We will be arriving at CDG very early on a weekday morning on a United flight. Not sure which terminal yet. We have never been to Paris, so don’t know the airport at all.
Will I be able to easily find a safe ATM to use to get some euros before we leave the airport?
Thanks for any help!
Yes I'm sure - but I haven't used an ATM at CDG in years. Avoid Euronet ATMS: too high of an exchange rate.
Look at the ATMs in the airport carefully and especially the instructions on the screen. For many airport - don't know about CDG -- the ATMs have been turned over to a single source provider -- often the currency exchange bureaus. Not sure if you will find a bank owned ATM in the airport. You may get a poor exchange rate and maybe an extra fee so you may want to pull just a hundred Euro till you can get into Paris and find a bank owned ATM. Whatever you get at the airport will still be better than using your local bank in the US. Just have to be alert.
There is one bank ATM at CDG, an HSBC ATM in terminal 2 near the Sheraton Hotel.
United arrives at terminal 1 where there are Travelex ATMs (until the concession changes again). Travelex adds a withdrawal fee of several euros but all fees are clearly explained when making withdrawals.
In Paris, use any bank ATM, such as LCL, BNP, HSBC, or la Poste. These ATMs add no fees, they only issue bills. Your home bank may add fees, (Bank of American/Wells Fargo/Chase/etc. add the highest fees) but most users pay the 1% currency conversion fee charged by the entity making the euro/dollar exchange.
If you bank at Charles Schwab, there are no fees at all.
The HSBC ATM is near the RER station but one level up. Arriving on AirFrance, we passed it headed to the RER.
Thank you, all! Very useful information for us to keep in mind.
hey hey laugh FP
i'm gonna add my 3 cents. never a right or wrong answer, just opinionated. i buy 200E here at my bank, cost was about $20-30, got small bills.
lesson learned, at rome airport years ago, 2 ATM's one "not working sign" (only has so much money in them) other had long long line from 2 planes that just landed. borrowed from friend till got to city/apt. they changed to traveler X now and saw upset people at CDG didn't want to pay fees. ATM was in terminal 1 and they were in terminal 4. that few dollars i paid at my bank was the best for me, walked right past with a grin, i got money no stress.
have fun, enjoy your time, sit at cafe with glass of wine and people watch
aloha
Will you actually need Euro before you get into town to your hotel? I'm in a position where I keep seed money from a previous trip BUT if you are taking a taxi you can hold up your CC to the driver and ask "OK" before you get in. Then you can drop your bag at your hotel and ask the person on the front desk where the closest ATM is.
As Princess Pupule stated, it's really a matter or preference, comfort level, and risk aversion.
Getting euros upon arrival is the least expensive way to get local currency. But remember this: if you wait until arrival to get Euros, there is the inconvenience of having to find a machine, waiting to access it, the stress of hoping it works (they do occasionally malfunction and / or run out of currancy), and doing all that while somewhat jet lagged. Many think it's better to have some Euros in hand before arrival, and get two or three hundred Euros beforehand from their local bank. It will cost a little more, but the amount it cost to have money in hand when arriving is money well spent, and the cost relative to the overall cost of the trip is next to nothing.
No matter what you do, check with your bank and credit card companies to see if you need to put a travel alert on your account(s). They may see a foreign transaction, suspect fraud, and shut down access to your credit and ATM cards. Some banks require it, some don't, and some waiver back and forth.
The HSBC ATM is directly across the entrance to the Sheraton Hotel inside CDG.
I do like Pam does: keep some Euros from the last trip for next time. I carry 20 euros in my wallet for fun even though I have no plans to go back to Europe at the moment. And I don't always need cash right away anyway - depends where I'm going. On one trip to Paris, I took the RER into town from the airport, bought the ticket with my credit card, and got Euros from an ATM after I got to town.
I also carry a few hundred USD with me just in case I really get stuck and HAVE to have cash and my credit cards just won't work or something. I know I can still exchange USD for Euros somewhere in a pinch. I know it would be an expensive exchange rate, but it's only for an emergency, not something I would expect to do. I don't see the point of guaranteeing I'll pay a high exchange rate by getting Euros in advance at home.
I used my free Schwab account at ATMs all over France and England and they refund all fees. That is the easiest and bestest way to go. It's very easy to open and doesn't cost anything.
Realize you will not need a lot of euros in Europe anymore because it's all tap and pay.
