Question about exchange at bank

Withdraw euros from an ATM when you arrive at your destination. Or you could check other banks in your area to see if they give you a better deal. As a last resort, if you want a few euros in your pocket when you arrive, exchange a little at the airport before leaving, then use ATMs during your trip. Make sure you notify your bank that you will be using your ATM card in foreign countries, though, or they could block your account.

It would be a mistake to try to exchange all the money you would need in Europe at a U.S. bank before going over. It would be equally foolish to arrive in Europe without any European money. The way I solve this is to bring €100-200 home with me after each trip to use when I start my next trip. Of course, you can't do that for you first trip.

Many U.S. banks charge 3% over the Interbank rate to withdraw your own money at European ATMs. Wells Fargo charges 5% over to buy currency here. I believe BofA charges 5½%. Have some Euro in your pocket when you arrive.

Pick a bank over here to get a few Euro before you go over; get the rest at ATMs over there.

Airport currency exchange booths (over here) are the absolute worst place to exchange money.

Everyone has his/her preferences. For example, on my first trip to Europe I didn't take any euros or pounds with me from home. Instead, I stashed $200 US in my money belt which I planned to use only in an emergency. If my debit card hadn't worked in an airport ATM when I first arrived in Europe or if all the airport ATMs were out of cash (not likely), that would have constituted an "emergency." If that had happened, I would have exchanged a minimum amount of my dollars at an airport booth, enough to get me from the airport to my hotel. Then I would have hunted down a nearby bank ATM to get more local currency.

Rick Steves' Money 101 article has a lot of information on this subject.

I also have always just taken some US emergency cash and I get money from the ATM when I arrive. I would like to have 50 euro or so when I arrive, but this has not been enough of a wish for me to get it from a bank here before I leave. So far, I haven't had any problems arriving without any euros.

ATMs are prominently available at every airport. In my opinion, the only reason to arrive with foriegn currency is if you have any remaining from a previous trip.

Sharon,
To get the best deal on euro shop around for the best ATM card. See http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange

I hope there is a typographical error in the original post. If a 5% conversion difference amounted to nearly $500 she would be taking nearly $10,000 in cash and that would really be an unwise thing to do.

Has anyone used the AAA Visa card? It is a Visa card that is not attached to a bank. You load US money on it and then it is a credit/ATM card. Going to try in less than a week

"Has anyone used the AAA Visa card?"

If anyone has, they will never admit it. Prepaid cards like the AAA Visa have really terrible exchange rates, somewhere around 7%, vs 1%-3% at an ATM.

Sharon, It is polite to respond to these posts. Even if you feel embarassed because of your lack of knowledge on this subject, you should at least reply to either thank them for their input or whatever. Don't just ignore them! This happens so often! Get a grip and swallow your pride and do the right thing!