Originally Posted by
Craig6z
Typically not even close. A no-fee ATM card in Europe will generally be no more than 1.75% over the spot exchange rate. A local bank branch here is going to be probably a minimum of 4% above spot, and I've had friends pay close to 7%. A lot of US Banks don't even want to get involved in an exchange, as it is labor/time intensive.
With Schwab, I typically get within 50 basis points of the relevant middle rate at ATMs.