I just ran some figures from that site that WillTravel gave in Vancouver.
It seems that the current XE rate would be that 300 euro would cost you $421.20 Canadian, but that Vancouver place sells you 300 euro for $426.00 Canadian. That IS a deal. $5 to get 300 euro in advance? I have yet to hear of any US places that will match that kind of price.

I am a BofA prima account customer and bought some Euros yesterday at the rate of 1.2879 and no transaction fee.

I always prefer to have some local currency when traveling. But, that's just me.

My local CIBC sells me euros at @1.45

Venezzia, I went to the BoA website but can't seem to find info on the Prima Acct. Can you give a quick overview or provide a link to a description? Thanks!

Oh wait, is the Prima Checking only for customers in California?

I can't recall a major international airport that didn't have a bank of ATM machines as you exit baggage claim. If not a machine, there's a currency exchange window. As AAFF mentions, get $50 worth of local currency from the exchange bureau.

I can also assure you that you'd have no problem whatsoever obtaining Dirhams in the UAE (ATMs or exchange bureau)... their banking system is very sophisticated.

Here you are trying to have the conveniece of a some local currency before leaving home and yet spending all this time to save a few dollars, which your bank will not give you the favor of providing. Hopefully by "thesecondtime" you'll know better.

I hope nobody thinks this is out of line, but in my opinion, people who take chances depending on the past experience of themselves or others are living in a fool's paradise.

There is a finite possibility of things going wrong with such things as train services, flight schedules, and ATM cards. The <i>safest</i> thing to do is to make no assumptions about what is going to happen next, but rather to make provisions that account for a worse case than you (or anyone you talk to) might have encountered to date.

It absolutely doesn't matter what happened the last time, the last ten times, or the last thousand times you (or anyone else) did it. The only reality is what the odds are and how the chips fall. The roulette wheel has no memory - the probability of the ball landing on red is exactly the same whether it landed on black the last time or the last fifty times.

Yes, you will <i>probably</i> be okay taking a train from another city on the day your flight departs, and yes, you will <i>probably</i> make that insanely tight connection, and yes, you will <i>probably</i> not lose your debit card in an ATM.

But what happens if you don't? What's the downside risk?

Do you have a backup way of getting to the airport, or is the $200 change fee for missing your flight worth the risk? Can you get where you're going if airline A arrives after airline B departs? Do you have another way of buying things if the airport ATM swallows your card?

I carry USD as a backup and don't put my debit card into ATMs that aren't attached to banks. Period. Why risk a lot of hassle when the antidote is so simple?

Is it me or is the exchange rate slowly getting higher? A month or so ago I could have swore it was 1.19 and now I'm hearing 1.24. I'm afraid what it will be in July/August right in time for my travel abroad.

grantop - here is the link to the prima account info at BofA. Not sure if it's for California only or not?

http://www.bankofamerica.com/deposit...te=check_prima

katzen, you are right about a month or so ago. One year ago however it was closer to 1.29.

You can check out the rates for any date by going to www.xe.net

If I could do an ATM withdraw at the Kabul International(after evasive action and usage of heat flares during landing by the captain), I feel very confident that I could accomplish the same in EVERY little corner of the world. YMMV.

...provided the ATM co-operates.

It usually does, and if not the first one, there is always more where that came from....

Not if it eats your card.

FYI. I just bought Euros from my local bank today (First Citizens in NC). They charged me 1.315... so my 195 Euro cost $256.

Well, many of us have two cards. And with BofA, a collect call to my branch will get me a new card delivered to me in Europe within 48 hours in the event we lose BOTH cards.

You know, there could be a tsunami or an earthquake too???

Let me make something clear here. I always carry some greenbacks. Most western locations, ~$500, anything that could be considered dangerous and potentially deadly, ~$5000. It's amazing how a $100 bribe can get you through just about anything including some very serious roadblocks with big guns pointed at you.

But, the point is, that anybody going to what most consider a vacation spot, does not need to get currency ahead of time. Carry few hundred $ in your pocket, couple of ATM cards and couple of CCs and you will not encounter any catastrophic situations where you will starve or be stuck at the airport.

Trust me!

$5000?!

Will you be my sugar daddy/momma? lol

Thanks venezzia. From their website: &quot;Bank of America Foreign Currency does not charge a fee for the purchase of foreign currency online.&quot; I understand that the customer is buying at a higher (retail) rate, it does look to be comparable to what oobylicious purchased yesterday, with a rate on BoA of 1.3079 (when I checked).

Now, don't jump all over me, I'm not picking a fight, I'm just asking: I realize this could vary, BUT; If a person is getting 1.3079 from BoA for example, what rate (GENERALLY) would they get if they used an ATM instead? Let's use this example: I want 500 Euro from BoA, and according to their website this morning it would cost me $653 USD. If I used an ATM to get 500 Euro, how much (APPROXIMATELY) could I expect it to cost?

had to laugh at the header..Banks ALWAYS gouge in some way or other.