Joseph

Okay I have heard 3 or 4 different suggestions as to how to pay for things in France and Italy. What's better ATM, Credit Cards, Traveller's Checks? They key seems to be the conversion rates and any services charges. If I go with TC in Euro's then there is obvioously no conversion charges ecept of course for the intial purchase. <BR>If I use the ATM for cash funds and or Credit Cards then there is a fee and yet more conversion charges. Anyone figures this out yet? I'm leaving March 2'nd and would appreciate any info or advice anyone cares to offer.<BR><BR>Thanks <BR><BR>

Jim Rosenberg

The very best way to secure foreign currency on the ground in France is with a Cirrus network bank card. I've yet to have a machine fail to accept my card and the exchange rate is the best you'll receive. Be sure you have a 4-digit PIN. There has been much ado lately about many cards tacking on a 2% fee for this service. While that's not great news, it is small potatoes. Moreover, you will enjoy the same great exchange rate on purchases and credit cards are the way to go. For everyday use, hotels, etc., my choice is American Express. They have local offices on hand and I regard them as the very best when it comes to international travel support. <BR><BR>I've used foreign-demoninated travelers checks and while they offer a measure of safety, they are also a bit of a pain. If you're planning to obtain currency with them, it will not be free of fees, so use them to pay directly for things if you have them. Don't purchase them with the intention of trading for cash unless you are just absolutely paranoid about carrying U.S. cash. Exception: you can generally trade American Express Travelers checks for foreign currency sans fees at an American Express office. You will find these in many large European cities. <BR>

ann

My bank says you don't need a 4 digit pin, just put in the first four digits of your pin (regardless of how many digits you use in the US) and it will be recognized by European ATMs. Am curious is other banks work this way or if they have you actually change your pin (my bank does not allow anything less than 6 digits in this country).

Bob C

Everyone has their own way of doing things, so I will share what we do. On our last trip to France I paid for Hotels and rental car with a credit card. I paid for all meals and misc items with cash which I got with my bank ATM card. I got about $300 each time since there was a $1.50 fee each time. I also took about $300 in francs with me so I wouldn't have to worry about getting any money as soon as I arrived.

Bob

Everytime I analyze this after each trip I find that putting as much on a credit card as you can is the way to go. The exchange always works out better. I too use ATM for cash and get as much as I can each time because of the fee the bank charges. I have not used a travelers check since 1991. No need.

Ann

FYI on the whole Euro thing. Discovered recently that the plural of euro is euro, and the plural of cent is cent. So that jacket you wanted to buy is 50 euro and 99 cent. <BR><BR>Apparently, the muckety-mucks in the EC started to swoon at the thought that they would have cents just like Americans. So to avoid any comparison to the U.S., they cleverly decided that cent would have to do, be it one cent or fity cent.<BR><BR>

Capo

What's "best" varies from person to person. What I prefer is using a credit card whenever I can, and an ATM card to get cash for those times I can't. <BR><BR>My understanding is that, with both kinds of cards, one gets the "bank-to-bank" exchange rate, which is a bit higher than the exchange rate one sees quoted. And, based on the rates I've calculated on my Visa/bank statements -- compared to rates I've jotted down while in Europe -- that's been the case. <BR><BR>I'd rather pay a few relatively small fees -- and make infrequent cash withdrawals -- than deal with (what is, for me) the hassle of traveler's checks.

JOdy

I agree with Capo.. we use the credit card as much as possible..you can get cards that don't charge the conversion feee. And check with your bank about ATM charges. With the kind of account I have with BA , there are no charges. Even if it is 2% , that's $20.00/$1000.00. A small price to pay for convenience. <BR><BR>I do take about $200.00 in local currency with me however. I want to get off of the plane and into a taxi, no waiting for trains and lugging luggage, door to door service, no interim stops as with a shuttle and it gets you into the feel of traffic in the city you are visiting..you'll know in 5 minutes why we all say don't drive in Paris!!It's worth the few dollars extra this costs to get fast door to door service and sometimes you get a really neat cab driver , who will talk about his city!

Euro-s-

A comment to Ann:<BR>The fact that euro and cent do not have a "s" in plural is due to the different european languages.<BR>Since plural is not always marked by the letter "s", it has been decided to put no mark at all.<BR>

Jamesq

I recently returned from London, and read an article in the Financial Times that backs up what Ann is saying, that they decided to go with "euro" and "cent" because of the American association with "cents".<BR><BR>

Ginger

We were in Europe for three weeks in December and January. After reading comments on this site, we applied for extra cards to take. We found that some of our cards would work in some places while some others worked in other places. At some machines we got messages that read - "not an international card". We even called the card companies before we left to make sure that all would be fine and to let them know that we would be using the cards since we are not big card users. We had several circumstances of the stores having to call to confirm that it was actually us making the purchase.