Help with dilemma: Get Euros in States or over there (in Madrid)?

I always feel more comfortable if I have about $100 in local currency before i arrive in a country, taxi, bus, tips, coffee, whatever. And I know i am paying a premium. In your case I would go to someone like Travelex (i dont know them) just to feel comfortable

Step 1) chill.¶ Step 2) throw some, few, or more greenbacks in your moneybelt (you do have a moneybelt?)¶ step 3) when you get to Madrid use your ATM card (bring 2 different ones for backup) and withdraw some Euros - say 300 - and put most of them in the moneybelt with the $$$. ¶ Step 4) pay for the taxi with some of the ones left. ¶ Step 5) Do be sure to use that moneybelt. ¶ Step 6) repeat as necessary. ¶ Step 7) when you get home take the greenbacks back out and spend them.......... You then have reassurance and confidence and if you do actually fail with the atm you could go to a forex window at the airport and buy some Euros from them either with your debit card or the dollars. ¶ Remember step 1!

You're in San Diego? Don't they have Wells Fargo there? Find the main branch of WF in San Diego. They should have a foreign currency desk with cash (no need to order) and charge about 5% over the Interbank rate. Get enough to feel comfortable when you arrive. There are never any sure things, particularly the first time, but I've been using ATMs for 10 years (8 trips, about 16 weeks) and never had problems. I've never had a foreign ATM charge me a fee, just my local bank. To get a little more confidence, you might try your ATM card at a different bank's machine, just to see how it works out of system. If it works out of system here, it should work out of system there. Make sure you have the phone numbers for your cards with you just in case.

My advice is similar. I think it is always smart to have a hundred Euro in your pocket when you land. Use the currency exchange in the San Diego airport. The fee will be high but for a hundred or so you can live with it. Even with the $5 fee and the conversion fee it will be cheaper than an exchange bureau. And take a hundred or so in $20s for buck up. 50s are sometimes rejected because of counterfeiting. In twenty years of travel have never had an ATM card fail. However, from time to time, it will not work in a particular ATM but always works in the next one. It is interesting that you wait until three days prior to travel to deal with one of major concerns of any trip.

There is no need to worry. The Madrid airport is new and modern and equipped with ATM's that will absolutely accept your Visa or Mastercard-branded American credit or debit cards. I was just there a few weeks ago. Just be sure to call Bank of America ahead of time to let them know you'll be traveling out of the country.

Go to AAA! They can do it overnight and if you're a member it's cheap. Ever since Venice when someone tried a reader on the ATM to try to steal my info I bring the cash in large bills and wear my moneybelt. Have taken two trips this way and I swear by it. I only use my cards if really needed, try to go cash otherwise. The less you put your info out there anymore the better. Have a fantastic trip. I am seriously jealous!

WE always prefer to land with about $200 worth of local currency. I know there are ATMs EVERYWHERE but also know that we'll be needing cash ASAP - so why delay in aquiring any? We have not been pickpocketed on any of our flights so far and don't really worry about carrying a few Euros or Pounds on us. We also prefer to deal in cash whenever possible, withdrawing an amount that will(hopefully)keep us going for quite a few days. A few minor bank fees are not a big concern when you add up the costs of an entire trip. As reported above, if one ATM does not work - move on to the next. Make sure that your card has a high enough limit and that your bank knows where you'll be going. Have fun and enjoy your trip!!

"Go to AAA!" I don't know about other states, but at one time in Denver, AAA used Well Fargo, the least expensive provider (~5%) I know of, and their charge for getting Euro from the main office in downtown Denver was less than it would have cost me to go down there myself. Since then, AAA (at least here) has allied themselves with Travelex, probably the most expensive provider. So make sure you know their rates. Ask AAA how much it cost in US$ per Euro, then check it with today's Interbank rate per Oanda.com. If it's 7-10%, say "no thanks" and go to WF. . . . . . ¶ UPDATE: I just went online an got some foreign exchange rates (as of today, this morning I believe). The Interbank rate is $1.376/Euro. A 5% markup would be $1.445/Euro. BofA's website shows $1.431; Wells Fargo shows $1.428. That's 4.0% and 3.8%, respectively. Travelex is $1.508 or 9.6%.

Everybody is absolutely right when they say that currency exchange booths at the airport or elsewhere will charge you super high fees. Everybody is also right to point out that almost certainly the airport ATMs will work and you'll get your euros right away at a better rate. The only possible hitch is the very tiny percentage chance that something goes wrong with your card or the Spanish ATM system breaks down and you can't get cash. So, bring three crisp new 100 dollar bills in a snack-sized plastic ziplock bag, and if the extremely unlikely ATM problem actually occurs, then hit the currency exchange booth and get whatever amount of money makes you feel comfortable till you can get the ATM issue worked out. If you use the currency exchange booth at the front end, there's a 100 percent chance you get ripped off on the rate. If you wait to see if you need to use the currency exchange booth on the backend, you have reduced your odds of needing the ripoff booth dramatically. I travel internationally for work about four of five times a year and I still have the three 100 dollar bills that I took out back in 2001. But they're my emergency plan against airport ATM failure. Never had to use them but they do provide that extra peace of mind.