$1 bills - very handy
Oct 26, 2011, 6:49 am
#16
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: NYC
Programs: AA PLat
Posts: 212
On 2nd thought , 2 $ bills are great for the US. I've used them here , people dont forget you . best to stick with singles overseas. Your dollars get inspected enuff , no reason to confuse them with a 2$ .
Oct 26, 2011, 8:20 am
#17
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: eastern Europe & NC
Posts: 4,527
Or perhaps (like me) the OP lives outside the USA, but visits regularly and would like to have those all important "ones" prior to arrival...
Didn't anyone else read the bit that said "Just landed..."?
Was it really such a weird question? Don't any Americans obtain their foreign currencies prior to departure?
I would suggest the OP uses the exchange services of their own "usual" bank - if they have such a service - as it makes it easier to request small bills that way.. IME at least..
Didn't anyone else read the bit that said "Just landed..."?
Was it really such a weird question? Don't any Americans obtain their foreign currencies prior to departure?
I would suggest the OP uses the exchange services of their own "usual" bank - if they have such a service - as it makes it easier to request small bills that way.. IME at least..
Oct 26, 2011, 8:26 am
#18
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Aussie in ORD
Programs: Marriott Plat, Ua Gold, GE.. Sucker for punishment
Posts: 4,237
I have been in exactly the same situation! When I used to travel to the USA (now living here) the first person I would be served by is the barkeep in the Admirals Club at LAX.. and I never had ones...
But you will find that if you get cash out at a terminal in the ATM there are plenty of places that will be happy to change it for you... And I always made sure I left the US with plenty of ones so I had an easy supply for next time...
(I am actually a lot less disciplined now I live here... I constantly find myself bereft of ones... and some times any cash.. they need ATMs in clubs!)
But you will find that if you get cash out at a terminal in the ATM there are plenty of places that will be happy to change it for you... And I always made sure I left the US with plenty of ones so I had an easy supply for next time...
(I am actually a lot less disciplined now I live here... I constantly find myself bereft of ones... and some times any cash.. they need ATMs in clubs!)
Oct 31, 2011, 8:31 am
#21
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: IL
Programs: UA Gold, DL Silver, Hertz PC, Avis Pref+, Accor Silver
Posts: 1,116
$ bills
I just collect them over time and take a bunch when I travel.
To the posters who seem to think $ bills are unwanted/a pain - wrong. People who work in the travel/tourist industry regularly get tips in forex. This is either because tourists have not yet had time to exchange their money, don't have any small bills or think that a $ bill has more value than a local low-denom bill.
Believe me, the tipees get a lot of these, they appreciate them and they know exactly what to do with them.
D.
To the posters who seem to think $ bills are unwanted/a pain - wrong. People who work in the travel/tourist industry regularly get tips in forex. This is either because tourists have not yet had time to exchange their money, don't have any small bills or think that a $ bill has more value than a local low-denom bill.
Believe me, the tipees get a lot of these, they appreciate them and they know exactly what to do with them.
D.
Nov 7, 2011, 9:04 pm
#22
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,585
Some do, but I have friends for example who just went to Italy. They are not stupid people by any means, but really didn't have a clue where to exchange dollars for euros. They tried their bank, but were told it takes a couple of days, so they were going to do a transaction at the airport before taking off so they would have change when they landed, and plan on ATM after that.
They didn't want to deal with going into a country, getting to the city and train and the rest and have to find money too.
So to any place that exchanges money in the US, stand alone places, airports, big banks, American Express offices, you will almost always see people exchanging money so they have the foreign currency when they land.
They didn't want to deal with going into a country, getting to the city and train and the rest and have to find money too.
So to any place that exchanges money in the US, stand alone places, airports, big banks, American Express offices, you will almost always see people exchanging money so they have the foreign currency when they land.
Nov 7, 2011, 9:36 pm
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
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One issue is that many airport ATMs dispense only large bills, meaning that one must then find a shop, etc, to break a €100 note (for example, to obtain coins for a machine that only accepts euro coins). An arrival at an early or late hour, when shops may be closed, only further complicates the matter (especially for inexperienced travelers).
Many AAA travel offices offer "tip paks", a sealed package of small-denomination banknotes (in the US, many local AAA Travel offices offer carry GBP and EUR paks, other currency must be ordered online).
One other place that people might not immediate think of as a source of small-denomination currency is large shopping centers. In my area, for example, the Sawgrass Mills mega-mall has two currency exchange desks. Some of my friends and co-workers actually go there to dispose of "leftover" currency when they return from a trip (they don't travel often, so they don't want to hold onto the currency for the next trip, as many FTers would want to do - they also don't care that they are receiving bad exchange rates, they just want to get rid of the currency).
Many AAA travel offices offer "tip paks", a sealed package of small-denomination banknotes (in the US, many local AAA Travel offices offer carry GBP and EUR paks, other currency must be ordered online).
One other place that people might not immediate think of as a source of small-denomination currency is large shopping centers. In my area, for example, the Sawgrass Mills mega-mall has two currency exchange desks. Some of my friends and co-workers actually go there to dispose of "leftover" currency when they return from a trip (they don't travel often, so they don't want to hold onto the currency for the next trip, as many FTers would want to do - they also don't care that they are receiving bad exchange rates, they just want to get rid of the currency).
Nov 8, 2011, 7:28 pm
#24
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: PEK
Programs: A3*G, UA Gold EY Silver
Posts: 8,975
One issue is that many airport ATMs dispense only large bills, meaning that one must then find a shop, etc, to break a €100 note (for example, to obtain coins for a machine that only accepts euro coins). An arrival at an early or late hour, when shops may be closed, only further complicates the matter (especially for inexperienced travelers).
Nov 8, 2011, 8:17 pm
#25
Moderator: Budget Travel forum & Credit Card Programs, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYJ/YVR and back on Van Isle ....... for now
Programs: UA lifetime MM / *A Gold
Posts: 14,440
Now the ATM close to the railway station in Bratislava actually spat out a mixture of small and large bills
A first for me, and up until now also the last 
EmailKid
Nov 9, 2011, 5:35 pm
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Nov 10, 2011, 2:24 am
#27
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Before the ATM as a primary source of exchange, I had to use money changers; in many countries there was a minimum fee, which was often waved if you were only changing, say less than $5.00. On my day of departure, if I only wanted to get a snack (or use a locker), costing the equivalent of, say, $3, having singles $1 came in handy. I found that many money changers (even outside the US) were willing to "swap" a $10 bill for 10 ones (not as an exchange transaction^).
Nov 10, 2011, 12:38 pm
#28
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: YYC
Posts: 215
Guys,
You need to give the OP some latitude here.
I'll be going to Ecuador in November and they use the US Dollar exclusively (mostly). Small bills come in handy there.
Now I have a question for the OP myself. If you're in a country that uses the US dollar the best way to get small bills is the same way you get them here. Buy something small and give the cashier a $20.
So, where do you give US bills as tips? Inquiring minds want to know!
You need to give the OP some latitude here.
I'll be going to Ecuador in November and they use the US Dollar exclusively (mostly). Small bills come in handy there.
Now I have a question for the OP myself. If you're in a country that uses the US dollar the best way to get small bills is the same way you get them here. Buy something small and give the cashier a $20.
So, where do you give US bills as tips? Inquiring minds want to know!