where's the best place to buy euros in usa

[Carolinian]

Also keep in mind, that if you are just worrying about Money in the airports, a lot of the places take the USD as well as the Euro. It is just when you actually walk out of the airport that it becomes the issue. And also, I want to stress, not all places in airports take both, just some.

This is also often a good way to get local money in small amounts to get into town. Buy a newspaper or coffee and give them a US$20 and they will give you change in foreign currency. Not at a great rate, but you avoid the minimum commission of the exchange houses. Be careful of airport ATM's. Some pop you with a significant extra fee, although some are okay. Same with railway station ATM's and most especially highway rest area ATM's.

 

[rosebud5]

The Sticky Wicket

Everyone is kinda right in a way. Look at it like this. Your going to a far off place where you are going to spend a lot of money and hopefully enjoy yourself. Do the smart thing and buy $50 worth of Euro's at the airport. Yes, it may cost you $10 or so, but what's more important.. a good time or some unforseen circumstance or hassle that could be avoided if you have some local currency in your pocket.

 

[radmoo]

In all our oversees travel, we've not yet encountered an aiport sans ATM. Last year in the Irish countryside, we did have to drive approx 25 kms to locate an atm but that was the only time. They are everywhere. Four years ago when we landed at Ben Gurion airport in Israel w/out Shekel to our names, I was able to use credit card in the vending machines!! Seriously, when it comes to $$$, the world has become much smaller.

 

[Talent312]

I've easily found + used ATM's in small+large cities, just about everywhere I've gone, including...
Annecy, France; Bernkastel, Germany; Bonaire (Carribean); Salzburg, Austria; San Gimignano, Italy; Santorini, Greece;
... and yet, my preference is to hit the ground running and not use vacation time for such a mundane task. So, I'll spend a little extra to have Wells Fargo deliver enuff to get me thru 4 -5 days. It costs a little extra, but IMHO, not having to take the time to deal with it is worth the price.

 

[Carolinian]

I have to admit that I am a bit spoiled living in a country where there are many independent exchange houses and banks with exchange counters on the walk between my house and my office. Given the competition, spreads are low and commissions non-existant. I can often do a double transaction (dollars to local currency to desired currency) with a total exchange loss of around 1%, sometimes even less. I have even had weird situations where, based on the prevailing international interbank rates I even had an exchange gain.

But when I was travelling to Europe from the US, I knew the best deal in the places I travelled to regularly and would never have thought of spending extra money to exchange while still in the US. For example, flying into Gatwick, I used plastic for a ticket on the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, then walked across the street from Victoria Station to an exchange house I knew always had a low spread and no commission and got a supply of pounds there. There were plenty of exchange counters within Victoria Station but they all had high spread or high commission or both, so I kept walking outside and across the street and got a good deal.

 

[Carolinian]

One thing to be aware of with ATM's is that they don't always give you the Interbank Mid-market exchange rate. Most do in western Europe, but other countries may be a different story. In the country where I work, all of the ATM's use the official exchange rate of its National Bank, which is usually not the same at any commercial rate such as the Interbank Mid-market rate. It is usually somewhat less favorable, but you have to watch as sometimes it can be signifcantly less favorable, and on rare occaisions actually more favorable.

Then too, there are the rare airports where you get good exchange rates. Zurich is one of those (although the bank run exchange counter in one terminal charges a smallish commission while the counter run by a different bank in the other terminal does not) and Mexico was as well, at least some years ago the last time I was through there. Chisinau, Moldova is another one with decent airport exchange rates and no commission.

 

[Talent312]

... [At Zurich's airport]...the bank run exchange counter in one terminal charges a smallish commission while the counter run by a different bank in the other terminal does not...

Once, we missed our exit on a British motorway and pulled into the next service plaza. I was about to put my card into an ATM, when a nearby bloke spoke up. "Hold on," he said. "The ATM back by the restrooms is better. No service charge!" Naturally, I scurried to the restrooms, and golly, he was right.

A few minutes later, an employee told us about an "authorized persons" only way to exit the motorway (behind the bins).

 

[Carolinian]

Once, we missed our exit on a British motorway and pulled into the next service plaza. I was about to put my card into an ATM, when a nearby bloke spoke up. "Hold on," he said. "The ATM back by the restrooms is better. No service charge!" Naturally, I scurried to the restrooms, and golly, he was right.

A few minutes later, an employee told us about an "authorized persons" only way to exit the motorway (behind the bins).

I always avoid motorway ATM's both in the UK and on the continent for just that reason, the liklihood of big service charges. Railway station ATM's also are prone to that problem. It the UK, I look for an ATM attached to a bank.

 

[x3 skier]

I always avoid motorway ATM's both in the UK and on the continent for just that reason, the liklihood of big service charges. Railway station ATM's also are prone to that problem. It the UK, I look for an ATM attached to a bank.

Unless it is an emergency, I would never use an ATM not connected to a bank and try and find one affiliated with one of my home banks. That and using a Credit Union Card helps avoid most if not all fees.

Cheers

 

[airportparking]

Nice post...Thank you very much!!......

 

[sailingman22]

We just went to the bank and ordered Euros that we thought we would need for taxis, dinners, and misc. We will use the ATM for emergency money only.

 

[hibbeln]

I usually just get some from my bank before leaving. Choke down the exchange rate and buy about $100. That lets me get a coffee and pops or whatever we desperately need in the airport when we land. AND if we have a connection somewhere (without time to look for an ATM) we can purchase something there.

The Athens airport has plentiful ATM's, so I wouldn't worry too much about having lots of money to arrive.

