Best Ways To Get Euros?

[Wolfeye]

I'm heading to Europe in a few days, but I just found out that my goddamn debit card wouldn't work there because it doesn't have a chip. My bank doesn't have branches in Europe, but it does have VISA on the corner. I figure I can at least take a bunch of American cash with me & exchange it at a UK bank (where they speak English & I can ask questions). I know airports & cash exchanges rip you off something fierce, so those would only be last resorts.

Besides off-the-books work (which any advice on would be very welcome), how do you get Euros? Are traveler's checks still done?

[El_Caudillo]

Have you gone into your bank and discussed this? Surely they can give you a debit card which works in the banks over there. Most European cities should have citibank - which I have gone to when other banks didn't work. Most bank European bank ATMs should accept an American debit card. If you are constantly carrying cash/travellers cheques it will be a hassle.

Do the legwork in the US first, before you get over there.

[xtravel]

The best way to get currency of the country you are visiting is to bring US $100 bills and exchange them for local currency at a currency exchange kiosk. In some countries you don't get good rates, but the US dollar is the world currency so you will be certain to be able get local cash this way.

If the amount of cash, even in Benjamins, is too much to carry, you can get 1000 frank Swiss notes, or 1000 dollar Singapore notes. Here, your options for converting to local cash will be somewhat more limited and of course you faced with getting poor rates of conversion in the USA, and also will struggle to find US banks with these denominations.

Some countries require bills to be unblemished, no tears, marks, or writing, so when you go to your US bank to get your Benjamins, ask for pristine bills.

[gravity25x]

This may not be of any use to you, but at least at my bank in the US (wells fargo) you could order foreign currency (for travel, etc) and have it sent to your bank. You'd pick it up yourself at the branch. I don't know what their exchange rates were...good or bad...

[Signet]

In my experience, exchange rates are usually better in the country you are visiting than exchanging money in the States. Exception being the airports, which gouge you horrifically on exchange rates, just like they do with everything else (hooray €3.50 bottle of coke!). Of course, you want a bit of spending money to start off with just in case. In my case, European ATMs have always accepted my card, although I had to give a travel notice to my bank for the countries I was visiting in order for them to work. It would be really weird if your bank could just tell you 'you can't get any money there, sorry, them's the breaks.' My bank is small and regional, with only a handful of branches, but I managed to use it without issue in the U.K., Germany, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro.

I know that you said you were going 'in a few days,' and this topic is a month old, but even if it's of no use to you, I figure someone else may eventually happen upon it.

[Tsar]

Currency Exchange fees is just another bankster scam. They provide no service and no value and no work by exchanging 1 fiat currency to another fiat currency. If I were bringing money abroad to move abroad it would largely be in the form of gold. I looked on popular European gold vendors and some foreign-to-Europe coins but common in America sell out fast. So might as well buy a gold coin then sell that in Europe for Euro. No Rothschild/bankster currency conversion fee that is easily 3% maybe more. Every $100, you pay a minimum of 3% to the banksters. No way in hell I'm doing that. Some Credit Cards have 0% Currency Exchange fees when shopping on credit. But cash is needed for all the places that don't accept credit cards.

[xtravel]

Currency Exchange fees is just another bankster scam. They provide no service and no value and no work by exchanging 1 fiat currency to another fiat currency. If I were bringing money abroad to move abroad it would largely be in the form of gold. I looked on popular European gold vendors and some foreign-to-Europe coins but common in America sell out fast. So might as well buy a gold coin then sell that in Europe for Euro. No Rothschild/bankster currency conversion fee that is easily 3% maybe more. Every $100, you pay a minimum of 3% to the banksters. No way in hell I'm doing that. Some Credit Cards have 0% Currency Exchange fees when shopping on credit. But cash is needed for all the places that don't accept credit cards.

Some countries restrict the movement of gold across borders. It's trivial to sell Benjamins ... walk down any commercial street outside the USA, and in minutes you will see a forex shop. Gold buyers? Not so much. I can stuff my wallet with 12 Benjamins and carry it through the airport walk through meta detector. An ounce of gold will set off many of the same metal detectors. Then the TSA (The Stealing Agency) will find it, and probably keep it.

[Wolfeye]

Shit, that's good to know. I hear cash (American cash, at least) can set off metal detectors. Magnetic ink , I hear is the real reason, not a magnetic strip.