Advice needed for money conversion : $ to Euros

Havent a clue about Barclays, but doesn't seem likely you can get euro from a cashpoint in the UK which uses Pounds for their currency.

How long are you going to be in Ireland? Long enough to need several ATM transactions? Or , if the majority of your expenses can be handled by credit card, can you manage with one ATM withdrawal on your arrival day?

I have no idea if you can get Euros out of a bank ATM in England. Or what kind of exchange rate they would give. Getting Euros from inside the bank, you might get the same rate you'd get by buying them from your home bank. Which would likely be similar to what you'd get by using another bank's ATM IN Ireland. If it's only 1 or 2 transactioms, I'd likely get the €€s once in Ireland, just to avoid all the hassle. It's only a matter of a few dollars difference, on a vacation that's costing thousands.

The simplest solution to multiple currencies in Europe - it used to be much worse - is to use your debit card (from a bank you have notified when and where you are going :) btw) at the first ATM you find, preferably at an open bank. You choose how much, and can cut down on transaction fees by taking out larger, rather than smaller, amounts. As noted, transaction fees are just coffee-sized bites. If you want to arrive in Dublin with a few Euros in your pocket, go into a Liverpool bank and exchange cash pounds for cash Euros.

Sounds like your best bet might be to purchase, say €200 in the US and then get more from any ATM in Ireland as you need it. Make sure you let your bank know you will be overseas and using ATMs. Also check and see what your daily withdrawal limit is and increase it as necessary while you are overseas. ATMs in Liverpool are unlikely to dispense Euros....also not sure if they will let you buy Euros with a card inside the bank as you are not a customer; they may exchange pound notes for Euros.

Easiest and possibly cheapest - my original suggestion. Just get some Euros before you go, top up as needed along the way and relax and enjoy your vacation!

My question is, regardless of fees BOA charges you for using the ATM's of non-affiliated banks, do they additionally charge a 3% foreign currency conversion fee, as I suspect they do? That will take a bigger chunk than the per transaction fee. A withdrawal of 200 GBP will result in a cost to you of $8 if they charge the usual 3%.

So in Ireland, if they have no affiliated banks, just use any Irish bank ATM. It's not enough to break a sweat about.

Thanks to all of you!

Sam is right. If you use a partner bank you save the $5, but not the 3%. So don't sweat it - not worth worrying about. Just use your credit card whenever possible, and take out a small amount of euros (Dublin) or pounds (Liverpool) for when you need cash.

You don't have time to do this now, but for your next trip, you can get a checking or savings account at a credit union, Charles Schwab, or (if you live where they have branches) TD Bank, which have much lower fees, or no fees at all, for use at foreign ATM's.

Also

most venders (cafes, grocery stores...) ask "do you want cash back?" so if you're not paying a fee to use the card in some instances, get your cash that way!!

Susan
in Waterville

I also have BOA and they charge $5 plus 3% foreign transaction fee for every ATM transaction.

I opened up a Capitol One 360 checking account specifically for our upcoming Ireland trip. Zero foreign transaction fees and zero ATM fee's.

Thanks again. I was under the impression that the 3% foreign transaction fee was also waived if a sister bank was used. Guess I was wrong on that! So I'm not going to sweat it. I will definitely look into joining a credit union or using Fidelity if I get back overseas in the next few years.

You should also be knowledgeable of foreign transaction cost of your credit card(s) as well as your ATM/Debit. Even cards issued by the same bank may have different FX mark ups. If your credit card has a better FX rate you can charge more and save your cash for smaller purchases.