Converting dollars to Euros

The ATM is generally going to be your best option, but make sure (1) you have notified your bank of your travel plans, and (2) you have a bank that won't charge outrageous ATM fees. If you can find an ATM that is in the same network as the bank that issued your credit card, that's probably the best option. Also, avoid ATMs like Euronet that are not connected to a bank.

And, when asked if you want the atm to convert, say no!

I try and find an atm inside a bank to avoid additional fees.

It will cost a little more to get some Euros from your local bank before you leave, but the extra cost is very low and is nothing compared to the total cost of the trip. Getting Euros at home has a number of upsides. You don't have to search for an ATM, stand in line to use it, and hope it works as malfunctions do happen. All of which are somewhat stressful - especially when you are tired, sleepy, jet lagged, and on new turf. Just something to think about.

Any ATM will give you the same exchange rate, since that is determined by the network your bank uses. By "bank" if you are thinking of going to window to exchange cash...they do not do that for non-customers.

What will vary by ATM is any charges your bank might levy (in or out of network, likely out), any use fee the ATM might levy (usually a few euro), and if you do, or do not, avoid DCC.

Most of the time, I, like many on here, have euros from a previous trip, otherwise, yeah, I just hit an ATM in the airport, or since I rarely need cash right away anymore, given the prevalence of card use, I wait until I am in town. Either works.

Some also like to get euros before they go, it will cost you, 5 to 8% from a bank, but they like the security of cash in pocket.

Do be warned, while much of Europe you can go the whole trip and never use cash, Germany is the country you are most likely to need cash. With some care, and sticking to the tourist track you can survive on card, do not be surprised if a restaurant, beer garden, or shop is cash only, or at least very strongly preferred.

I also suggest having both a backup debit card and credit card. Also consider setting up a digital wallet on your phone if you have not, that way, worst case, lose a card, your provider can give you information to load a card to your digital wallet instantly.

Budapest seems to be somewhat unique in the frequency of credit card skimming/theft problems. In all of my European travels, and those of friends and colleagues, the theme of possible problems there has been consistent. One word of advice for (all of Europe) Budapest is to make sure that you never lose sight of your card at a restaurant or bar. The server should take your payment from you at the table. If they do not arrive with the handheld card reader, then follow them to a payment station.

Never buy €s in the US as that is asking to be taken advantage of by your local bank. To do that is akin to taking money out of your wallet & tearing it up. Also avoid getting €s at the arriving airport. Go to a local bank like Deutsche Bank & use their cash machines any time after you check in at your hotel. Do it during the daytime.

Also find out if your local bank in the US has any reciprocity or partnership with a German bank so you can save on international fees.

I have been living in Europe for the last 3 years, but still use my US bank.

My experience is that using an ATM nets out about the same as getting cash from my bank (BoA) in the US before leaving, which nets out about the same as using my credit card over here. If there is a difference its less than 1%. I quit trying to play the game a long time ago. But ou do need a card with no foriegn transaction fees (easy to find) and a US bank that is fair (mine is just "okay", but better for me because I have a special relationship - other banks are probably better in general).

Most of the ATMs in Budapest are tap ATMs. Skimmers dont work on tap ATMs. If you google Budapest ATM Skimmers, Rome ATM Skimmers, London ATM Skimmers you will get about the same number of warning hits. Its just a European thing. When a card does get skimmed the number can get sold on the black web and get used months later so there is no way of knowing where you got hit.

With just a little common sense (no DCC, only the EuroNet ATM in a crunch, Tap ATMs when possible), all of this adds up to 1 or 2 percent on what you spend on the street in the country. The number is so low that it has a very minimal impact on the overall cost of your trip. You dont need to beat it to death. Just enjoy the trip and dont sweat that it cost you $3 a day more than the other guy claims.

If you google Budapest ATM Skimmers, Rome ATM Skimmers, London ATM Skimmers you will get about the same number of warning hits. Its just a European thing.

It is not - not on the same level in every country. UK Gov's foreign travel advice for Hungary contains very clear statements about the situation there.

In Germany travelers will find 4 large ATM pools used / operated by full banks. Every ATM will show the user the expected fee of the transaction by this bank at this ATM; your own bank might add others.

