When and where to get euros

[Karen G]

We'll be flying to Rome in October with a layover of a few hours at Gatwick airport in London. Will there be reliable ATMs in the Gatwick airport that will dispense euros or should I order some from the bank before we go?

I know once we get to Rome there would be ATMs but we'll need some to tip the driver who picks us up at the airport to take us to our hotel. We arrive in the evening and we'll be picking up our luggage and trying to find the driver so I don't want to add looking for an ATM to our experience at the Rome airport.

 

[Passepartout]

In this scenario, I'd get a limited number at your bank at home. An ATM in London will only dispense GB Pounds. I'm sure the ATMs in Rome will be quite handy in the baggage claim or arrivals hall, but understand late arrival, full hands, looking for your driver, etc.

Local BANK ATM- in Rome- (using a debit card- not credit) will be the least costly, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Jim

 

[jtp1947]

A credit card in Rome with no foreign exchange fee is what we used at the airport.

 

[ausman]

Do Romans tip when in Rome?

 

[Passepartout]

A credit card in Rome with no foreign exchange fee is what we used at the airport.

You may not pay a foreign transaction fee, but on cash advances on a cc you do pay interest from day 1.

 

[Passepartout]

Do Romans tip when in Rome?

A little, but not much. Basically rounding up a few coins. One tidbit in Italy, at a coffee shop, drink your espresso at a counter. It costs more to sit down. Also, Italians don't drink milk after noon, so no lattes or capuccino in the afternoon.​

Jim

 

[clifffaith]

Auto Club has what I think they call "tip packs" of foreign currency. We've also ordered from our bank. No way I'm arriving on foreign soil without some local cash in hand.

 

[Passepartout]

Auto Club has what I think they call "tip packs" of foreign currency. We've also ordered from our bank. No way I'm arriving on foreign soil without some local cash in hand.

We travel often enough that we keep some 'leftover' currency in the safe. Some Euros, a few GBP, more pesos than we should have. Still, ATMs are the cheapest, most secure and are handy in even the smallest international airports' arrivals halls. Even stopping for a plane change enroute- for instance Tokyo Narita enroute to Thailand, the restaurants on the concourse will accept just about ANY currency. Today, having local currency is just not a big deal.

Funny story though, we had a cruise stop on a Black Sea port in Romania. After walking around this town, I came across a public toilet, and the attendant refused me entry without some coin in the local currency. She wouldn't accept ANYTHING else, I had Euros and rubles and some other stuff, so I had to find a shopkeeper who would exchange a Euro coin or note (I don't remember) into Romanian so I could use the john.

Jim

 

[Karen G]

Do Romans tip when in Rome?

I'm learning a lot from this thread and further research. We've arranged for our airport transporation and a number of tours while in Rome through a travel agent. We've prepaid for all this and I don't know the exact cost of the airport ride. Does anyone know if a tip would be expected in this instance and, if so, how much?

 

[isisdave]

ATMs in UK airports all dispense pounds, of course; about a quarter of them dispense euros instead or also (the rate's not great but you only need a few); and others dispense US dollars. Get the rest in Rome, from an ATM with a bank's name on it and probably mounted on the front of an actual bank, not one with a name like "Euronet" "Moneybox" "Cashzone" or "SuckerTourist". Be sure that your ATM card carries no foreign transaction fee (Schwab, Capital One, Stanford FCU).

And always decline "dynamic currency conversion" which is usually presented as "would you like the convenience of being charged in dollars?" but without noting "at a conversion rate about six times as bad as the one your bank will use otherwise."

The airport ride is probably in the range of €50 (2 people) to €60 (4 people), and €5 would be more than enough if the driver doesn't have to do more than load and unload your bags.

Tour guides are usually tipped 10% for a great job, which they quite often are. Look up the cost on the tour agency's website.

 

[VacationForever]

Taxi drivers in Rome and the rest of Italy only accept cash. Go to your bank and exchange some Euros before your travel. AAA and Travelex, the latter is more expensive than AAA also do currency exchange. My bank's exchange rate is better than AAA's.

 

[glenmore]

We got our euros from AAA at no charge since we are members. Was expensive getting them from our bank for our last trip so was happy to learn about getting them from AAA!!

 

[jme]

Before traveling to Italy for 10 nights back in October, I went to my local Wells Fargo Bank and
got about $600 worth of Euros, and their rate was as good as I could find---only a few dollars.
I felt very comfortable having the cash on hand. I did use a money belt for safety....no issue at all.

I DID NOT want to be visiting foreign banks and/or ATMs during my activities.
That's a good way to dampen the enjoyment of an otherwise
wonderful day, so for that at least I had no worries for needing to get cash.

I got an array of several denominations because I would naturally use smaller bills for tips, taxi fares, Gelato (yum), coffee,
and other small retail purchases, etc, and larger ones for a few meals or whatever.
That strategy worked great.

I used credit cards for train tickets, some meals (probably most), and for other retail purchases and tours.
I ended up bringing a few Euros back home with me, but the bank did say they
would do another minimal rate to exchange them back if I wanted to.
Instead I kept everything so I'd have them for the next trip, hopefully to use within a year or so.
That made it easy so it was never a worry. I would use the same strategy if going again.

 

[AnnaS]

It has been a while but we ordered some from the bank about two weeks before we left. $$ was directly taken out of our account. We also used used our CC a few times to charge a thing or two. I don't remember using the ATM but would have if needed to.

 

[Ken555]

On a related note, I use the mobile app MyTaxi in Europe and it works like Uber but for official taxis (Uber is also great in Europe, when available). You pay via credit card on the app so no worries about local currency. From airports it’s usually best to just wait in the queue for a taxi and ONLY PAY THE POSTED RATE. It should be obvious how much the taxis charge from the airport to the city (assuming you’re not going somewhere else). I think it was ~€48 from FCO to the city last I looked. However, I think it wise to just reserve a ride with a service as you’ve done as typically they’re not that much more expensive and a lot more convenient.

As with others, I always just use an ATM upon arrival. That’s the best rate available, and I don’t like to carry more than €200 or so at a time. AAA is a great option, too, to save minor fees from conversion. I obtained foreign currency from my bank a few years ago when I was going on a cruise since I was uncertain when I would be able to use an ATM, and it was helpful, but not really necessary. Even the smallest towns in Europe have ATMs readily available.


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[pittle]

Like Jim, we get Pesos using an ATM card. We have a separate bank account with CapOne that we use for vacation only. It has no Foreign Transaction Fees.

When I went to London, I got British Pounds at an ATM at the Gatwick airport using a bank ATM. I did the same in Zurich, Rome and Madrid. I usually got enough for a few days and then scoped out the nearest bank ATM from the hotel and would get more as needed. Since we go to Mexico each year, we bring home enough pesos for taxi and a meal the first day. Our resort has a bank ATM in the lobby, so we can replenish as needed.

 

[jtp1947]

My mistake, I meant an ATM card, not a credit card. We never use a credit card at an ATM machine.

 

[isisdave]

All about taxis in Rome: https://www.romewise.com/taxi-in-rome.html