Getting Euros in Europe.

I opened an account with Charles Schwab and used my debit card to withdraw cash at ATMs. Schwab refunds any atm fees. But opening the account and getting the debit card was kind of a hassle, so do it well in advance of your trip. It took several weeks to set up, then electronically transferring funds into the account took about 5 business days.

If you use your regular bank debit card, you’ll pay a fee to use the atm. It’s a set fee, not based on the amount you withdraw.

I use bank ATM machines. My bank charges a small fee that is determined by how much I withdraw. It’s not very much and I usually just use my credit card with no fees instead of paying cash. If you use a credit card and you are asked if you want the charge in US$ (assuming you’re from the US) always say no. You want the charge to be in the local currency.

Linda, in addition to asking on this Forum, have you also searched online for an answer? There used to be a credit union in Florida, St. Andrews I believe, that got rave reviews from several people posting here. Maybe that’s not the name, but searching on “St. Andrews” just now, I didn’t get any results. I did find this, for what it’s worth:
https://wallethub.com/debit-cards/no-foreign-transaction-fee?loc=Denver,CO&iam=gc

For the record, we still use our debit card for our checking account. There’s a nominal fee when making a withdrawal from an ATM that’s not on their network, both within the USA and overseas. Opening yet another account, tying up funds at another bank, and having to monitor that isn’t worth the extra effort, for the small potential savings. But that’s it … withdrawal fee. There’s no extra “fee” if it’s international. I don’t count the exchange rate $1.12 for €1, or 15 kroner to the dollar, etc. as a “fee.”. You’ll get that exchange rate regardless of how you get foreign cash, although a bank in Europe will give you a better exchange rate than a cash exchange bureau at an airport.

Over the last 3 years, we’ve gotten less and less cash on trips in Europe. More and more places accept credit cards, some are cards only (no cash), and there are fewer places that are cash only, or where we prefer to use cash. Our Chase card charges no foreign transaction fee. Still want (and get) some cash, but no as much as 5 or 6 years ago.

A cash advance is on a credit card, and yes, often pretty pricey. We use a credit union and I also have a Wells Fargo account. I have ATM/debit cards for both. If I use a bank/credit union affiliated with my credit union or Wells Fargo, I do not pay a fee. You can check the symbols on the back of the card. I always withdraw in Euro declining any conversions. Most often we are able to obtain cash without any fees. We do, however, use credit cards as much as possible. We use very little cash on our trips.

Four ways I get €: If I don’t have any, I will buy some using my BAC account before I travel because I like to land with some in my purse; fee is minimal. I try to bring at least €100 home from my previous trip. If my German neighbor isn’t going “home” and has extra € I’ll buy some from him. I have a debit card set up for my Fidelity “travel” account, no foreign fees, they reimburse ATM fees.

It’s my understanding that ATMs want debit cards linked to checking accounts, not savings accounts. Do you have a debit card linked to your checking account or brokerage account? You probably won’t be using the card often so fees will be minimal if you don’t have time to hunt for a no fee account.

Tap to pay credit cards are accepted in most restaurants and stores.

Well you made me go look, since a Capital One 360 online checking account is what I use. They do NOT charge foreign transaction fees: “For 360 products (360 Checking, Money, etc.) there are no additional fees when you use your debit card abroad (any transaction made in a foreign currency or that MasterCard® classifies as a cross-border transaction).”
https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/money-management/foreign-transaction-fees/

Maybe open a checking account instead of trying to use an ATM card with a savings account.

I had to switch from a legacy Capital One account to a Capital One 360 account a few years ago because the regular accounts started charging for ATM withdrawals. Unless there has been another change, the 360 accounts are still fee-free. You can set one up online and transfer the money from your old Capital One account.

You might also check with credit unions in your city; some of them also do not charge fees for use of overseas ATMs.

Just open up a Capital One 360 Checking account. You can also open a Capital One 360 Performance Savings account. The checking account has no foreign transaction fees.

Another vote for opening a Capitol One 360 checking account. Easy to open online and we used it as an ATM in Europe (no international fees from Capitol One although the bank who owns the ATM can still charge fees-this varies).

Most banks charge feels and now ATMs do to-banks are no dummies and will get their money somehow.

Make a budget and list of how much you think you need in cash. It's probably not much anymore as Europe has gone contactless since Covid. I usually get out all my money at once in the beginning. Then leave what I don't need for the day in the hotel safe.

Adding one more for CapitalOne. It's the 360 Checking Account you need. It's right there on their home page. And the card is a chipped debit card, so can also be used wherever as point of sale (and no travel notification needed!). In fact there was a cock-up with my Schwab card on my trip this past May, so it was that CapitalOne card that took the GBP from the machine to pay my rental, and was used for every purchase in London and Reykjavik, including tap to go on the the London Tube. My partner opened this also to have a no FTF card for her purchases and Tube rides.

And as others have said you can apply online, and then transfer your balance from the savings once it is running and then close the savings (just did that this year for other personal reasons).

I have not been charged fees if I choose an affiliated bank/credit union as indicated by the symbols on the back of the card. We were just in Portugal (Used MultibancoATM) and we used an ATM a couple times and there was not a fee. We used our credit union ATM card.

Wow! Thank you everyone!! I have a lot to look into. As someone mentioned, even if you don’t pay an international fee, you can get charged a fee from the ATM machine. That’s what happened to me last year. It upset me because that was never the case in all my other trips. But yes, banks are getting greedy and find a way to get our money. I’ve been trying to get away from ALL fees but I guess that’s a thing of past.

I will look into the Capital One 360. One thing I don’t want to do though, is look for certain ATM’s that are bank affiliated. Don’t want the hassle or loss of time from it. I really only want maybe $100 to carry around just in case. Might be worth it just to get Euros from my bank in the states. Yes, the exchange rate might be higher but for that small of an amount, it might be worth it.

I appreciate everyone’s responses. You were all very helpful.

If you look for an ATM that’s connected to, or in, an actual bank, it’s likely to have lower fees than the standalone ATMs that you’ll encounter in stores or touristy spots. Those are often branded ‘Eurocash’ or something like that and are often blue and gold and I try to avoid them when possible. It’s generally easy to find a bank attached ATM in most cities.

Another tactic to take if you’re going to deal in one currency for most or all of your trip, is to withdraw a larger amount one time rather than several smaller transactions. The ATMs usually charge a flat fee per transaction, not a percentage of what you’ve withdrawn. So for example you could withdraw $400 once with a $5 fee, or 4 withdrawals of $100 each and end up paying $20 in fees.

Nobody likes to pay extra fees for sure. But they will be a very small percentage of what you’ve spent on the total trip (at least that’s what I tell myself in consolation!).

hey hey Linda
i know it's like a "fee fee fee" world out there nowdays.
learned my lesson once and i always get about 200E (small bills) at bank/credit union, cost was about $20. so so worth it and that lasted me 7 days between paris & amsterdam. used my debit card for meals.
be careful about the "ATM" machines, one may be a euronet which you need to stay away from "fees". many airports have them.
flew to rome several years ago, gonna stop at ATM after deplaning, was NUTS!! had only 2, one broken/out of order and other had a long line. who knows how much money is in that machine. borrowed from friend and when we got to town paid her back.
everyone has their own opinions about euros or no euros, it's up to you to decide do you want stress or happiness :) enjoy
aloha