Most trustworthy are the following banks / ATM networks:

• Sparkassen
• BankCard: Volksbank, Raiffeisenbank, PSD
• Cash Group: Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank, Commerzbank, Postbank
• Cash Pool: BBBank, National-Bank, Santander Consumer Bank, Sparda-Banken, Targobank and others

Have a good and safe trip.

Funny, I never hear about ATM skimmers in Germany, Spain, or Portugal. Maybe its' not a "European" thing.

Does anyone know of any ATM networks or banks in Europe that allow for an ATM card to be tapped rather than inserted? Tapping with your card or phone is more secure and it is my understanding that skimmers can't steal your account information.

Of course as always the author of the quoted sentences tries to defend
Budapest's reputation

Yes it happens here. I will concede to you that the odds of it happening to you in Rome are 1000 times less.

But I stick to tap card ATM which these days is 90% of them so it’s a non-issue. Good thing for a smart tourist to do in any country.

And don’t anyone be fooled into thinking just because is so unspeakably dangerous that it won’t happen in their next country as well. Don’t be reckless, even in Paris, watch for the skimmer "clues" or use the tap function.

Also, people shouldn’t think that the number gets used the next day. Those numbers can float around on the dark web for a long time before they get bought and used (I know that from experience when I was living in the US a card I hadn’t used in 6 months was compromised).

So, you really don’t know where it happened; could have been in Budapest if that makes you feel better or it could have been when you stopped for a burger Hackensack, NJ 6 months ago, and the waiter scanned the number. Again, I am sure you had your hacked number traced back to the source and it was Budapest.

My process to avoid it:
- Use tap ATMs wherever you go if they are offered. I can not
remember the last ATM I went to here that didn’t have a tap function.
- Use ATMs in Bank Lobbies when possible. I am just guessing here but
I suspect the incidence of messing with those ATMs is lower.
- Look for some of the signs if you do have to insert a card:
https://lifelock.norton.com/learn/fraud/how-to-spot-an-atm-skimmer#:~:text=What%20does%20an%20ATM%20skimmer,and%20bulky%20or%20loose%20parts.

It really is a non-issue with a little care. I go to the ATM once or twice a week. Have for the last 3 years. That would be about 300 times. I am still okay. (of course that one sentenance just jinxed me)

Ms Jo:
Pick a country or a major city and google and you get this sort of thing:
https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/COMMERZBANK-AG-13057331/news/Hardly-any-damage-left-as-a-result-of-data-theft-at-German-ATMs-42787572/

Its just life today. Use a tap card and you dont have to consider it. But when it does happen people respond much like they do when American Airlines gives them a hard time POST: "Never Fly American Airlines". And I get that.

I went looking for Mark's data source and struck out. Cant find a single source, so far, that ranks countries or cities for the number of skimmers.

ATM is your only viable option. In Europe, and ever more common in the U.S., unless you have an account at the bank it won’t even break a large bill for smaller ones, let alone exchange currency. Some European banks are all machines; not a real person in it.

I guess a couple comments...

I would not fear using an ATM lest my card be skimmed or eaten in Europe. Credit card fraud, including skimming is a minor fraction of what it is in many European countries compared to the US. Skimming in particular is almost unheard of, why? security measures in place. You cant duplicate the EMV chip, and you can't use basic information (number, expiry, and ccv) to conduct transactions like in the US. Further, Tap ATMs eliminate any opportunity for skimming, or for that matter, getting your card "eaten". Even an "eaten" card at an open bank, you likely will not get back, as the ATMs are usually managed by a third party. That is why you have back-ups.

People often speak like they know exactly how their card was compromised (I used this ATM, or it was this restaurant) but honestly, you simply do not know, and you are almost certainly wrong. Most of the time, your card was compromised through use of brute force transaction attempts. Programs that try millions of transaction with various data, in small amounts, until they get a hit, then exploit that known account. I once had a card compromised that I not only never used, but that was not even activated. Other times, the use was so out of character, that fraud protection caught it instantly.

Go, use the ATM that is convenient, even if you incur a fee, anymore an ATM transaction is a once or twice a trip event, the fee is a nit, or better, get a card that reimburses fees.

