Buying Euros on line

I haven't ordered through them. I always order online through Wells Fargo.

Why do you want to do this to begin with? Wells Fargo charges me $5 for each international withdrawal from an ATM so I withdraw the max. It's $5 for 20 Euros or 300. I get Wells Fargo's bank exchange rate which is about as good as you could hope for. This perk may not apply to all banks or even all types of accounts so ask YOUR bank. If you just want to have a bit of cash on hand when you land, well, OK. Really though there are ATM spots all over in any European airport. If one ATM refuses you it just means it's out of cash. Try another. Trust me, they want you to spend money. Also, take some emergency dollars (I take $300 in mostly 20's). Never had to use it but ya never know. Upon return it goes right back into my Top Secret hidden emergency stash (well, I do live in earthquake country). Make sure you notify your bank, credit card companies etc. of your date of travel. You can also up your daily withdrawal amount for that time period (usually). Pay cash whenever possible for meals etc. and only charge major items (hotels etc.). Will stretch your budget a bit. Also helps you to stay within your budget - Visa charges etc. are like smoke in the wind until the bill hits.

After much research by several of us on the Helpline, we've found that Wells Fargo has about the best rates for purchasing Euro in the states. The following is the bank location in Kerrville that sells foreign currency; call them first for availability. You can buy it in person, or order it online for delivery. You can get all €5s if you want (if they've got them) - you don't have to get stuck with a bunch of €100 notes that nobody will take in the train station as payment for a cola. As of last year, they charged something like $5 for non-account holders...From the Wells Fargo website: KERRVILLE MAIN 301 JUNCTION HWY KERRVILLE, TX 78028 Call to confirm currency availability: (830) 896-2424 Mon-Fri 09:00 am-05:00 pm
Sun Closed Sat 09:00 am-01:00 pm Also, the absolutely best exchange rate will come from using European ATMs. I advise using ATMs that are attached to an actual bank, and using them during the bank's opening hours...just in case the machine eats your card or doesn't give you any money although your receipt says it did :-( NOT that these types of things happen often; you just don't want to take the chance of needing to be on a night train from Rome to Paris while your card is stuck in a Roman ATM.

I've followed the exchange rates for years, including once for about 12 month. What I have found is that banks, like Well Fargo, set their rate early in the day for the entire day, but the Interbank rate continues to vary during the day. For instance, when I checked an hour ago, the rate was 1.229 $/€, very similar to what you found; a minute ago, it was 1.235 $/€. If the Interbank rate goes up, Wells' rate appears very favorable; if it goes down, Wells' not so favorable. But overall, the day to day average for the Euro from Wells Fargo is 5% over the Interbank rate, and that is the best I have seen for an online bank rate. The $15 shipping fee you saw is waived for amounts over $1000; some of us can get foreign currency at a WF bank near us without any shipping charge. But we weren't comparing getting Euro over here with getting it over there. We were taking about getting it before you go over (a very wise decision, IMO). I have a high balance account with Wells Fargo that gives me too totally fee free withdrawals at the Interbank rate from ATMs in Europe. After two withdrawals, WF wants it's the normall rate from big banks, 3% + $5, which is not much more than getting it over here. I have another account with a local bank that only charges me 1% + $2.50 for the rest of my withdrawals. However, whenever I go over, I bring back a couple of hundred Euro for my next trip.

I just went to XE.com and compared the current interbank rate with Wells Fargo. According to XE, the rate to buy a euro is 1.228. The rate for Wells Fargo is 1.303. If I want 200 euro, it'll cost $260.68 from Wells Fargo, PLUS a $15.00 fee. Total cost $275.68. If I withdrew those 200 euro from an ATM in Europe upon arrival using my current no-fee debit card, it would cost $245.77. That is a savings of $30. Those are the facts. .
$30 could buy at least a half dozen melanges in a Viennese coffeehouse. Or at least 3 melanges and applestrudel with hot vanilla sauce!

When I just checked the ICE conversion rate was $1.30 and the XE rate was 1.23.

The $1.23/€ from XE is the Interbank rate, the rate at which major financial institutions are exchanging currencies between themselves. The $1.30/€ from ICE is the rate at which ICE will sell you Euro. In other words, ICE buys 100 Euro in the international banking market for $123 and sells it to you for $130. That's how they make money.

I have not purchased euros from International Currency Express. A quick internet search turned up nothing negative. But that does not mean I would purchase euros from them or anyone else including my own bank. I have been using ATMs upon arrival for 20 years now. Never been a problem. MUCH cheaper. For what its worth, here are the exchange rates when I checked yesterday: XE.com (interbank) 1.228 I.C.E. 1.299 Wells Fargo 1.303
Travelex 1.376 (ouch!!)

Thanks all for your responses! Sue

Thanks Lee....that ends that! I plan to visit our local WF. Sue

ICE only offers that low rate for eCheck. For €200, CC purchase and ground shipment, it's ICE, $278.75
WF, $273.68 I can go about 2 mi to Wells Fargo and pay $258.68 for €200.