Exchanging foreign currency once back in the USA

I second the suggestion to post an offer to exchange at a fair rate on Craigslist or a similiar site.

Or perhaps you have relatives or friends that might either like to have some foreign currency or plan to take a trip themselves? Maybe you could give it to them for a birthday or Christmas gift.

How much do you have, and will you ever go back? If you plan on going back, and you can afford the "investment", keep it for your next trip. It is nice to have a bit of local currency in your pocket so that finding a working ATM is not a life and death issue.

If you don't think you will ever go back, try to find someone in town (maybe ask a travel agent) who is going over. You can both save the exchange commission.

Save them for next time. I have always done that.

Or post something in the local paper that you will exchange them with someone going over there at face value.

You will lose too much by using a bank or currency exchanger. Hold on to them.

Currency exchange places made money due to two facts: There were so many currencies in Europe and there were few choices when it came to exchanging. As the older generation of people who travel die off, the younger generation who are more comfortable with using credit cards and ATMs exclusively combined with the reduction in currency exchanging as more European countries adopt the Euro, there will probably be fewer exchange places. On my trips to Europe, I see fewer of them compared to years gone by.

I don't know how close you are to the St Louis airport, but they probably have a currency exchange there. I also would vote for just keeping them for the next trip, though, or finding someone who is going to exchange them with because the exchange fees would eat up so much of it.

Thanks, but it took me 58 years to get to make this one trip, and I don't think I'm going to live another 58. As much as I'd love to go again, I'm on SSA disability payments, so I'll never be able to afford it again.

With the small amounts you have I would ask around if anyone knows someone who is traveling abroad and offer to sell your currency this way. You might ask a travel agent, I'm sure they have clients who would be more than happy to make the exchange.

Greg

The suggestions to sell to someone locally is your best option. You can get the daily exchange rate from the financial page of your local paper or the internet. Selling at that rate or a penny to two more would be a good deal for both sides. We normally keep about a 100E and 50# for our next trip but on our last trip I came home with about 300E. Actually sold them to someone who had posted on the Steves' site. I paid 1.38, sold for 1.40 (round numbers) and by the time they used them in Europe the Euro was around 1.44. Wished I had kept them.

Try Regions Bank location

Banks will only take certain denominations.

I keep my small stuff as souvenirs or give them as gifts.

I'm from Iowa so I get the small town problem. However, being from a small town you are bound to have good friends and family that you can entrust with this money. Ask if anyone knows a close friend or family member who will be traveling to Europe (think high school graduates etc.) Get the exchange rate out of the paper. Or, canvass them and find out who is going to be traveling sometime via one of the big hub airports (think St. Louis or better Chicago). Have them exchange the money (you'll really lose on the fees however).