ATM or travelers checks?-Will need euros on hand for hotels, etc.

I would definitely bring around 200 euros from the States with you. Good to have some for taxis, trains or possibly quick bite to eat when you arrive. One consolation with having to pay cash at your hotel is that a lot of hotels offer discounts when paid in cash. Check where you are staying to see if this offered.

I always carried my larger amounts of cash in a moneybelt with a daily spending amount loose in a deep front pocket. ATM's are plentiful and there is a limit on daily withdrawals, check the amount with your bank. If using credit cards always notify your credit card company that you are travelling so they do not put a hold on your card. Have a nice trip.

It's all a matter of comfort. We were in a somewhat similar circumstance having an expensive Tuscan cooking class the day after we arrived. Cash only. We determined that we couldn't amass enough euros in time so we went to a large bank and obtained 500 euros. They charge a 5% fee to do this. Yep, a fee of almost $40. But, we had most of the euros that we needed. As it turns out, we did find ATMs and we did withdraw some euros and we were fine. However, we wouldn't have amassed the amount of cash we needed in the 24 hours before our cooking class. So, we were fine with the Euros we brought with us.

Best advice. Take 2 ATM cards. Call both banks and tell them of your travel plans. Do this for your credit cards as well. Ask to increase your daily withdrawl limits. Don't expect to make a withdrawl more than once a day on each account. Make sure that your PIN number has no more than 4 numbers. No letters either as European ATM keypads don't have letters on the numbers.

Best Best Advice. Don't take any traveler's checks. Very old century. Many places won't even take them. Too easy to work with ATMs and credit card

Lynn, you can ask your bank to increase your ATM allowance, and it would be wise to split your money into 2 accounts. I have a "Trip" account which is not linked to my personal money. That way if it were to be lost, I know my personal account is safe.

If you feel you need to have money before heading out, you can get money at the AMEX travel store, and then go to the ATM at the airport.

Remember that not all ATMs are alike. check the back of your ATM card to see what networks they cover (ie: Cirrus, Star, etc.)

TC are more than last century. They are nearly worthless in Europe today. Two debit cards tied to two different checking account is good advice. There are two kinds of limits on ATM usage. You bank will determine the max that you can withdraw at any one time and may limit the number of withdraws in a 24 hour period. Check carefully with your bank and see if these limited can be changed to your advantage. Second, the ATM itself might have a limit on the amount cash that can be withdrawn at any one time. Not uncommon in touristy area because they do not want the ATM drained by large withdraws by a few tourists. As long as your bank allows multi withdraws within a 24 hr period, just move on to the next ATM, On a couple of occasions when we had a similar need, we were allowed to pay the cash over a two day period. BUT ask in advance.

I just got back form Italy...ATMs everywhere, but I recomend taking some Euros and two ATM cards. We notified our banks, but on the first day one ATM card eaten by machine...and the second one didn't work. Calling banks today to find out why. Cash exchanges everywhere,also, but very expensive. We found a American Express bank in Rome and got cash with no fees other than the 2% home transaction fee. It was a life saver. We carryed all cash and credit cards around our necks in passport pouch under our shirts. After the first day cash panic..we had a great trip. Enjoy!

I would definitely bring more than a couple hundred euro in a money belt. Not only are ATM's hard to find but, there is a fee on both ends. For instance, my bank charges a 3% fee in addition to the withdrawal fee on the Italian end. Also, sometimes the daily euro limit can be hindering. I made the mistake of not taking enough euro with me on my last trip and found it to be quite a hassle having to find an ATM everyday and a 3% fee adds up, why give it to the bank!

Check out this link for ATM questions vs Travelers Cheques
click here or
click here

Not sure I understand A's response because it is quite contrary to our experience. First I have never been able to obtain Euro in the US for less than a 6 to 10% premium. That beats the common 3% ATM currency conversion fee. And there are many banks that charge less than that. WaMu is currently charging 1%. Second, have never encountered an ATM usage fee in Europe. And third, as others have suggested, ATM are everywhere even in small towns --- cause--- the ATMs are there for the locals and not just the tourists. Most of the time when I am waiting in line to use an ATM it is not tourists that are in front of me. ATMs is the smart, convenient why to go,

I don't know who told you that ATM's are hard to find but they have no idea what they are talking about. There are banks everywhere!!! You'll find a bank on practically every block in the larger cities. I have never had a problem finding an ATM!!!!! Use them, it's the safest way without carrying a wad of money in your pocket. Travlers checks are bad, you'll get a horrible rate of exchange and many places don't even want to take them. ATM's thats the way to go!!!!!

Lynn,

Have you pre-booked your lodging at places that only accept cash so you know the exact amount you will need to pay at each place? If so, you could open an account with www.xe.com/fx and have bank drafts in euros mailed directly to each hotel or B&B.

I have used my account to send money to relatives in the UK and to to pay deposits at B&Bs that don't accept credit cards.

Here's how it works. Money is taken from my checking account by electronic transfer, a bank draft is issued in the currency of my choice and is mailed directly to the recipient of my choice. The exchange rate is only slightly higher than the international rate on the day the transaction is processed. There are no other fees. Wire transfers are also an option with XE, but of course there is a fee for them. For reasons of security it takes a little time and effort to set up an account, but everything goes smoothly and swiftly after that.

Never had a problem finding ATMs. You may consider buying a few Euro denominated traveler's checks from the American Express Web site. There is a fee, and I am not sure how well accepted they are. U.S. dollar Traveler's checks get poor exchange rates and lots of fees. See what the rates are for a cash advance on your CC. Ask your bank to raise your maximum daily allowance from your ATM. Use your CC wherever they don't accept cash discounts...they provide the best exchange rate.

Lynn,
To answer your questions:
No, ATMs are as hard to find as pizza. See http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/cardholderservices/atmlocations/index.html if you have a Mastercard debit card or http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/jsp/SearchPage.jsp if you have a Visa debit card. If you have a Plus or Cirrus ATM card check the above references.

No, there is not a daily euro limit. The daily limit is set by yor bank in dollars and can be raised. An ATM in Italy will have a transaction limit, 250 euro is common, but you can perform multiple transactions.

Many banks have daily limits on each card not accounts so two people with different cards on the same account can each withdraw the daily limit, check with your bank.

No, traveler's checks are not a good alternative. Traveller's checks are about as useful as eight tracks.

we are renting apts in rome that want cash but it says in their brochure they will take euro traveler's checques. connie

HI, I am facing the same challenge and I have decided to go over with some Euro's in hand to get us started, Wells Fargo is the best I have found in my research, if you have an account with them they charge no exchange service charge/fees.......we are also staying in smaller hotels that want cash and no credit cards.