Euro Coins

Mr Rick sells this zippered compact wallet that should be good for coins:http://tinyurl.com/gkufwyy

Or you could do what I do and charge most everything and never deal with change or bills;)

Hi Steve,

I am not sure what the problem/question is... I always carry my euro coins in my pants pocket. When I get on my flight to travel between the US and Europe I take my US coins out of my pants pocket (where I normally carry them) and put them in a small size baggie and put that baggie in my messenger bag - years ago I put it in my backpack - then, whenever I get euro coins I simply put them in my pants pocket. I use them as need be during the trip. Then, I reverse the procedure when I am ready to depart from European airport for my flight home.

Some sort of small zip pouch should do the job. A quick amazon search brought up this one but there are tons, at all price points
https://www.amazon.com/AimTrend-Leather-Zippered-Change-Holder/dp/B00V3THGDQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1469463240&sr=8-3&keywords=zipper+coin+pouch

I feel your pain! I use this wallet from Eagle Creek (well, actually I use the cheaper non-RFID version): http://shop.eaglecreek.com/rfid-blocker-zip-stash/d/1348C2802?CategoryId=328

How do you carry your coins back home. If you don't like the Zip-lock bag method (Slider-lock bags are easier), use your front pants pocket. Store you domestic coinage in a bag to avoid contaminating local coinage. At the end of your trip, switch foreign exchanage to the plastic bag and carry domestic the way you normally do.

I keep the coins in an empty prescription bottles-one for Euros, the other for UK Pounds or Croatian Kuna and so forth. Usually when traveling only carry €10 or less daily.

I'm with Jack and Edgar, that's what pants pockets are for. Don't accumulate so many euro coins that you start to tilt to one side, or fall over -- spend them down to a convenient weight, just like you do with US coins. ;-)

My travel wallet is a 4" x 5" Coach wristlet--the loop allows me to attach it way down in my purse, yet I can pull it up to access. It holds any coins I might get in change, but what I do every night is sort through them and put the 1, 2 and 50 euro cent ones in my pocket for the next day--sometimes I'm surprised I have 10 to 15 euro that I would otherwise not have thought about since they're coins. If I get too many smaller coins they get removed and put in a ziplock in my suitcase, but I usually manage to get rid of them before they become a problem.

As usual for me, I pick up coin purses on my trips through thrift shops -- usually for $1-$2. It's just a way to hold the coins in my pocket while avoiding those pesky holes, so the "style" isn't primary. (I don't mind "Hello Kitty")

Some of us affluent enough to not need to "pinch pennies" it too easy to hand a clerk a bill instead of counting out strange coins. That practice leads to a very large handful of strange coins. It's a good idea to try and use the smaller coins every so often to get the pile of metal down to a manageable load.

We used the self-checkouts at grocery stores to unload coins. Don't need to embarrass ourselves counting unfamiliar coins in front of a person and can use up a lot of coins at once while the machine does the work. Although some care needs to be taken to not end up with a lot of new change by the end of the transaction.

I know exactly what you mean. In the U.S. a little bit of change is just that, a small amount. In Europe, it's easy to get enough change to feel like you are carrying a bulky lead weight in your pocket. Trying to solve this problem for myself, I observed how Europeans dealt with it.

I found they primarily go cashless. They use their debit cards almost exclusively. A decade or two ago, it seemed like all small transactions were cash transactions, today they are debit. Most people are walking around with no change in their pockets at all.

The other option seems to be a wallet that I've never seen sold here. It's like a folding wallet but with a zippered coin pocket on the outside. I think you may be best off visiting a department store in Europe and buying a wallet there that is designed to handle the larger Euro coins.

I too would suggest to go into the next supermarket in Europe and buy a wallet with coin case there. They are about 10€ only. If you don't want to be pickpocketed, buy one with a key chain. Bigger supermarkets for example in Germany tend to have an adjancent shoe repair shop which also sells wallets, key chains and so on for a low price.

