You're on vacation...waiting for your luggage at the carousel.<BR><BR>If you actually think you are saving time etc. by going out and blowing $15 to have the "convenience" of having Euros in your pocket while waiting for your baggage so be it.<BR><BR>I just think people are very much ill informed on this whole topic. International airports are used to people arriving from all corner of the world needing local currency. That's why there are ATM's (and there are lots of them) and currency exchange places right in the airport. The queues are rarely all that long, you have to wait for your baggage anywayand I just don't get this attitude of not wanting to hassle after coming off of a long flight; like it's a hassle to insert your card into an ATM, punch in your PIN, and wait for the money to come out. That's a real hassle<BR><BR>But if you feel you're better off, that's fine and you can make your point. I've made mine. Now it's up to the other person to decide, isn't it.

Just to clarify the mention I made of the "fee" from American Express to send the cash --<BR>depending on the type of card you have, Optima, Senior, Platinum, etc., there will likely be no fee to send the money by regular mail with a 7 to 10 day delivery. There will be a small fee to send it if you have a "standard" and some "special" AMEX cards. There will always be a mailing fee to send it express or overnight.<BR><BR>Don't get hung up on the term "no fee". I have often seen people racing through the airports looking at the exchange counters and blindly attacking ones that said "no fee". Often the ones that have no fee, give you a much worse rate of exchange. Some of the ones that charge you a fee may be a much better deal especially if you are converting a larger amount of money. Let's face it, there is no free lunch. If they are exchanging money, renting a space, and paying staff to work there, obviously you are paying for that service! <BR><BR>So far, I have seldom entered a country with any local currency (unless I had some left over from the last trip -- I usually have some British pounds, for example), but totally rely on the ATM's. In many, many trips, I have yet not been able to get money from an ATM on arrival, but I admit, there could always be a glitch and something could go wrong. So I understand a person who feels it is worth $5 to $10 for the peace of mind of arriving with some cash -- I just haven't chosen to go that route yet.

One further point to Jeff's comment. Actually many European airports that I've arrived at you must claim your luggage and exit through customs before you get to an arrivals hall where the ATM's are. Seldom if ever have I been able to find an ATM while waiting for my luggage before going through customs. And you can not go out to the arrivals hall to use an ATM, then re-enter to claim your luggage. Small point -- I still have never had to wait in a long line to get cash from an ATM once I've gone through customs.

Many, many thanks for all the information. Very helpful and educational. My husband and I like to carry some local currency ($100 or less) so we can buy train tickets, etc. Thanks for the info on the Sawgrass Mall - We'll get a small nof. Euros and then buy the rest when the banks open after the holiday. (We have DMs left over from last year and will have to exchange them in Germany. Don't know what the fee will be since it is after the so-called deadline for excahnging to euros. Nancy

Patrick is a voice of reason--the bottom line is, anyone who wants to get the best exchange rate for foreign currency will wait and use the ATM, which as he pointed out, are very rarely right next to baggage claim, but usually pretty easy to find once you proceed through immigration. Jeff Jaguar and his hysterical tirade against paying any surcharge for funds by planning ahead and buying at home is patently absurd! An educated consumer is not necessarily the one who pays the least, but is the one who knows that FOR HIM, it is worth a convenience fee to have a little local currency. Jeff actually contradicts himself in his first reply by saying that if the ATM doesn't work, then go to an exchange window--sounds like he'll pay a fee then.<BR>Also, I disagree that anything including transportation to the city can be paid for with credit card; on my last trip I had a pre-arranged driver waiting for me at the exit from immigration so the last thing I wanted to do was drag suitcases around looking for an ATM. Also, the terms of my reservation were to pay in cash. So Jeff--CHILL OUT! I think Nancy is not out of line planning ahead, and will not be "RIPPED OFF" or "HASSLED" as long as she knows that buying ahead will cost a few dollars more. Don't waste time answering genuine requests for input and information if yours is the only correct way to do things and everyone else's experience or advice is"A SILLY ANSWER".

I did not say mine is the only way...read the end of the posting. I gave my opinion. You gave yours. Fine.<BR>Done. I never attack anybody personally. I have very strong opinions and express them but never have attacked anybody personally.

Nancy, if you take your DM's to a National Bank of Germany in Germany there will be no fee whatsoever to exchange them to Euros, and it will be at the same rate that was set long ago. You have a couple of years (I forget exact deadlines for each country) to do this.<BR>Regarding transportation. I always use a car service in London which does not accept credit cards. When the driver meets me he always politely says, "will you need to stop at an ATM here or on the way to the flat?"

Jeff, perhaps because you repeatedly call people stupid, ignorant, misinformed, lazy, silly, and belittle anyone who has a different opinion than your personal, peculiar crusade (how many times have we seen this rant now?), you come off as hysterical and you do indeed insult people. You think anyone who is not obsessed with the same things you are is stupid, you've said so on other posts. In this one you called others valid comments and opions "silly." You follow up to belittle the idea of spending $15 for convenience and knowing you have local money. You also make a lot of statements which are not quite as simplistic as you propose (like using ATMs while waiting for baggage, using credit cards for taxis or going into banks to get money on a credit card) and propose solutions which may seem to others to be more trouble than what you are trying to avoid, a few bucks fee. Believe it or not, others have minds of their own and can decide what is worthwhile to them. I have been in international airports with currency exchanges closed, without working ATMs, with long lines at the ATMs, etc, everything you claim cannot occur, can. I think you're just cheap the way you obsess over a few dollars.

Nancy,<BR>You sound like me. Personally, I just feel more comfortable walking off the plane with a small amount of the local currency just in case the airport ATMs are down or whatever. After this, it's ATMs all the way. <BR>Obtaining currency from AmEx has worked best for me and Jeff, I don't give a rat's ass if I'm paying a small fee for peace of mind!

If you're using ATM card, make sure PIN is 4 numbers and not 5. I've found that in Europe, only 4 number PINS work.

Thank you Jeff. Don't listen to those ignorant fools. Your advise has saved me at least $300. If folks want to throw money away due to ignorance, they can send me the money. And maybe everybody is so rich that throwing away $15 is no big deal to them. It's not as if we're talking about 2 or 3 cents....