If you're connecting through another airport (like Amsterdam) you can also look at those airports.

PARIS AIRPORT ATM'S: This airport is notorious for having about 2 ATM's that are hidden away and always seem to be empty of Euros. If you're landing in Paris, I would definitely buy enough Euros to get you going before leaving.

 

[Carolinian]

We just went to the bank and ordered Euros that we thought we would need for taxis, dinners, and misc. We will use the ATM for emergency money only.

With most banks, you will pay a lot more for getting foreign exchange in the US than you would using the ATM overseas.

 

[Carolinian]

Most airport shops in most countries will take many currencies, including dollars, and give you change in local currency. That is one place that you do not need to have local currency with you. Indeed, there are some places that applies even outside airports, although it is rare. In the days Luxembourg had its own currency, the best deal to get Luxembourg francs was to walk into McDonalds there, order a drink and give them a US $50 or $100.

I usually just get some from my bank before leaving. Choke down the exchange rate and buy about $100. That lets me get a coffee and pops or whatever we desperately need in the airport when we land. AND if we have a connection somewhere (without time to look for an ATM) we can purchase something there.

The Athens airport has plentiful ATM's, so I wouldn't worry too much about having lots of money to arrive.

If you're connecting through another airport (like Amsterdam) you can also look at those airports.

PARIS AIRPORT ATM'S: This airport is notorious for having about 2 ATM's that are hidden away and always seem to be empty of Euros. If you're landing in Paris, I would definitely buy enough Euros to get you going before leaving.

 

[gresmi]

First... Much good advice posted prior. From personal experience after purchasing Euros a few times from local/home bank and AAA, have found that foreign ATM's for the most part offer a better deal... if you use a bank ATM.

Second... also from personal experience... on a recent trip to Greece A US carrier with initials AA put us on a plane supposedly bound for Madrid, where we would catch our connecting flight to Athens. Once aboard the AA plane and on the tarmac (with the doors closed, of course), the route posted on the overhead projector suddenly changed from a somewhat arcing direct route to Madrid to one that included an entire over-ocean tour of the US eastern seaboard, skirting Iceland close enough to throw flyers over Reykjavik, a brush of Norway, and then directly overflying London before landing in Madrid.

We arrived in Madrid just in time to sprint to the gate of our connecting flight to Athens, only to be restricted from boarding because our US carrier with the initials AA had neglected to issue us our boarding passed for that leg of the flight. We then spent the next 3 hours on a very interesting tour of the Madrid airport while we waited to catch the only plane leaving for London in the next 24 hours (Thank you BA) where we could catch the only plane leaving for Athens in that 24 hour period. A wonderful $175 dinner at Gordon Ramsey's London Heathrow Plane Food followed by 5 hours of head bobbing against our carry-ons substituted for what would have been a pleasant flight from Madrid to Athens and a fun night in the Plaka, Athens.

Of course, our ferry tickets for the Greek interisland hops were at our hotel in the Plaka, Athens. After a rollicking high-speed 40 min. 4 a.m. bus ride to Syntagma Square with a final short taxi ride to the hotel for the ferry tickets put us back in the taxi, back on the accordian bus, back to the airport... to wonder why everyone else there was drinking coffee??

We caught up with our original hopper flight to Chania, Crete the next morning.

Long story? Yes. Sorry. Message.. take a hundred Euros *or two* with you.

Have fun out there.

 

[gresmi]

First... Much good advice posted prior. From personal experience after purchasing Euros a few times from local/home bank and AAA, have found that foreign ATM's for the most part offer a better deal... if you use a bank ATM.

Second... also from personal experience... on a recent trip to Greece A US carrier with initials AA put us on a plane supposedly bound for Madrid, where we would catch our connecting flight to Athens. Once aboard the AA plane and on the tarmac (with the doors closed, of course), the route posted on the overhead projector suddenly changed from a somewhat arcing direct route to Madrid to one that included an entire over-ocean tour of the US eastern seaboard, skirting Iceland close enough to throw flyers over Reykjavik, a brush of Norway, and then directly overflying London before landing in Madrid.

We arrived in Madrid just in time to sprint to the gate of our connecting flight to Athens, only to be restricted from boarding because our US carrier with the initials AA had neglected to issue us our boarding passed for that leg of the flight. We then spent the next 3 hours on a very interesting tour of the Madrid airport while we waited to catch the only plane leaving for London in the next 24 hours (Thank you BA) where we could catch the only plane leaving for Athens in that 24 hour period. A wonderful $175 dinner at Gordon Ramsey's London Heathrow Plane Food followed by 5 hours of head bobbing against our carry-ons substituted for what would have been a pleasant flight from Madrid to Athens and a fun night in the Plaka, Athens.

Of course, our ferry tickets for the Greek interisland hops were at our hotel in the Plaka, Athens. A a rollicking high-speed 40 min. 4 a.m. bus ride to Syntagma Square with a final short taxi ride to the hotel for the ferry tickets put us back in the taxi, back on the accordian bus, back to the airport... to wonder why everyone else there was drinking coffee??

We caught up with our original hopper flight to Chania, Crete the next morning.

Long story? Yes. Sorry. Message.. take a hundred Euros *or two* with you.

Have fun out there.

 

[Marie17777]

Hello everyone. I'll be spending some time in Saarland, Germany. I'll be landing in Frankfurt airport in a few days. Can anyone give me any advice on how to go about getting a good exchange rate there? Thank you!

 

[falmouth3]

The advice hasn't changed since this post was first written. Use your ATM card.