Forex Advice?
I'll be traveling to Europe for the first time in about five months, and I'm wondering what the best course of action would be to get the best exchange rate. I'll be traveling to the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands, so I'd need GBP and Euros.
This is what I have:
Credit Cards:
Amex Blue - 2.7% FTF
Discover - No FTF, but I don't think European merchants accept it
Bank of America Rewards - 3% FTF
Chase Slate - 3% FTF
ATM/Debit cards (for payments or ATM withdrawals):
Bank of America - 3% FTF, additional $5 fee if I don't use a partner ATM.
Discover - I don't know, but I don't think European merchants accept it
TD Bank - $3 fee as well as fees from Visa as it's pulled as a cash advance, not a withdrawal.
HFCU (US Air Force) - Free for SUM and Allpoint network ATMs, which are available in most places that I am traveling, but I'm not sure how bad the exchange rate will be.
Currency exchange services:
Bank of America will exchange my currency at the downtown branch in my city on the spot for no fee, but the "fee" is built into the subpar exchange rate, and is effectively somewhere between 5-6%
TD Bank will exchange foreign currency at the downtown branch in my city for a flat fee (I forget how much it is) but they don't disclose their exchange rates online, so I don't know how good or bad they are.
I would like at least some cash to carry for occasions where cash would be necessary.
Should I convert the cash in the US before I go? Or would I get a better exchange rate abroad? What about fees?
Is the (unavoidable in my case) 3% FTF on my credit cards my best bet for paying for things, or will it be a better idea to get cash?