We are leaving for Germany in a month and I want to have some euro with us - where is the best place to exchange? I don't have a clue! Thanks for the help.

You can easily exchange at the airport when you are waiting for your plane. Just find the booth (it will be in the International Terminal that your plane is leaving from.

Some people will tell you to wait until you arrive in Germany but I always make sure to have some Euro before I leave. I found out the hard way that it is not always a sure thing to find an exchange on the other side.

A good tip is to ask what the specials are from the exchange office. Sometimes you get a bit of a discount if you buy a certain $ amount.

Peace, Lily

I agree with you, I wanted to have some money with us just in case. I didn't know I could just exchange it at the airport so I thank you for the advice.

Don't bother taking currency for exchange. Just take a Visa or Mastercard ATM card and you can get the best exchange rate as you go, and ATM machines are everywhere now. DO NOT use a credit card for ATM withdrawls or you will be charged a higher rate of interest on those withdrawls as well as a cash-advance fee.

When the Euro to dollar was 1.50 the banks wanted 1.60 to trade dollars for Euros. That is a 6% fee. A bit much I think.

If you use an ATM card most banks won't charge a fee to take your money out. The foreign country ATM may charge a fee to use their ATM.

Call your bank and ask about an ATM card if you don't have one and ask about the charges for the ATM.

You may get a better exchange rate if you are a member of AAA and contact AAA.

We are going to wait to get Euro when we get to Europe unless the rates start to climb again. Then we will exchange some dollars before we leave.

I didn't think about the AAA - I will call them. I don't want to take much, just enough to get breakfast if we want, cab fare... We are landing in Frankfurt and then taking a 2 hour train ride.

Your Visa card will buy breakfast. Your Visa card will buy train tickets.

You will probably walk past three ATMs (<i>Geldautomat</i between breakfast and train platform.

I think the last time I took cash with me was about eighteen trips ago.

AAA is the worst deal in town.

This seems to be a good place to have euro sent directly to your home with little or no surcharge:

http://www.xe.com/ucc/+xe+convert+Eu...cd=1&amp;gl=us

I guess we are all different! DH never carries cash. I always carry plenty of cash. I also keep some at home....I'm just not a plastic girl.

Oh well that's what makes the world go round.

Peace, Lily

I don't know where you live, but in my home city many local banks (including Chase) will exchange dollars for euros with a day or two notice. But personally, I would just use the ATM at the arrival airport.

If you like, you can try an American Express travel office. Call first, as some do not carry foreign currency. If you have a card, there is no fee. No card? $5 fee. I always take a little with me as I have encountered some problems with atm's overseas.

I will never understand the need to have some of the other currency before arriving at the destination.

Between deplaning and getting to the curbside or train station you will walk by about 5 currency exchange booths and about 10 ATMs.

The booths are not a great deal, but still better than anything you will get on this side of the pond. The ATMs are the best deal and will save you some serious cash. Just make sure your ATM card has a 4 digit security code.

I love it when I hear statements about exchanging currency for 'no fee'. It's amazing how many people fall for this and don't pay attention to the exchange rate actually being used.

By &quot;no fee&quot; I think the postings refer to a fee on top of the extreme high per cent tacked on to the exchange rate.

For instance I called my bank and they said it was $20 to process the order at a rate which was 6.25% over that day's exchange rate.

ATMs are the best way to go but if a person wants a few Euro with them when they leave home, then they should find the best way to get them.

In this country &quot;no fee&quot; (keine Geb&uuml;hren) means the wholesale exchange rate. (Devisenkurs) and no additional fees for using the card.

Everything else would be &quot;low fees&quot;.

We are AAA members and almost always buy the &quot;emergency pack&quot; of Euros. Good to have some cash on hand to tip the pilot.....

I have to agree that I've never needed to have local currency on hand before traveling and don't worry about it. But then, we tend to also go to countries where the exchange windows and banks in the US don't have that currency available anyway. We've just got accustomed to looking for the ATM as we walked through the destination airport. Hasn't failed us so far. BUT - we have had a couple hundred in USD tucked away just in case it's not worked out and we have to exchange on the other end. We've always come back home with it.

If you do decide to hit the exchange window at your home airport or at a connecting airport in the US, you might want to check ahead to see if it's open when you'll be going through, particularly if it's a late flight. Places like LAX, JFK and Chicago probably will probably be fine. But here in Memphis, for instance, which is an international airport (non-stop to Amsterdam), I've often seen the exchange window closed as we've walked by. Also, be aware that exchange counters, or at least some of them, have minimums as well as rates that aren't favorable.

Chances are that if you got off the plane in Germany and couldn't find a single ATM that would take your card, you likely have a problem with the card, or your bank. You wouldn't have enough for the entire trip in cash on hand anyway. So you might want to plan for that kind of problem by having a backup card and calling your bank ahead of time to let them know that you're going to be in Germany and when. And keep that bit of USD on hand to exchange there, only if needed, in order to get to the hotel if you have a bank/card problem and to allow time to sort it out with your bank. A credit card on hand will buy you a lot of time to take care of costs in the meantime, other than cab fare.

Dont get Euros at an airport unless it is from an ATM. It is a big rip off to get it at an currency exchange booth at the airport or any bank in Europe.

So when they tell you the more you buy, the &quot;more you save&quot; is a joke?

Saw a post titled &quot;FYI&quot; this a.m.-poster landed (in Italy? I forget)and all the atm's were down because of a strike.

Bring some cash, kids!