Acquiring Large Sums of Euros

You could ask your bank to increase your withdrawal limit, but the ATM will have its own daily limit, too, so that may not help. If you have more than one account with a debit card, you could draw from two accounts. Or you could pay part of the rent up front and the rest over a couple of days as you are able. It's probably not the first time that the landlord had dealt with this situation.

Where you are going? - that has nothing to do with the answer, just nosey! :) Anyway, I am in the exact same situation. I have roommates for our month stay, but their flights/trains arrive later, so my sister and I will be the only ones checking-in. Even between the two of us, getting all the money at once is complicated, and there are the random costs associated with arrival day that you may need cash for. An idea we had was to email the owner to see if she would accept PayPal or wire transfer of most if not all the funds a day or so before we arrive. She prefers cash on arrival, so we have to think of a Plan B, but it may work in your case.
Enjoy your stay!

You could also ask you bank to generate an International bank draft that you could give to the landlord. Not the cheapest way to go but efficient.

Perhaps wire the money? You would need your landlord's bank information, including the address and IBAN number.

My thoughts too, except I'm not sure if IBAN is used in the US...

You need to use the account number in IBAN format to transfer money from the US to Europe (I do this every month), but probably not vice-versa, since US banks do not use IBAN. She might also need to know the SWIFT code, but not 100% certain.

If your landlord will accept a bank draft in euro, open an account with XE Trade. Money will be taken from your checking account by electronic transfer and a bank draft in euro will be made payable to the party of your choice. You can have the draft mailed to the landlord or mailed to you so you can hand it over in person when you get to Europe. The exchange rate is only slightly higher than the international rate on the day the process is initiated. There are no fees. For security reasons it takes a little time to set up an account, but everything goes swiftly and smoothly after that.

George (above) has the right idea. We did this last December when we had to arrive at our apartment in Paris with the full payment in euros. We bought our euros from Globex at a good rate, better than our bank's, had them in a money belt during the trip to Paris and then just made the cash payment to the apartment owner. Nothing abut this made me nervous or anxious and it was the least expensive way to handle the transaction.

We plan on going to our bank prior to leaving for our trip. We can order as many Euros as we need from them, and I believe if we order a minimum of $100 (US) they waive the $7.50 shipping fee.

I agree that getting the euros from your bank before you go can be a good plan, since you won't be carrying around a lot of cash for very long. The bank can have the euros for you in two to three days, and you can choose the denominations you wish, so you can also have a hundred or so euro to get you through the first days' expenses without stopping at an ATM while you're jet lagged.

This is the only time I think it's a reasonable choice to order euros before your trip from your bank. There are two limits you run into with ATM transactions. Your bank has a daily withdrawal limit, usually around $500 (roughly 385 euros) some banks have higher daily limits (USAA's is $600), some will adjust your limit if you ask. Each day, at about midnight at your bank's headquarters, the limit resets. ATM's in Europe often have their own transaction limit (maybe 200 euros). If you ask for 350 euros, they tell you they can't complete your transaction. I've run into these occasionally and usually just go to another ATM. I'm not sure if they normally tell you the transaction limit somewhere on the machine (I've never seen it). Other options are: Ask your bank to adjust your daily withdrawal limit. It's worth asking but most won't. You can open several checking accounts so you can use the debit card from each to get the money you need. To do this, you need to know the foreign withdrawal limit your bank puts on your cards. This option is a little inconvenient, but also gives you backup accounts to use if your primary debit card is lost or stolen.

One way is to use a Schwab debit (ATM) card. The default limit is $1,000, but can be raised to a much higher amount depending on your account balance. Also, for a couple using the same account, each debit card has a limit. The sweetener is no fees worldwide. Bank fees, if any, are rebated monthly.

AAA, if you are looking to exchange. I have now done this a few times. You go in with American cash and leave with a receipt. They offer the wells fargo exchange rate and no fees. They will have your Euros in 2 days. Two weeks ago the LIVE exchange rate was $1.28 and AAA charged me $1.32 with no commission or other fees.

I have been in the situation and will be again this fall. I did take a large amount of Euros with me, so almost all the $$ required for the rental. I had it in my money belt, only off on my pack for going through the security line.

My sister has an account with Wells Fargo, so we went there. Their rate was good and you can get as much as you want. Have a great trip.
Devra