Spending money in Ireland

Ireland is wildly expensive. So you take your estimated budget and multiply it by a factor of 1.5.

ATMs are very commonplace. They used to be found only in towns with banks, but now they are located in most village stores and petrol stations. Many places will accept a credit or debit card, but usually only for purchases larger than 10 euro.

Travellers cheques are extinct.

most debit cards will charge an extra fee for withdrawing funds at a non-group bank ATM. many people have recommended a Schwab checking account that has no fees and will allow you to access ATM machines in Europe/UK with no foreign transaction fees (change your banks money to euros) and no additional fees for use of a machine outside your bank's atm network. Schwab actually refunds you cash if you are charged with a fee for using the ATM. You have to open a checking and brokerage account but there are no account or checking fees. i have used my card in Scotland and Italy over the last three years and they worked great. With a May trip date you may be too late but it would be worth a call to Schwab to see if they can deliver the debit card before you leave. good luck.

Nearly every place I went to in Ireland took credit cards. ATMs are everywhere in the more populated areas and not that hard to find in smaller towns too. Just make sure to use a bank operated ATM. preferably one attached to the bank, to save on sneaky fees.

Never accept the offer at an ATM or a shop to bill you in dollars as the machine owner will use an exchange rate of their own costing you several extra dollars.

Although some will state otherwise, Traveller Cheques should be avoided. No one will cash them except some of the bigger banks and they charge fees. The clerks at small shops don't even know what they are.

If your credit and debit cards are not foreign fee free, you still have time to fix that. Capital One has multiple credit cards that charge no fees at all and the exchange rate is equal to what Google quotes for the day. This can save a lot over cards that charge 3% to 5% conversion fees. Capital One 360 is a foreign fee free debit card with no fees at all. Both can be applied for online without ever stepping into an office. Other card options exist as well, I have used Capital One for nearly 15 years of travel and never have had any issues.

Thanks so much for all the tips! Greatly appreciated!

Just ensure you have some cash for that restaurant or small store that doesn't accept credit cards and doesn't have an ATM.

I got a Capital One 360 debit card for my upcoming trip to Ireland so I'm so happy to read Mark's experiences with the card. I'm a bit annoyed with myself for not getting the card for previous international trips. I probably made Citibank a little richer far with international charges.

Notify your bank/credit card company that you will be traveling overseas. They will sometimes disable your account if they notice unusual charges from distant locations. I forgot to do this once. I had to call the customer service number printed on my card from a Galway parking lot in order to get re-authorized.

Check out Chase Sapphire Preferred VISA. It has very good travel coverage included as well as being one of the very few cards that covers rental auto insurance in Ireland. Read the coverage carefully so you understand it. Also, no international purchase fees. Always use bank ATM's so you do not get hit for unexpected add on fees.