Cash in countries that do not use Euros

It may vary a bit by which ATM you use, but most ATMs have the ability to give you most every bill in circulation if you choose the amount carefully.

The Hungarian forint right now is almost exactly 1.000 ft = $3.00 but that will vary up or down 5% depending on the exchange rate and fees you pay. Still, close enough for goverment work.

Here in Budapest I carry a bit of cash. I dont have to but I am more comfortable with it and from time to time it does become necessary (Like the House of Houdini the other day was cash only).

Some ATMs do let you choose what bills you get, but thats not real common so I use a little technique to get what I want.

I go to the ATM and I go to the choice for picking my own amound and put in 39.000 forints. The result is a 20.000 ft note, a 10.000 ft note, a 5.000 ft note and four 1.000 ft notes. Pretty good mix. Of course thats more than I would suggest for a tourist to carry around. For you I would say 19.000 forints. Thats a little less than $60 which may be more than you need but if you and your traveling companion go to dinner and the internet goes down (no card machines) it will easily pay for the meal. Or it will buy you at least 10 glasses of wine your last evening in town.

As important, it will get you a 10.000 ft note (about $30), a 5.000 ft note (about $15) and four 1.000 notes (about $3 each). These are small and easy to use bills. Start by spending the 10.000 first so you get yet more small bills.

I would suspect in the Czech Republic with the 100czk being about $5.00 you can use the same technique. But the bills are larger so you dont have quite as much room for technique. The come in 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 5,000 czk. So 900czk will yield about $40 and get you a 500 and two 200 czk notes.

As you probably know, it's important to know the exchange rate. At least in Prague, some ATMs, especially in tourist areas, will offer dramatically larger pre-selected amounts for out-of-country debit cards than in-country cards. So, don't let the preselected amounts sway you.

Another thing to keep in mind is that (depending on what your home bank is and which ATM you use) you may be charged a flat fee per transaction regardless of amount, in addition to any exchange rate profits they make, and that can make a very small withdrawal quite costly, relatively. So if you want some cash it can be better to take out more than the absolute minimum you think you might need, and do it all in one transaction, and if necessary you can use it up for something toward the end of your stay for which you otherwise would use a card.

Dave, that's interesting. The machines here show the same no matter what card you use (I use my US and my Hungarian bank card in them). And all the machines as the last choice let you enter any amount you want, big or small.

Good to know the Czechs are crafty.

You need to pick some amount, rounded, and in multiples of the local currency notes. Not all ATMs will issue all notes, most likely not the smallest notes, but typically will issue those worth about $10 USD as a good rule of thumb, $20 for sure.. So someplace like Poland, you may not get 10 Zloty notes (~3 USD), but you should certainly be able to get 50 Zloty notes, possibly 20 Zloty notes, but wouldn't count on it.

Getting the equivalent of $20-$50 should be no issue. That amount works pretty well, gives a person or a couple some pocket money for small purchases, and if you wind up with unspent currency, buy yourself food for the train on your way out of the country, or spend your last day using it up.

Slate, good point. But let's say its a $3 fee against your $20,000 holiday and that $3 buys peace of mind. But you be sort of silly going back to the well twice. That's why I set the amount a bit high. You can always spend it at the train station on the way out of town.

Paul, good point in Poland i guess, but you dont want to round up here. If you do you will get stuck with big notes that sometimes are harder to spend.

The ATMs here generally dont issue 500 ft and 2.000 ft notes, but 1.000 ft notes yes. Many of them also have among the preset choices 19.000ft and 49.000ft so that they can issue those 1.000ft notes.

I'm not sure why you wouldnt just use a card for all your purchases in Czech Republic. However, my favorite ATM card is with Charles Schwab because they pay you back all fees. Highly recommend. The smallest amount you could take out, probably 50 PLN , 200 CZK, 1000 HUF.