rlsimon wrote:
Does anyone know if the best way to get spending cash in the EU while on
travel from the US is to use a bank card or charge card at an ATM as far as
rate of exchange, etc.??
IMHO, ATM and debit cards are the best way to convert, followed by
credit cards. Credit cards may charge a fee per transaction; this fee
varies according to who owns the credit card.
But be aware that not all locations in Europe will accept these. I go
yearly to a small village on the French Riviera (the Bay of Saint
Tropez) that has no ATM machines. The banks in the region have never
heard of an ATM card, nor the tourist office. My NRL Federal Credit
Union ATM card is worthless there. This year I am taking a debit card
from both my bank and my credit union.
Another anomaly is traveler's checks. I cashed my traveler's checks at
the village French post office on the last trip without a problem. But
when I went to Paris, the traveler's checks wouldn't be accepted by the
French post office since they were Visa traveler's checks, not American
Express. But Paris has ATM card machines.
One question I would like to know the answer to: what is the daily
limit on withdrawal from a bankcard machine? Since I must pay in cash
to rent a villa immediately upon arrival in the villa (and later, to
rent an apartment in Vienna, Austria), I might need to bring Euros with
me if that limit is less than the rental payment.
*****
You didn't ask but: check the US State Department for travel advisories
for the places that you are going. Four years ago I was robbed of money
in the village. (The villa that I rented was the entire top floor of a
mansion surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. All windows had bars except
the top floor. In the night while my daughters were sleeping a burglar
climbed onto the roof, swung down into their bedroom window, seized all
valuables, and threw them to the ground four stories below. Thankfully,
most of the stolen money was traveler's checks which were replaced in
Paris.) Afterwards, one daughter continued to India where she was
robbed twice more. In the case of southern France, the state department
advises that vehicles keep all windows rolled up while traveling because
motorcyclists may grab purses and other valuables thru an open window
when stopped for a traffic light and then they speed off.
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