changing dollars to euros before going to italy

Our first trip we changed $200 into euros at the airport just so we'd have some pocket money on arrival for bathroom, coffee, lunch, etc. You will pay a premium to convert money at the airport or a US bank, but it's nice to have some starter cash. After you arrive, use ATMs in Italy for the best exchange rate. We also bring home €200-300 from our trip as our starter cashfor the next adventure.

It's really a comfort level thing. We did it on our first trip to Europe as nobody on this planet could guarantee us that we would easily find ATMs and they would all just shoot out Euros. Actually, we did need them for the taxi after landing at Florence as we couldn't find an ATM in that small airport. After that, there were plenty of ATMs around and the Euros were very easy to get. We now bring home our spare Euros, Pounds Sterling and all other currencies for our next visit.

patty, No, I don't believe it's "wise" to change all travel funds to Euros. The method I use is to take €100-200 for travelling funds (usually left-over from the previous trip), until I get settled in my first location. After that I use ATM's to obtain cash. Note that travel funds must usually be in a chequing account with a four number PIN. Also it's a good idea to pack along a "backup" ATM card in case there are any problems with the primary card. Finally, be sure to notify your financial institution that you'll be travelling so they don't "freeze" your cards when they detect a change of location. Happy travels!

if you do not have any euro left over from a previous trip, then bringing some with you is a great idea. We usually bring about 100 euro each so we have money to transit from the airport into town, find something to eat for lunch and dinner, and definitely for our evening gelato. The exchange rates at the kiosk at the airport or at your bank are not the best rates, but when you consider the fees for converting $150-$200 compared against the total cost of your trip the expense is chump change. Additionally, arriving with euro in-hand is optimal. We travel in Italy every year, so bringing home extra euro is easy for us, which we now do. If this is your first trip, then bringing some with you is a cogent strategy. Buon viaggio,

I believe AAA has a flat rate for exchange. Not sure how it compares to a bank. I plan to get a small amount before my trip too.

I also bring some local currency with me. Shop around a little before you purchase euros. AAA has foreign currency packs available but in my experience they sell them for what they paid for them and disregard the current exchange rate. In 2008 they wanted $100 for about 65 euros, even though the current exchange rate was about 78 euros to $100. I got a better rate (not great, but better) at my former bank (US Bank).

Hi You might like to investigate a Cash Passport , a Travex company linked to Visa. Essentially you load it up with Euros before you go. Then there is no fluctuations in exchange, your ATM withdrawal fee is known, in australia the rate is shown at 2,20 e. loading rate is about 1 percent. Two cards are provided that can be for your partner and a different password. Regards.
Ps other currency is available.

As others have said, it's a comfort thing. I, too, only bring 100-200 euros with me and use ATMs for the rest. but I would never leave home in the US without some cash on me (Was just the way i was raised) so I can't fathom arriving in a foreign country without cash. You want to at least be able to get to your hotel and a bite to eat. If you're only getting a little bit changed, I say do it at the most convenient place for you. When you think about a whole trip, the best exchange rate and avoiding fees can add up to a whole lot of money. But when you're just talking about a small amount for convenience/safety/peace of mind/whatever, I personally don't worry about 5 dollars or so in difference of exchange rate. Then, when you leave, make sure you bring a couple hundred euros home with you as starter seed money for your next trip :) And yes there will be a next trip ;)

Check out "Money/Communications > ATMs: Minimizing Fees" on the Graffiti Wall for some thoughts. I go to Europe every summer for about a month and take no European currency with me from the US. I use whatever European currency I have at the end of my stay to pay against the place we are last staying. I use a DEBIT CARD tied to a CHECKING ACCOUNT at ATMs wherever my final landing is in Europe. I have always found lots of them at arrival airports.
I do not get stressed out, worry about safety, or anything else as others apparently have. Be sure to notify your plastic card's issuer where and when you are going. I also take a second DEBIT card tied to a CHECKING ACCOUNT at another financial institution as a back up. I had to use that only once. My primary debit card is thru a credit union that marks up transactions only 1%, my back up is with US Bank which marks up 3%. In the last ten years since the advent of the Euro, I have never had any problems following this plan.

We are fortunate that we have a friend from Italy that we see every year at a convention here in California. Since we plan our trip so far in advance, we were able to ask him to bring along 150 euros that we would trade for the same value in U.S. currency. When we got together last weekend, we exchanged the money at the beginning of his visit, basing our exchange on the rate that was on the internet that morning. That way neither of us had to pay a fee for foreign currency. Perhaps you could share your need with your local friends and maybe one of them will have European visitors coming to the U.S. before your trip in the same situation. It ends up to be a win-win for everyone concerned!

Patty, I've done it both ways, taking euros (added expense to get them before you go) because the trip was a long one, and the exchange rate had been going in the wrong direction for me for months. I prefer to just take a little cash in euros and use an ATM card. If you use an ATM card, notify your bank of your travel dates and countries you plan to visit. Also, ask them to raise your daily withdrawal limit if it's under $500 or so.

The Travelex Cash Passport can be helpful in some circumstances, but the rate/fees are not good and most here do not recommend it for general use. They do not provide the service for free, it's a for-profit entity so you pay for them to make money to acces your money. If you use your ATM card, you get the interbank exchange rate and whatever fees your bank charges you for out-of-network and foreign exchange. That is usually a total of 1-4% which is far less than commercial rates of 5-10%. Buying euros in the US will cost you 5-10% so limit how many you buy ahead of time to just having some cash on hand when you arrive.

When will you arrive? Do you have a backup ATM/debit card from a different financial institution? The answer to these two questions determines whether I would say having Euros in hand is a good idea. I have notified my bank before leaving that I was going on a trip only to discover once I'd arrived - when the ATM refused to give me any cash - that they hadn't removed the block on my card. Problem quickly solved with a call to the States. But if you arrive on a weekend or after hours, you'll likely have to wait until the bank is open to speak to someone about the problem. In this situation, having some money in the local currency could be a lifesaver (figuratively, of course). Having been surprised once after doing all the right things, I now carry three ATM/debit cards (on that trip, I had two so I was able to get cash from the second card). The scouts' motto, "Be prepared," makes a lot of sense to me. Of course, we now keep some cash left over from the trip to take with us. On our first trip some years back, we carefully planned it so we'd spend all our local currency before we left. Silly us.

I'd get at least $200 worth. You'll feel SO much more relaxed about it if you have a bit of cash on hand for a cab when you're jet-lagged...

AAA was a rip-off when I inquired about their Euro currency package deal. At the time, the exchange rate was hovering around $1.38 to $.140 (sometime in Sept of last year) and AAA wanted around $1.7(and some odd change) for 1 Euro. I went to my bank (Bank of America) and got a rate of $1.45 for one Euro. I also specifically requested small bills....5,10, and 20 Euro notes.