cheapest way to exchange 4000.00 dollars to euros in one day

I would ask the landlord for some assistance because I am sure this has occured in the past. Second, ask your bank for recommendations for transferring large sums. Maybe an international bank draft, or even a direct deposit to the landlords account. These can be expensive but you have $277 to play with.

If your landlord will accept a bank draft in euros, open an account with www.xe.com/fx. The cheapest option is to have money taken from your checking account by electronic transfer and mailed as a bank draft directly to the recipient of your choice in Europe. The exchange rate is only slightly higher than the international rate on the day the transaction is processed. There are no other fees--unless you want to have XE send a wire transfer to Europe for which there will be a fee, of course.

For security reasons, it takes a litle time and effort to set up an acount, but things go smoothly and swiftly after that.

I have the same problem but for a much smaller amount. You could call your local bank and ask them what their affiliate banks are in Paris. IF that bank is open on Saturday - you should be able to find out online - you can present your ATM card and pull cash from the teller up to the full amount you have in the account. At least that is what Bank of America told me today. I have a $1000 a day ATM limit also at the machines but that extends to the full balance in your account if you go IN the bank. This involves no ATM fees.

Currency exchange kiosks are notorious for high fees and so are American banks to buy euros in advance.

FYI I just got B of A to waive the $5.00 per use fee on my ATM card in Italy since they have NO affiliates there. Banks need to compete with Credit Unions on these excess fees.

If talking with your landlord won't solve the problem, U.S. banks will charge you about 5% or $200. If you have a friend, acquaintence or family member who works for a bank, you can get this reduced to about 3%. Our daughter works for a bank and she exchanged dollars to Euros for 3%. I would suggest doing this instead of money changing at the airport. Your looking at a 20%-30% hit at the money-changing kiosks. It's even worse if you change money at major tourist areas. We saw 40% in Florence.

Ok, maybe this is a stupid idea, but could you just pay your landlord in dollars - i.e., "Greenbacks"? You could even offer him an extra $100 or something if necessary. Not sure about the legality (or safety) of carrying that many dollars out of the US.

Or am I still living in the days when US currency had some clout around the world....?

/just trying to think outside the box

Open a Chase hehing account.They won't charge you anything if you use ATM or get cash from a chase bank.There are many Chase banks in NYC and I am sure in other states.
The only problem I had, and this is something I am going to check when I get back to the US, was the conversion rate. They told me they would use the published rate.When I exchaged $ for euros back in September, they said the rate was $1.46 for 1 euro. I checked the rate on xe.com and that day didn't go over 1.36-1.38. Not sure if they give you an worse rate because tehy don't charge a fee, or xe.com doesn't post the correct rate.

Some banks and credit unions allow you to start accounts for free with a minimum deposit. I would just spread my money out between some of my various banks and credit unions and would easily be able to withdraw $4,000 from them in one day.

Thanks to all of you for your exellent suggestions. I have emailed the landlords representitive in Paris and explained (much as I did to you) the situation and that I would rather spend the $200 in unnecessary fees in his beautiful city. I asked if it might not be possible to pay the 2nd half of the rent upon arrival as planned and then pay the deposit (a full months rent equivalent!) two days later, on monday, offering to come to his office with the payment. This would allow me to accumulate euros over the three days or go to a bank on Monday.

He just replied and said that that would be fine. Pas de Probleme! I also realized that we have two accounts to draw from so that doubles the daily ATM limit. I think w'ell be fine. I'll probably buy a small amout of Euros here just to have starter cash. Thanks again

Hi Richard - it looks like you've solved your particular problem, but I was wondering if this sort of situation could be resolved by using a credit card? I know there are charges associated with that, but if you pay it off it should be fine.

Sherry ... the land lord will only accept cash or travelers checks. When I go to their office (in paris) I will inquire further. thanks