Convert money in US?

Make sure you factor in exchange rates. ATMS in Europe usually give you a better exchange rate than an American bank will, but I'd find out what rate your bank exchanges at.

Susan, If you use an ATM, you will get a better exchange rate, a rate close to the interbank rate. When you buy foreign currency from a bank, you generally do not get as good a rate. For example, Today, the interbank rate for Euro is 1 EUR = 1.31450 USD My bank sells Euro notes for 1 EUR = 1.3999 USD If I were to get 300 Euro from an ATM in Europe, it would cost me approx $394. If the fee were $2 plus 3%, the total cost would be $408. If I were to get 300 Euro in notes from my bank in the U.S., it would cost me approx $420 (without the $7.50 fee). As you can see, even with a mark-up and ATM fee, I would still pay less at an ATM. I don't know what your bank's exchange rate is, but I suspect that it will not be as good a rate as you get from an ATM. Most banks adjust the rate by at least 5%. You can ask what their rate is and compare. If you want to avoid the fees, find a bank that doesn't charge them or charges less. Many credit unions have very low fees for foreign transactions.

This has been repeated many times. The CHEAPEST and most CONVENIENT way to obtain foreign currency is via a debit card at a local ATM. Even paying $2 and 3% is cheaper than getting currency through a local bank in the US. The ATM in Europe will give you an exchange rate with 1% of the interbank rate for that day. If you check with US Bank they will charge between 6 to 10% in an inflated exchange rate plus the $7.50. I am a US Bank customer and it is a lose lose situation. Find a local credit union or another bank that does not charge the currency conversion fee, then you have the best of all worlds. I use a local credit union as my primary card and the US Bank debit card as back up.

Susan, you said, "my US bank". Is that your bank in the US or "US Bank". As Frank points out, there are two things to consider, flat rate fees and how much (%) your bank charges (the exchange rate) to change US Dollars into Euro over and above the fee. As Rick pointed out years ago, places that have good exchange rates have high fees. Places with low fees have lousy exchange rates. A bank that charges 3% is giving a lousy exchange rate; the "Network" only charges 1%. My local bank in Denver only charges me 1% plus $2 (effectively 1.4% on a $500 withdrawal). I just checked US Bank's website. For foreign currency, US Bank uses Travelex, which is widely acknowledged on this site as one of the worst sources in the world for foreign currency. At Travelex's rate, for $500 you would get €347.35. At the current Interbank rate (Oanda) less 3%, you would get €368.92 at the ATM for that same $500. I'm pretty sure you don't have a Wells Fargo near you, but if you did, the International Teller there would give you €360.80 for $500, not as good as an ATM over there, but better than Travelex.

Schwab offers a VISA branded debit card with no premium by Schwab for cash withdrawals in foreign currency. My recollection was VISA charged a slight premium of about 4/10ths of 1% over the interbank rate but when I called now to confirm, I learned there is no premium by VISA. Go figure. Fees charged by bank ATM machines, if any, are rebated monthly by Schwab. Love this card.

Thanks everyone for your excellent information and ideas. I will convert the minimum here in the states and find an ATM in Paris to convert the rest.

Just for clarity, you aren't converting dollars to euros at ATMs. You withdraw euros and the withdrawal amount plus any fees show up on your statement as dollars, because your account is in the U.S.