We solve the problem by spending them. In fact, I like the concept of one and two even five euro coins. Wish we did the same in the US. In fact, I don't problem here. We never have more than a half a dozen coins in my pocket at one time.

too easy to hand a clerk a bill instead of counting out strange
coins. That practice leads to a very large handful of strange coins

I used to have the same problem with accumulating coins. It was so easy to identify the bills and just use them, but the change really added up. The solution for me is to hold them in my hand like a roll of coins and look at the edges.

You can easily identify the 1 and 2 euro coins because they have fine milling on the edge. The two has continuous milling and is noticeable larger; the 1 euro coin has intermittent milling.

The next set of coins, 10, 20, and 50 are brass. The 20 has a few large notches around the edge; the 10 and 50 have the same pattern of continuous notches, but there is a noticeable difference in size.

Lastly, the small coins, 1, 2, and 5 cent are copper (and small). The 1 and 5 are smooth on the edges, but much different in size, the 2 has a circumferential groove, like two thin coins stuck together. As long as most of my spending is for transportation tickets and meals, I don't get many of these small coins.

Looking at the edges avoids the problem of the 50 cent piece being almost the same size as the 1 euro coin.

I seem to collect a ton of coins during my trips. I appreciate all the advice and will stop at a market or department store and buy something I can throw in my messenger bag. BTW, and this is just me, I hate walking around home with a bunch of coins in my pocket. I throw them in my car console and pull them out when needed.

This is a huge (and non-US) problem. I use a plastic produce bag from the supermarket which I knot shut and yes it is tacky.

Lee: that's great advice, I had not yet developed a system of IDing euro (or UK) coins without time consuming piece by piece examination which taxes the cashier's patience.

For about the same cost as a good coin purse you can bring them home, put them in a small recycled box and mail them to me. Send me a PM and I will give you the address.

Option two, give them to the needy, other than me; street musicians, Church and Synagogue donation boxes, that way your pockets feel lighter.

Lol James you are a funny guy

When I've collected more coins than I care for, I go to my hotel's reception desk and cash them in either for bills or larger (amount) coins. 100 pence or pennies is much more, in weight, than a 1 pound or 1 Euro coin.

I've also found convenience stores, if not busy, are patient as you count out coins. Some will even offer to help.

There is a notorious insufficiency of coinage in circulation in Argentina, so people hoard their change -- especially because you need it for the bus system, so typically in your first couple of days you have to plead with your hosts or taxi drivers to give you change in coins, but once you get into the local rhythm a small trove of your own piles up and you can bestow it like the nobility tables have turned.

Almost every woman in Buenos Aires uses the same zippered clutch/purse/wallet decorated with red fabric piping which has a few dividers/compartments inside for bills, coins, and tickets. It's such a ubiquitous personal item that I keep meaning to see who sells them; my guess is newstand/tabac/minimarkets, where one can (should) also get personal-size packets of panuelos.

We buy small leather coin purses for about 5 or 6 Euro in a market or shop. Very durable and saves the pockets. In fact, we keep a set in different colors so we have one for Euro change, one for GBP and one for CHF. We like to save a little currency from each place for the next trip.

I have a small, 2-compartment coin purs that I bought in Roma at a leather shop. Buy one in Europe, it's a useful souvenir.

There is a notorious insufficiency of coinage in circulation in Argentina, so people hoard their change -- especially because you need it for the bus system, so typically in your first couple of days you have to plead with your hosts or taxi drivers to give you change in coins, but once you get into the local rhythm a small trove of your own piles up and you can bestow it like the nobility tables have turned.

Not sure how long ago that was. I didn't have that problem in Buenos Aires last year, nor did other recent visitors:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g312741-i979-k9639544-Smaller_Bills-Buenos_Aires_Capital_Federal_District.html

While in the USA, I rarely pay for anything with cash. I charge one my AmEx Delta Skymiles card and get miles. Also, I don't have to deal with the stupid coins.

While overseas, sometimes we just have to use cash and we receive the coins. Unfortunately my dear wife keeps hers and they wind up in her purse at home were they are worthless. I try to spend mine.

... in the USA, I rarely pay for anything with cash....

In the USA public toilets are usually free. Thank you March Fong EU.

