Lynn

This may be a silly question but I'm an American and I don't know the answer. <BR>When gong to London and/or Paris is it better to exchange USD for the EURO or British Pounds / French Francs?

wes fowler

Lynn, <BR>If you're going to Europe this year, you won't be able to exchange dollars for the Euro; it will not be in general circulation until 2002. For the most favorable exchange rates in pounds and francs, use a credit card for major expenditures (accommodations, meals). Use an ATM card with a 4 digit numeric PIN number for cash withdrawals from your checking account for daily expenses. Consider a backup of a few hundred USD travelers checks for emergency use if needed; redeposit them in your checking account if not.

Londoner

<BR>Pounds for the UK but either Francs or Euros will do in France. <BR> <BR>But to get the best exchange rates, use your credit cards as much as you can in Britain and Europe. No commission charges that way. <BR>

Lori

Euros are not used yet - we were just in Paris. They will not be used until afte the first of the year as I understand it so I be sure to get Francs!! Pounds do it for the UK.

Lynn

I'm going to France and London in April 2002.

elvira

The whole point of the euro is to make business easier in Europe. If you are going to Europe in April 2002, you'll want to take advantage of that.

sarah

Francs will no longer be in circulation in April 2002, you will need to by Euros for France and Sterling for the UK

David

Londoner, not exactly true that using credit cards = no commission charges. If you use a Visa credit card, Visa charges 1%, and many credit card isuing banks charge an additional 1%-2% on top of the Visa charge. <BR> <BR>Call your credit card company to find out, so you can determine the best rates.

Bob Brown

I just learned that Bank of America is charging 2% above the 1% Visa rate. <BR>So I am shopping for a new credit card provider for Europe. Any suggestions? <BR>