I'm in Paris !!!!!!

Where did you go to exchange money? The exchange rate looks to be $77.12/$100 right now(according to XE.com). so 78€ is good. I use my debit card to get euros, you get the going rate at the time of the transaction. Of course, your bank may charge you a foreign transaction fee, as most do these days. ie, TDBank charges $3 per transaction, BofA was fee free until about a year ago, they now charge 3%.

Enjoy Paris! make sure to see the tower late at night:-)

Rudy,

I am relying on what I see on the internet. 1 USD = 77 Euros. My opinion is you received a good rate.

As far as using the debit card, I will leave that answer to more experienced travellers.

Generally speaking, you get the best rate by making withdrawals at an ATM (with an ATM or debit card, not a credit card). European banks don't charge for withdrawals, but your bank might. I bank with a small credit union, and they charge absolutely nothing. My backup card, from an online bank, charges 1%. The rate you got wasn't horrible, but in general, money exchanges are not the best deal out there.

Thank you guys so much. Well I'm near pigalle train station when I googled where to exchange money they have a couple options near there. They said they were excellent I guess it seems good. Thank you so much.

Was there a fee of any kind involved for the exchange?

I hope you advised your bank that you would be traveling abroad before you left home. If not, you probably should make a quick call to them before using your debit or credit cards.

No fee. Sorry it was 76 euros not 78. But if the normal rate 77 I'm guessing it isn't bad. There was no fee but now that I think about it maybe it was 1 euro for the difference of 76 to 77? I have them 100 they gave me back 76 euro.

rudy,

If you use an ATM card for cash withdrawals, you'll be charged the Interbank rate which is about the best you'll get.

My suggestion - don't worry about the nickels and dimes or a percentage point one way or the other. Take the cash at whatever the rate is (as long as it's in the ballpark) and enjoy your holiday.

The "going rate" of exchange is not the same as the published rate, whether seen in newspaper business pages or on Internet foreign exchange sites. Financial institutions sell currency for more than they paid for it; they buy currency from the small customer at less than they can sell it for to someone else. The published rate falls in between, like a wholesale price, and you and I can't get wholesale. This is entirely aside whatever transaction fees are imposed.
Generally, when everything is taken into account, an ATM machine in Paris, one that's operated by a bank, is about as economical as you can get. It will give you the going "retail" rate, probably about 3 per cent more costly than the official rate, plus you pay your home bank's fees.

It sounds like you were lucky with regard to exchanging cash...but I'd still say to use your debit card at ATMs from now on to get cash. Usually those currency exchange places charge crazy fees. To echo another poster: did you call your bank and notify them of your travel dates and country (-ies) you'll visit? If you didn't, and you use your card, they could freeze your account because of unauthorized activity.

The best bet is to exchange your money at the Travelex in Paris. There are several, one near Le Louvre, and others scattered around the city. If you are going to take out money, go to an ATM and get a larger amount because the fees are pretty high. Try to use your credit card as much as possible to save money on exchanging. Some stores will allow you to pay with American money, which saves you a good deal in fees. Always check. The stores are generally larger department stores, like Swatch, or Longchamps. Have fun! I wrote and lived in the 15th arrondissement, exactly at this time last year, and I walked past the Eiffel Tower everyday. I sure do miss it. If you want to see some good parks, check out my book.

Hi,

The exchange rate for the last few days I've following it is: 1 Euro = $1.29. The Euro dropped a bit since I was there this past May, or to put it the other way, the dollar is in better shape now than was the case in early May.

Please, please notify your bank before you leave for Europe. Tell them exactly what country you are going, say France, Poland and then back to France. VISA froze my card because I didn't tell them of my return trip to Paris for the flight back the US.