Bringing US dollars

I always bring a few hundred USD with me as an emergency backup, in case my ATM card fails to work. But my ATM card has always worked, so I've never need to change USD (not in many years, anyway) at the expensive rates you pay - using an ATM is almost always the cheapest way to go. It's important to know what using your ATM costs, though. My credit union charges no fee (bank-owned ATMs in Europe generally don't charge fees either), and my credit union also charges no currency conversion fee. Yours may charge more than that.

Also, if you have a visa or mastercard with no foreign transaction fees, I would use that as much as possible. If there is a foreign transaction fee - weigh that against your cost of getting cash from the ATM.

And remember: ALWAYS pay in Euros (or the local currency in whatever country you are in) - DO NOT accept offers to pay in USD with credit cards. DO NOT accept offers at the ATM to convert the cash you are withdrawing to USD! These are just scams to charge you extra fees (called "Dynamic Currency Conversion," or DCC). Stick to Euros in Italy for everything and let your credit union or bank do the conversion at a cheaper rate than DCC.

No, it's not worth bringing any significant amount but a bit could come in handy in case of a real emergency before you're able to get euros. If all the ATMs at your arrival airport were hit by a power outage, then $50 would get you from most airports to most city centers. If you don't spend these supplies, then they're still good when you get home :-)

And you may want to review basically the same discussion from yesterday at --

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/current-exchange-rate-in-italy

As far as back up goes I actually bury two hundred euro. Far better than using US dollars that would have to be converted at a poor exchange rate. If I need emergency cash, I need it now and not tomorrow.

Maybe I'm reading into your email but you are implying you would use US dollars to convert to Euro's? No, that is really not done anymore. Carry some US dollars for an emergency enroute or when you arrive home, but use an ATM in Europe for getting Euros. Be sure your credit card is one without a foreign transaction fee. Be sure to notify your bank and credit card holder of your travel plans or you will find your cards may be rejected.

Better security is to have at least 2 credit cards and two ATM cards; don't carry them together and keep the backups deep stowed in hotel safe or money belt at all times. We have once had a credit card stolen and were not able to get it replaced for the final 8 weeks of our trip (thanks Capitol One) and so having that back up and in our case a different card and number for my card and my husband's on the major account made a huge difference. Without the backup we would have had to do everything with cash the rest of the trip.

I do bring a $200 along. I can exchange it in a dire emergency at ripoff rates. But mainly to bail out my car from the off-site parking lot when I return that gives discount for cash.

Not a "significant" amount of USD but a couple of hundred as a back-up plan that doesn't cost you anything if not needed (other than financial opportunity cost). See Rick's cash tips:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/cash-tips

Bring along some US dollars.

While you won’t use it for day-to-day purchases, American cash in your
money belt comes in handy for emergencies, such as when banks go on
strike or your ATM card stops working. I carry several hundred US
dollars as a backup (in denominations of easy-to-exchange 20s). I’ve
been in Greece and Ireland when every bank went on strike, shutting
down without warning. But hard cash is hard cash. People always know
roughly what a dollar is worth. If local banks don’t have exchange
services, you can always find exchange desks at major train stations
or airports.

The good news is you can spend USD when you get back to the States without having to do a reverse change from excess EUR back to USD.

Not worth it. I usually have $20 or so stashed in my suitcase for when I return home to pay for things there. But while in Europe US dollars are not useful. Nowhere accepts them as payment, obviously, and changing them is a hassle and expensive. Just withdraw euros from an ATM for cash and use a no-fee credit card when possible.

Thank you all for your replies. I think taking enough money for untoward happenings is fine without taking too much. I think how much to take is an individual decision but I think we all agree that, at the most, a few hundred dollars will suffice assuming ATM's and Banks are working and not on strike!!:-)
Thanks again.

I'm one of those people who brings several hundred Euros with me, and only enough US dollars for the cab ride home.

I acknowledge that getting Euros from an ATM in Europe is less expensive, but I prefer the security of knowing that I don't have to worry about getting the local currency on arrival.

Trayla--you and me both. I travel solo and don't like to hassle with ATMs upon arrival, like to arrive ready to hit the ground running. I've made enough trips now that I have a good idea of how much I'll need, the only thing that trips me up is if I plan to visit flea markets--cash is always best there.

I'm also one who brings cash from home in the form of the local currency with just enough US cash to cover issues before I leave the country/after I return to the airport.

Having said that, I don't carry that much cash. I try to use a (no foreign fee) credit card as much as possible when outside the country.

Yes, I like to bring EUROS (or local currency if not in euro zone) with me on arrival, just 100 or so. Just makes arrival easier, psychologically.

If I were paranoid about ATM outages or other problems I would keep a stash of EUROS (or local currency). If there were some sort of ATM failure or credit card outage, then local cash would be very handy. Running around trying to exchange dollars in some sort of emergency situation would not work too well.

I don't understand why Rick's book suggests this, it seems like a holdover from pre-ATM or pre-Euro. When each country had its own currency and no one had ATMs, then currency exchange booths were more common (and probably, by law of supply and demand, less expensive).

Everyone has his or her own personal feelings about money. I don't judge this issue, since it is very personal.

I've been traveling internationally for well over thirty years, and I can't remember when I started carrying at least $600 cash. I can't list all the reasons and all the uses. I've helped many people far more than I've helped myself. It's a habit I started long ago, and I don't see it stopping. If I were to stop it, it would feel weird. I know it's not logical, but I would feel less safe without it.

My most recent trip I carried $300 USD cash in case of ATM meltdowns -- but that was to Oregon for the eclipse when people were forecasting multi-hour traffic backups and gas shortages.

A couple of years ago I took the RS Adriatic tour. When we checked into our hotel in Dubrovnik the internet was down. It was late afternoon and our guide offered an optional Old Town quick orientation tour that many of us joined in. So off we went.

After the orientation was over a few of us stopped for dinner at one of the suggested restaurants. The waitress came over with menus and informed us that it was cash only that night as the credit card machine was not working. We were able to cobble enough kuna together to pay for our meal. We were dining outside and as we enjoyed our dinner several groups of our tour mates stoppped to ask if we found a working ATM. So apparently the internet outage was causing CC readers and ATM machines to be inoperable.

It only lasted that one night, but I was glad I had to have some USD as a back up. Sure you get a crappy FX rate at the cambio but it's nice to have the option.

Fortunate for those of us from the US that the USD is the world's primary reserve currency.

Several years ago my journey took me from the Czech Republic to Norway. I had withdrew an excessive amount of CZ Koruna with the plan of converting the CZK ro NOK at the currency exchange. I learned that I could not convert CZK directly to NOK, but would have to go from CZK to USD, thn USD to NOK. Cheaper just to get USD and wait to Norway to withdraw NOK from a Norwegian ATM.

Lesson learned is minimized cash withdrawals and spend down what you have before departure.

Or hold onto the excess cash and use it as a reason to re-visit the country.