Originally Posted by
vmsea
Where is it best to get some foreign currency..
In this case Euros?
I'm based in the US (Seattle). I know i can pull cash using debit card, and spend using credit cards, but i'd like to have a little cash (1000 or so euros) on hand..
Is going to a BoA or Chase bank the best? any recs?
Thanks!
It's a terrible mistake to arrive in Europe penniless, so you are wise to buy some in advance.
I always buy at least a thousand euros through Wells Fargo. They charge five percent above the current market rate, which I find reasonable. I think at one time they only charged four percent, and I found a money changer in New York once who only charged three percent.
My wife's ATM card was eaten by a bank machine in Italy on a Friday afternoon, and if I hadn't had substantial cash plus a credit card our trip would have been ruined. Also, my experience with my wife is that finding a working ATM machine isn't always as easy as everyone pretends it to be. Contrary to popular belief, sometimes ATM machines are broken; sometimes ATM have lines, while there is never a line to use your own cash; sometimes ATM machines won't accept every card; sometimes you have to walk and search for a while to find an ATM machine.
With all of that said, I do intend to get an ATM card not connected to my bank account for my next trip. I've always taken a couple of thousand dollars in US currency in case I spent all my euros. On my last trip I started to run short and found that it is now virtually impossible to exchange dollars in Europe. Even so, I have no plans to ever set foot in Europe without at least 1,000 cash euros.