exchanging dollars for euros before? or when you arrive?

Howdy All:

Should we exchange or dollars before we get over to paris or do half and then do the rest at the airport?

We have a voucher from expedia for free exchange at ttravelex and I think they have an offic e at the eiffel tower which is right near our hotel.

Thanks,

Kristen

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The best advice I can give you is %26quot;neither.%26quot; If you have a voucher, that may mean you aren%26#39;t paying a fee on top of getting a bad exchange rate, but it doesn%26#39;t mean you will get a good deal.

I%26#39;m not familiar with your part of Texas - if you live near a large city (e.g., Dallas), you can get a small stash of euros from the international department of a large bank (e.g., Bank of America or Wells Fargo). How much they will charge depends on whether you are an account holder (it probably would pay to make some phone calls). You also could buy some at Thomas Cook or a similar place in a large city.

I would suggest, however, not getting more than maybe 100 euros at the most because it will cost you much more to buy them in the US (or to exchange dollars in France) than just getting them from local ATMs in Paris.

To use the ATM in Paris, you need to be sure that your bank knows you will be in Europe (also your credit card companies) so call them, so they don%26#39;t block transactions on the chance that someone got your card fraudulently (trust me, it%26#39;s no fun calling Visa from Paris). The exchange rate and fee for getting local currency from an ATM is the best rate you will be able to get anywhere, so just go with that. One thing - an ATM in Paris will not let you select between two accounts, so be sure the cash you plan to use is in your checking account (e.g., it won%26#39;t let you go to the savings account instead).

Have a great time!

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Thanks, last year we got all our money from First National (who partnered with another bank) and they charged us an arm and a leg. I know the exchange rate is very bad, and if we were smart we probably should have waited to go to Paris, but you know sometimes you just gotta go for it.

We%26#39;re near Houston, tx and they sent off to San Antonio for our pounds which seemed kinda strange but we are not very big.

Thanks,

Kristen

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If you%26#39;re a member of AAA, you might also want to check with them. I seem to recall that they can get %26quot;starter packs%26quot; (which is really all you need - just enough to get you to the area of your hotel, and then you will see ATMs all over as you walk around tourist areas).

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I apprecaite all the time you have spent helping me. ATMs will be cheaper than an exchange office? Don%26#39;t the credit cards charge you 3 percent or a fee to use them? Or are you saying to use my debit card?

Thanks,

K

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Use your debit card in the ATM. You will will pay a conversion fee, but the total cost for using an ATM will be much less than buying euros in the US (plus, you don%26#39;t have to worry about carrying a lot of cash).

You will be charged a fee (probably 3%) on credit card purchases - it%26#39;s just a fact of life, unfortunately. But as you say - your choice is not to go, and how is that an acceptable alternative??

Have a great time.

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Exchange all of your dollars where I do and have for many years:

http://www.ccopera.com/

You will not find better no fee, non commissioned exchange rates anywhere.

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Sarastro - thanks! that is a great rate.

Misssmith10 - you should check with your bank as some of the large banks have agreements with foreign banks so you can withdraw money from the atm with your debit card with no fee and the fx rate is decent.

For example, I bank with Bank of America who has agreements with BNP in France so when I go to Paris, I can take out Euros as I need them with no commission. It sure beats the 3% fee on the credit card. I would imagine that many of the large banks have such agreements. If you cannot do this, and are not near the place advised by sarastro with the great fx rates! use your atm card, as it is the best deal.

Whatever you do, don%26#39;t change money at the airport it is a ripoff.

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Thanks to evryone for taking the time to help me. I am going to contact my bank and see if they have an agreement with a bank in paris. I doubt it as it is a local bank for texas out of victoria so I%26#39;d be really surprised.

Cheers all,

K

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These days there is almost no reason to change money before you depart, as there are ATM%26#39;s at the airports where you can withdrawal money on arrival to have for taxis, public transportation, etc. The starter packs at AAA are offered at a completely outrageous exchange rate, member or not. If your bank can exchange money without fees, there%26#39;s no reason not to do it, but if there is any fee over and above what the ATM charge would be, there is little reason TO do it, either. ATM withdrawals are changed at the prevailing rate, without the 3% charged by credit card companies, but WITH a typical ATM withdrawal fee, still making it the least expensive way to spend money. A Capital One card is probably the least expensive credit card to use overseas, and a Bank of America American Express Rewards or the Delta American Express Rewards card the most expensive.

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Well i spent this morning calling my bank and credit cards to get the scoop. My bank was not terribly helpful as the girl didn%26#39;t know if there was a atm network for my bank. American express has the lowest rate of 2 percent as compared to my visa which is 3.

If we were exchange money before we left, they will have to send off to san antonio to frost bank and they charge a total of 30.00. It takes 14 days which would cut it far too close.

My plan is to exchange a few 100.00 at the airport in houston so we have something when we arrive. Once there, I have a voucher for free exchanging so we proably will do that as I still haven%26#39;t figured out if my debit will work.

Thanks,

k