March Kong Fong Eu is an American politician of the Democratic Party.
She is a former member of the California State Assembly and former
Secretary of State of California.... She is best known for her
successful campaign to ban pay toilets, arguing that they
discriminated against women since urinals were free.

In many European areas even the public urinals are not free. It's a good idea to know the common coinage for paid toilets and have a few of those coins handy. https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/health/toilet-tricks

Paid Toilets: Paying to use a public WC is a European custom that irks
many Americans. But isn’t it really worth a few coins, considering the
cost of water, maintenance, and cleanliness? And you’re probably in no
state to argue, anyway.

When the euro was introduced, it took me perhaps 2 min. to figure out what was what. Why? Because the denominations are clearly stamped on them. The copper ones 1, 2, & 5 cents are worth the least, the 10, 20, & 50 are brass and the 1 & 2 euro are a mix of brass and silver. It would take longer to get them lined up in my hand to check out how the edges look. How can one mix up a 50 cent coin that is all brass with a 1 euro coin that is silver and brass, plus one coin is stamped 50 and the 1 euro has a 1 on it. It is like mixing up a nickel with a penny.
Now, if only American money had the amounts they are worth clearly stamped on them. Visitors must have a tough time in the US.

Back to the question of the OP. I usually carry coins in my jeans or coat pocket, though my wallet has a section for coins. Use them whenever you can, don't be shy to make the cashier wait on their change. You can also use them to tip your housekeeper every morning. Just leave a few coins on the pillow. You can use them for buskers who are playing music in the city too.

Re: "stupid coins." Get use to that in Europe, dealing with such coins, when you need to use the WC in Germany. They are now taken over by Mr Clean or Rail and Fresh, for which you need one Euro ( a stupid coin or a combination of them ) to deposit in the coin to get through to the WC. These even exist in non tourist towns and cities such as Osnabrück or Minden. If youi find a WC in a dept store, the attendant there will charge you 50 cents before you use the WC.

If you are using the Rail Fresh WC that cost a euro to get in, make sure you save the ticket that comes out. The next time you use them, stick that in first and you only have to pay 50 cents. I prefer these WC over the ones in dept. stores as they are cleaner and those ladies or men staring you down to put money in their plate is annoying.

The WCs at German autobahn service areas (Rasthof or Raststätte) require payment (0.70 EUR?). Save your WC receipt and get partial credit towards your snack or drink. The German service areas encourage having a drink at the rest area, preferably a groß drink to encourage you to take a driving break every two hours or so.

I have a trifold wallet that has a built-in zippered pocket on one side for coins. Just like I do at home if I start accumulating too many quarters, dimes and nickels, if Euro coins start piling up, I make a point of pulling out a handful of them each morning before I leave the hotel and paying for something in all change (e.g., cup of coffee and a croissant, bottle of water, etc.). Other great spots to get rid of them throughout the day - subway stations: I've recently unloaded 14 Euro in change to get myself a carnet of tickets for the Paris Metro; coin-op laundromats for the washer/dryer - beats having to wash your clothes in the hotel sink; pub - I've paid for a pint using all 1 or 2 Euro coins; and grocery stores buying some snacks. The smaller denomination coins I tend to drop on the trays for the pay as you use them public restrooms.

Even coming home from Europe, I unloaded about 20 Euro of 1 and 2 Euro coins just buying a lipstick and some candy from the duty free shop. Doing this, I came back with less than 5 Euro in coins - I don't mind having some leftovers as I just put it away for the next trip and find it handy to have in my bag as soon as I arrive.

Ah, and NEVER forget to tip the room attendant. I usually leave 50Ct to 1€ per cleaning.

That 50 cents you leave on the WC attendant's little dish is required in France and Germany. It is not a tip. If you don't pay first, you can't use the facility. That's the way I've always seen it and understood it. So, it's best to have the coin change on you, depending on the mood of the attendant if you don't have a combination adding up to 50 cents.

Walmart does sell them. I got mine there before our trip and was glad to have it!

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It is NOT a requirement to pay to use the toilet in Germany when it is one with an attendant sitting there with a plate. Those ARE tips. I often pay when I leave and if the place is not as it should be, I leave nothing.