What's the smartest way to go? Bring a couple hundred Euro with me and use an ATM once I'm there? Use my CC the whole time? Or exchange all once I get there? Sorry. First time overseas. Ignorant traveler.

Use your ATM card at the airport for euro. Use your debit card for non-cash purchases. Be sure to tell your bank ahead of time! Whatever you do, don't bring travellers checks or large amounts of cash to exchange.

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Charge as much as you can with credit cards. Use your ATM to pull cash for walking around money. It MUST be linked to your checking account - savings won;t work.

Also - check what your bank charges. Some are very greedy and charge out of network fees as well as a % of the amount. (But this will be perhaps 1 to 3# versus the 8 to 10% you would be charged changing cash.)

If your bank does that - consider changing banks if you plan on doing more traveling.

Although I rely on ATM cards once I'm there, I always feel better having some euros with me when I arrive. You just never know. Usually get about 100 euros before I arrive.

Hi hoff,

I would change $100 at the departure airport.

This will cost about $4 more than doing it in Europe.

From then on, use your CC as much as possible and your ATM card for cash.

CapitalOne doesn't charge a foreign exchange fee.

You might want to bring some USD denominated Traveler's Checks for emergency backup. Deposit them when you get home.

Enjoy your visit.

Conflicting info, what?
Here's what I do:
1. Have about US$100 in $5s,$10s in case the ATMs (there will be numerous ATMs) at the destination airport don't work, as the US$cash is (at a destination airport) more accepted than traveler's checks.
2. Use ONLY ATMs in Europe (the bank affiliated with my broker charges no fee).
3. Notify the bank's security department that I'm going to Europe, and where, and when, and what limit I'd like. Get their 24/7 telephone number (not 800-) to call from Europe if somehow they block transactions by mistake.
4. Notify my credit card's security departmnet all the same as in #3

Once, and only once, did my ATM card not work: Frankfurt airport. I exchanged $50 at a foreign exchange counter, went to another ATM, and it worked. Happy ever after.

I brought some euros with me. (You can get these at the local bank, (they order them unless you are in a big metro area), or you can get them at AAA in a packet of small bills.
I always think it is great to have some local cash upon arrival.(I would bring about 200 euros).

Then make sure you call the banks and credit cards to tell them where and when you will be traveling as they may freeze your accounts. Get a capital one card because there are no exchange fees.
Bring at least two credit cards and two atm cards from different banks. This way if one gets eaten or one does not work right away, the other one hopefully will.
Enjoy!!

Hoffy, you will be given a variety of suggestions on this board from experienced travelers. Take heed.

My MO is to take $1000 in cash and convert about $700 into Euros at the Logan Airport in Boston. I travel mostly on tours so I have paid for accomodations up front. Somehow I am comforted by having a bit of American cash stashed away.

I also use my credit card for purchases if needed. I am not a big shopper. I guess my fear is that if I rely on my debit card for cash from ATM machines that somehow my card will not eject from the machine, the bus will be leaving, and I will be screwed (pardon).

So far this has worked for me but I am sure there are those who will disagree.

Enjoy your trip - the dollar is gaining against the Euro as we speak.

I travel to Europe everyweek for work and also travel there for vacations-I NEVER use a credit card overseas. I always use the ATM for cash including alloting enough for hotel payments when needed and other large payments.

Most will probably disagree with converting $700 at an airport money exchange. You will pay close to 10% for that convenience. In 300+ days of travel over 15 years we have never had an debit card fail. A few ATMs did not work from time to time but the next one always did. However, we always try to use an ATM attached to a bank during open hours. We avoid stand alone ATMs. We do carry a second debit tied to a different account as backup but have never had to use. We tend to use more cash than credit card charges because you can often get a discount for cash especially at hotels -- not true for restaurants.

I use a credit card to pay my hotel bill and have on hand for emergencies only.

I take euro from an ATM machine using my debit card, as needed.

I also have some US cash as a back up (~$300) that I can exchange or bring back home with me.

Sometimes I get a few hundred euro from my home bank ahead of time, although I know this is not the most economical way.

As you see, everyone has their way of doing it. I think whatever way suits you best is the way to do it.

