawl amount at your request.
2) If you are two people with separate accounts that doubles what you can get.
3) If you have more than one bank account you can accesss again doubles what you can get in a day.
4) Use a moneybelt under your clothes for your trip over with the euros secured in that.
5) If two people, split the cash, and use two moneybelts, one each.

ellenem

lucy0321

Do you and your husband each have ATM cards from different accounts? How much would a one-day withdrawal from the two accounts cover of the total bill? You may be able to bring part in euros you exchange at home and access the rest once you arrive.

Neopolitan

lucy, another thing to do is see how high you can raise your daily limit with your own bank. Then take it out of several different ATMs on arrival, which may limit you to 250 or 400 euros per withdrawal. I've even reinserted my card in the same ATM in Italy and done an immediate second withdrawal when that machine limited my transaction to 250 euro. The key is to have a high daily limit from your own bank.

kpilling

We have the same problem - one hotel in the countryside wants euro cash or travelers' checks. I don't want to carry around 600.00 euros and then when we move on to Venice they want cash also in euros and that bill is 800.00 euros. We are going to be limited on how much we can withdraw at one time and the inconvience of running back and forth to the ATM and carrying that much cash around - any suggestions.

KP

RBCal

I leave in a couple weeks and need to pay in cash in Euros. The simple solution is to get travellers checks in US dollars and then exchange them at a bank for Euros once I arrive.
This will only cost me the currency exchange fees and the small amount I pay for the travellers checks.