Never buy €s in the US as that is asking to be taken advantage of by your local bank.

If one knows the cost of gettig euros from a U.S. bank beforehand, (even if it's more than the cost would be at a European ATM) and elects to get them anyway, how can that be considered being taken advantage of? There are times when getting euros before leaving home is, in my opinion, absolutely okay.

The older I get, the less I seem use the word "never".

The 2 above are the best advice here.

“ Skimming in particular is almost unheard of, why? security measures in place. You cant duplicate the EMV chip, and you can't use basic information (number, expiry, and ccv) to conduct transactions like in the US.”

Hear hear Paul! Couldn’t agree more! Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation and scaremongering going around on the internet and social media.
Skimming is most definitely not a European thing. In the Netherlands there hasn’t been a skimming case for many many years. Why? Because Dutch banks stopped issuing new bank cards with a magnetic strip back in 2006 already. In 2010 most bank cards were replaced and in 2013 the process was completed. Since then ATM’s and payment terminals in shops, restaurants etc can only read cards with an EMV chip in them.
Given that barely no one has a card with a magnetic strip anymore it simply doesn’t pay off to install skimming equipment on Dutch ATM’s. Because even if you would manage to skim the odd card with a magnetic strip, you have nowhere to cash in. After all, the ATM’s and payment terminals no longer read the magnetic strip.
Other countries in Europe did the exact same thing, making skimming a thing of the past.

Another story that pops up now and then, is that the EMVchip on your card can be read by someone walking past you on the street. The would set up a tap payment on a payment terminal and just by walking past you, the machine taps your card and you’re out of €50. My answer to that is; next time you go grocery shopping, try to do a tap payment with your card still in your wallet inside your purse or wherever you would normally keep it. Then you will see how it’s practically impossible for the machine to read your card when it’s inside a wallet next to other cards etc.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s good to be vigilant. When you’re in a restaurant or shop, don’t let anyone else handle your card. Make sure you keep your PIN to yourself and always opt to pay in the local currency.

There are many valis opinions on this topic, similar to the "carry on only" debate!

I split the middle and do both...some start up cash in hand from my bank, then more if needed from a bank ATM during the trip.

Reason for the cash in hand before departure? Because twice I discovered the hard way that ATMs aren't always reliable. One time I landed 9am in Brussels, which evidently coincided with my home bank's 2am nightly bookkeeping routine. The other time my debit card just mysteriously didn't work for several hours. The same thing has happened to one of my travel companions. Now I take some cash and 2 debit cards from different banks top off cash over there if needed. On a side note, we noticed last year that ATMs seemed a bit harder to locate than on previous trips. Perhaps because not as much cash is being used?

There are many vali[d] opinions on this topic, similar to the "carry on only" debate!

Like the carry-on-only debate, there's no right or wrong answer, no one-size-fits-all approach. And there's nothing to debate. There are pluses and minuses to each approach. Pat, now you probably know more about the pluses and minuses than you ever hoped to!

I'm sure you have enough information to make an informed decision.

Pat, there's a lot of good information above. Getting euros from an ATM after arrival, but not when tired or stressed, has been my practice in the past. Keeping the leftovers for the next trip has also worked well.
Right now I have euros left over that I won't be able to use anytime soon. If you'd be interested in those, send me a personal message for more info. I live about an hour away. Maybe you get to the Appleton area occasionally?

Wow, google articles from 2-3 years ago offer some great "new" information to this discussion. Even then, in 2023, it says all of Germany had only 120+ incidents. That hardly sounds like it is widespread and the article says it is sinking.

Ms. Jo, correct. It's really is just not a thing any longer. To use the skimmed data, you have to go to a country that still has a lot of magnetic strip readers. The article was more "yeah, at one time it happened everywhere ... but old news"

On another note, a few years ago, I used an ATM in Odesa. Apparently, on the machine, you selected the language before inserting the card. The screen came up in russian. I couldnt even figure which button was cancel and would return my card! Fortunately, someone saw the expression on my face and came to my rescue.

The thing with buying euros before your trip is what if it is too much, or too little? Then you are back to square one on the too little and probably manufactured spending if you have too much.

Can you have too much money on holiday?? Then of course there is the next trip.