We are planning on using Airbnb exclusively while in Italy for 3 weeks. We already have booked 7 nights in Rome from here in the states since we know we will be there on certain dates. We would like to use PayPal for the rest of our bookings while in Italy, as the need arises. Has anyone else done this? Have you experienced any complications? Somewhere I read that you would be asked your choice of currency before you check out. Which currency should we choose to avoid surcharges; dollars or euros? Thanks!
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20994 posts
I don't know with paypal in specific. I think you can look at their conversion rate prior to checking out Generally speaking you will get better rates letting your bank make the conversion as opposed to having it converted to dollars in the host country.
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1092 posts
PayPal does Dynamic Currency Conversion by default - you have to actively and carefully choose to pay in a different currency than the home currency of your PayPal account. I discovered that this year while paying for several different accommodations for my upcoming trip to Italy. Every time, when I paid a transaction in Euro, it showed me Canadian dollars only, with a smaller button to one side to choose original currency. IIRC, it took several clicks and careful reading of the options to be able to settle payment in Euro. To minimize fees, you should always choose the currency of the transaction and let your credit card convert the charge at its wholesale rate.
As to whether the places you're dealing with will let you use PayPal while you're there, I can't say, but I wouldn't be surprised if smaller places said no. AirBnB won't care where you are; if you use PayPal on their website, you can use it wherever you are..