I am in Paris now for a month. I come for a month twice a year. "my" way has always been to bring euros with me and to use the Capital One credit card. It seems that it is the only one that does not charge transaction fees. I do not use my ATM (most do). I have one with me. I purchase euros before coming..not from my bank,,they charge hefty fee just for doing it. This time I found Wells Fargo to be good..They carged an overnight fee of $6 and I felt their rate was good...I don't mind paying a bit extra "for the convenience". I do, of course, bring other credit cards with me. If you have a Wells Fargo where you live, it would work even better.

Do call you bank and CC companies with where and when you will travelllcall twice, as they sometimes do not get the info on your account.

This is my way..it works for me and I will continue doing it this way...so, whatever works best for you.

Enjoy your trip.......Joan

We use our credit card everywhere we can--it has only the 1% Visa conversion charge. For cash we use bank ATMs at our destination. We've never had a problem yet. I really don't like paying a lot extra for currency exchange before we leave the USA. But I do understand that it is comforting for some people to pay more to have some foreign currency in hand before leaving.

I use my capital one visa card for most purchases (easy, plus it earns points towards future flights). I use an ATM card to withdraw local currency once I get there. I use the local currency when credit cards aren't accepted (street vendors, small shops, etc).

I bring home with me about one hundred euro on each trip so I have my "start up" money for the next trip. (Sometimes I take it out and look at it when I'm feeling really sad about not being in Europe - talk about a travel addict). Sometimes its a bit less or a bit more, but this way I don't have to worry about spending it all or having some with me when I arrive. Obviously this doesn't work in countries that aren't on the euro.

I take an extra credit card and an extra ATM (different bank) in case my main credit card or ATM card get lost, or don't work for some reason, but I almost never have to use them.

I never carry any cash, unless I have some leftover from my previous trip. I never seem to have trouble finding an ATM or just using a credit card. In much of Europe, you can use your credit card to pay for your cab/train/subway from the airport, so you often don't even need to worry about it until you hit the hotel.

We don't charge any on-the-ground expenses to our credit card. We stay at B&Bs and they always require cash, so we use ATMs to get about 200 euro at a time. This is from a credit union's debit card. This year we got a second debit card on another account, just in case.

You probably can arrive without a euro to your name and get some at the airport, but what if there's an ATM-stockers' strike? (Yes, I'm a worrier.) Rather than pay extra to a bank or Western Union or at your departing airport, do you know somebody who'd sell/lend you some? Or is there a school group near you that went to Europe this summer and the kids still have some euro on hand?

Then, at the end of your trip, save some to bring home for the next trip.

As recommended above, notify your bank/credit cards/credit union in advance of the dates and places of your travel. Ask them what your daily withdrawal limit is (remembering that 200 euro will take about $300 out of that daily chunk), and also what constitutes the end of their day (it's probably midnight, but is that EST or where?)

I have not seen one arrivals hall in the Euro zone without both, ATMs and exchange banks.

So, if your CC or DC should not work with the ATMs (which will only very rarely happen), you can still exchange some $$ which you brought with you.

The exchange rate may be not in your favor, but since the probability that you will have to do it (e.g. due to broken ATMs or CC problems) is very low, I wonder what extra benefit it can have to exchange $ for € already in the US.

IMO, these three or five Euros that you have a tiny probability to waste at the exchange bank upon arrival, do not justify the costs and hassles to drive all across your home town to pick up someone else's leftover Euros. You'll probably waste more $ on gas than save on €.

Having suffered the weak dollar vs the Euro several times in recent years, I ran across an invisible man who visits me every Monday morning.

He hands me $100 US with the condition I spend it any way I wish but do so before the next Monday rolls around -- and he does this every Monday morning for an entire year.

He does the same thing for my wife. One hundred crisp US bills every Monday for a year.

What a new-found wealth we now enjoy! Nuts to the Euro and Europe. We enjoy staying home so much more!

Wow. You have all been so gracious! I am very excited to go and appreciate all the help! Thanks!

<<< Use your debit card for non-cash purchases >>>

Use for CREDIT card for non-cash purchases - though note debit & credit cards may not be accepted at as a wide a range of shops as they would in the US

Also note that there may not be any ATMs associated with your bank so you will get charged fees - so know how much they are and if there is a minimum fee - withdrawing €10 at a time could cost you $5

Finally - get the OVERSEAS contact number for the cards as as sure as day follows night the b*st*rds will "forget" that you told them you are going abroad and block the card due to suspicious activity. It's at this point you become glad that you a) have another card with another bank & b) that $100 TC in your socks