Currency exchange

How much cash do you really need for a brief visit? Credit cards are widely accepted. Even if you withdraw say $20 USD out of an ATM, any "cost" will be minimal. I would not do any physical currency exchanges, only an ATM withdrawal if you have to.

I would like to pay my one hotel night and perhaps a meal or two in cash.

Any ATM fees will certainly be less than the poor exchange rate a Currency Exchange bureau will offer you. Does your local bank provide you an ATM debit card? What fees do they actually charge, for an ATM withdrawal in Poland? Maybe $3.00 or less? And again, you’ll get more zlotys for your dollar than if you exchanged money from a bigger bank in a U.S. city, or at a currency exchange desk an any airport in the world.

The exchange rate that you get from an ATM transaction is generally better than the exchange rate when you do a currency exchange in the US, so you’re really not “sucking it up.” I always wait until I am in-country to use an ATM rather than using a currency exchange or bank at home.

One thing about ATMs - You often pay a fee that is the same whether you take out $10, $100, or $500 at one time. So try to think ahead about how much you want to take out and do it in one transaction if possible. (Check with your bank to see if they have a limit on how much can be withdrawn from an ATM in one day.) As others have said, you may find that you can pay for most things with a credit card.

If I have leftover cash when I am about to leave the country, I often use it to pay some of my final hotel bill (the rest goes on my credit card - I have found that hotels are fine with splitting the bill between cash and credit)…..or I buy a stash of chocolate at the airport!

Try to use an ATM affiliated with your own bank (see symbols on the back of the card). Use an ATM associated with a bank. I like to use ATMs that are physically located in the bank or just outside during banking hours. We once had a card eaten by the machine (my fault) and we were able to go inside and get the card.

I had no problem finding ATMs in Poland and no problem using my credit cards (VISA and mastercard)

Thank you for the helpful replies...much appreciated.

...... Should I just "suck it up" and bear the ATM cost upon arrival in Poland?....... Where did you get the idea that the ATM could be costly? The cheapest exchange will be a debit card at a bank owned ATM in country --- bar none. Anything you exchange in the US or at a currency exchange probably will be in the range of 10 to 12%.

You could also try your local AAA. They offer foreign currencies although I don't know if they offer zlotys.

But if it was me, I'd just use an ATM upon arrival.

I also have an opposite problem. On this trip I will be spending most of my time in euro countries. I have purchased 2000 euros to carry in cash to Europe and now have a bit of regret. I hate to carry that much cash but I hate to exchange it back to US dollars and lose even more in the process. Thoughts?

I would go ahead and exchange it back and just live with the cost as an “educational “ expense. We all make mistakes, especially when doing new things. It is better to deal with it now and get the pain over with than to deal with the stress and risk of dealing with it on your trip.

The use of cash has changed dramatically in the past few years. The best money saving tips I can give you is to have a contactless credit card that does not have foreign transaction fees.

I think I would take some of those euro, and exchange them for zloty when you arrive in Poland. Check the rates carefully, before you do, but you're going to need to exchange them anyway.

Richard, is there a reason you are not using credit cards for purchases? Why do you need so many €s. Do you really need to purchase zlotys ahead of you trip? Does your Polish hotel not take credit cards? As others have said, use an ATM if you need a little cash.

Reread your response above: Since you already have a lot of €, be sure to wear a money belt for security. If you’re not familiar, review RS travel trips. https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/travel-moneybelt

On my last trip everywhere, except one B&B in Venice and a Slovenia taxi, used contactless credit cards. Even for a €1 bottle of water. Things have changed a lot post-Covid.

Set up one of your credit cards in Apple Pay or your phone’s equivalent and you’re good to go. ATMs do not take Apple Pay so you will need your debit card for that. Always have a back-up credit card and and maybe a back-up ATM (debating that one after my last trip) in case something goes wrong. I withdrew too much money from the ATM and came home with €280 which I’ll use this year and maybe next. In Prague I plan to get a small amount of CZK from an ATM if I need cash.

Enjoy your trip. Where all are you visiting?

I don't believe anyone has warned you that when you perform any sort of financial transaction in Europe involving use of a card (ATM/debit card or credit card), you may be offered the chance to conduct the transaction in dollars at a rate specified by the ATM or credit-card terminal. You do not want to do that. The exchange rate you will be given will be much worse than your card issuer will use if the transaction gets conducted in the local currency. In addition, letting the machine convert the amount to dollars at its really bad exchange rate will not stop your card issuer from assessing its usual foreign-usage fee (if it has one).

You’re right - don’t exchange your Euro cash back to Dollars now, just for the sake of reducing the amount of Euros you’ll be taking over there. Just m and c sure most of the Euros at any one time are securely kept in a moneybelt or other @deep storage,” and you have just a day’s worth of dash loose each day, to guard against loss or theft.

Arriving in Amsterdam or Frankfurt (my usual gateway cities), my first stop is the ATM. It's so convenient to use a local ATM in Europe that I rarely exchange currency before a trip. I've purchased foreign currency from http://txcurrencyexchange.com/ for trips to Russia and other countries not connected to the global interbank system. Look for a currency dealer in your local area. I've found the rates to be comparable to my local bank.