I'm contemplating ordering euros and pounds online prior to our European trip. Has anyone done this before and can recommend a good place to go?

I've seen www.ordercurrency.com and others like them.

Probably looking for roughly 400 euros or pounds.

It is worth it?

Why? There are ATMs at every airport, and they are so easy to use. Less of a user's fee than ordering online.

A VERY big waste of money.

If you must have some euros befor eyou go just change $50 or $100 at the bureau de change in your departure airport. The price couldn't possibly be worse than ordering on-line.

Just pull whatever other cash you need from ATMs as you go.

I would NOT waste my money. If you wait until you are in the airport, you can find an aTM. The rate of exchange that you get is the bank wholesale rate plus 1%.

The 1% is the standard Visa charge. Compared with the 5% of more you would pay to order currency over here, you are saving quite a bit. On an order of €400, you would pay more than about $25.00. Some people argue the amount is trivial.

OK, is it so trivial that if you saw a €20 note lying on the sidewalk you would just keep on walking? I don't think so.

The only way I buy euro notes over here is when I can work out a deal privately and we agree to swap money at the wholesale rate of exchange.

Don't fall for that "no fee" gimmick. You don't know how much of a fee you are paying unless you know the wholesale bankrate of exchange for that day.

I just got back from Germany and Switzerland and I checked all of my aTM withdrawals against the wholesale rate. That was the rate I got, plus a separately listed charge of 1% of the transaction value. There were no charges for aTM usage because I am allowed two transactions per month at no extra charge. I was able to split my transactions over the end of August and the beginning of September.

Moreover, depending on where you will be, your bank(s) may well have a correspondent agreement with a European bank. For example, Bank of America and Barclay's have an agreement. When I was in the UK last year, all transactions at Barclay's were treated as "on-net" and there were no charges for ATM usage.

You posted this twice ( why? ) - and the answer is the same on both. No need to order ahead of time. If you just must have a few £ or € upon arrival (whichever is the currency of the first place you visit) you can buy them at you departure airport.

But ATMs are the way to go for 95% of your currency needs.

I have ordered in the past from Bank of America and had it delivered to the local bank in my city. they have upped the minimum order to avoid the delivery charge... their exchange rate seemed to work out to be between 5-6%.

These days, I bring home extra euro so I will start out with some in my pocket on the next trip.