Electrical outlets in Rome + changing money

you need an adapter they sale them at target or other fine electric stores;
do not get euros in advance your bank will overcharge you
It is better deal to use the atm to access your bank account when you get in Italy to get the best exchange rate they are at the airport

p.s. I agree it is ok to get euros in advance at your bank for peace of mind I used to do this because I was worried the atm would eat my card

Standard electronic gear like cell phones and tablet computers, and electric toothbrushes, usually have dual-voltage chargers and only need plug adapters. If you're traveling with appliances that heat up (hair dryer, curling iron, etc.), the plug adapter will not be sufficient (appliance could be destroyed, or you could cause a fire) unless you have a special dual-voltage model, and some folks have reported problems even with those.

Exactly what are you planning to plug in?

We got money from an ATM in the Milan airport. Be sure to use a Bank ATM. I Just google "major banks in Italy." ATMs were plentiful even in small Tuscany towns. I purchased several adapters on the Rick Steves site when the were on sale for a $1.00 each. They were basic & worked well. Buy several since you'll have multiple devices. Of course you may have more devices than outlets.

Know the difference between adapters verses converters.

You will need an adapter plug for your iPhones, but not a voltage converter.
Without knowing what your other appliances are, we can't say.
You can check for yourself by looking -- my electric toothbrush says "100-240volts." And it worked just fine this Fall in France and Spain with just the adapter plug.
My new ( oh joy of joys!) C-pap is also rated at 100-240.
It's generally accepted practice here on this forum (I know there are exceptions!) to get your cash from ATMs (called bancomat in Italy.) But if it makes you feel better, there is nothing wrong with getting a few hundred euros from your bank before you go. It will cost a little more, but you might feel it's worth it for the peace of mind!
Many of us have learned to return home with 100 euros or so as seed money for the next adventure ...

Without knowing what type of "appliances" you are thinking about using, it is difficult to make suggestions. iPhones work fine with just the plug adapter (the kind you can buy from the RS Online store for $1 work great!). Other devices, especially those with grounded plugs may need a converter or at least a better plug that handles the ground properly.

It is best to get the most of your cash while in Europe using your debit card from a bank operated ATM. Nothing wrong with getting around $100 in foreign currency before you leave to cover the first day when you arrive. But with most of Europe happy to take credit cards, you can probably safely wait until arriving at your destination and then getting the cash you need. Don't forget to tell your bank when and where you will be in Europe. If you don't they may not allow transactions. This goes for all credit cards you will be taking too.

Hi,

Thanks. I'll buy that adapter for the iPhone. My electric toothbrush will be charged up ahead of time.

The other item will be our MacBook pros.

Why shouldn't I take some US dollars with me to Italy and then get them exchanged for Euros at a bank or currency exchange counter somewhere outside the airport, instead of using an ATM?

I'm speaking as a budget traveler someone not poor but that can't afford to throw money around:
Mike L you will not get a good deal because the place where you change the money is a business that charge fees to change your money that go towards paying the rent and employees handling the transaction

one machine that an employer owns can work twenty four hours a day 365 days a year without the employer paying human being salaries and benefits therefore it is cheaper

also this not the good old days when the American dollar went a lot further in Europe (that's before your time)

@Mike, exchanging paper dollars for Euros in Europe will get you a much WORSE exchange rate since the bank has to physically bundle up the dollar bills and send them away to get the Euro currency they need for daily activities. Using an ATM, it's all electronic blips.

ATMs get you the best rate. Also, banks don't always exchange currency for non-account holders and I assume you are not a client at an Italian bank. So the only brick-and-mortar exchange places are businesses that offer bad rates to make a profit. Finally, an ATM is just easier - you can use it at any hour, not have to search out a specific storefront or worry about business hours.

jvasko and MikeL, be sure to let your banks know that you will be using your ATM cards in Europe. Some banks let you do this online, list all countries. Follow up with a phone call. Otherwise your bank will most likely block the transaction.

I like to arrive in Europe with enough euro to at least get me to my hotel (many taxis don't accept credit cards). Have your bank at home order a hundred euro or so; you will pay for FedEx and a percentage point or three above the Bancomat rate, but it's worth it if you don't want to deal with a machine right after a transatlantic flight.

True story: several years ago I arrived in Warsaw (uses zloty, not euro) and used the ATM at the train station. The ATM imploded. No money, no ATM card.

jvasko and MikeL, be sure to let your banks know that you will be
using your ATM cards in Europe.

Good advice, and same goes for your credit cards; call them with your dates and traveling locations.
We always try to use ATMs which are attached to banks, and during open banking hours in case of a malfunction.

I traveled often to Europe back before there were ATMs. As others will remember, you took your dollars or your traveler's checks to the Italian bank. Some 15 to 30 minutes later, after standing in about three lines, you walked out with your lire. Those were not the good old days.

The process was more efficient in many other countries but never fast. Give me an ATM anytime.

There was always a pretty hefty charge for changing money, often buried in a non-advantageous exchange rate so it wasn't so obvious, but I imagine the cost is even higher now since far fewer people use money-exchange services at banks or otherwise. As for the little booths at airports and occasionally train stations, the few remaining customers must carry the full weight of the under-utilized employee's salary and rental of the exchange booth. How could the rates be other than a rip-off?

Banks today will not do business with foreign tourists; you have to change money at a change booth and they ALWAYS have horrendous rates and fees.

Thanks for the advice on the ATM. It's what I was planning to do but good advice. We'll just bring a couple $100 U.S. as a backup but get money at the ATM.

What about my other question about the Macbook Pro? Special converter? (sorry for putting 2 subjects in one thread)

jvasko, Re the Macbook Pro. Look at the charger (the plastic box you plug into the wall), not the Macbook itself. You may need a magnifying glass! It will almost certainly have 2 pins (not 3) and say "110-240V 50-60 Hz AC", in which case you are OK, just use the plug converter, same as the iPhone. If it just says "100V 60Hz" it won't work with Italian electricity.
You may be equally lucky with your electric toothbrush, read the small print.

Plan (B), go into an Apple shop in Italy and buy a new charger, then you know it will be OK with Italian electricity, and will have an Italian plug on it.

See if you can find a friend/colleague who will sell you their left over Euros, and use this as your initial float.
Very few banks anywhere in Europe will exchange US$ for non-account holders.

Here are Rick's excellent money tips. Read all his links, and you'll be an expert. Start with this page: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/cash-tips

and then move on to these others: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money

The only real "debate" on the subject is whether to get a small amount of euros (€50-200) in advance. Some are adamant about doing this, others equally adamant that it's not necessary. Your choice. The usual estimate is that you pay about 7% more getting foreign currency in the US vs using an ATM in Europe. So, for €50-200, we're talking about roughly $3-15 extra. Not worth worrying about either way. If you want to arrive with some money, go ahead and get it. If you don't, don't.

But for the bulk of your cash needs, the ATM is definitely the best way to go; as someone said on another forum years ago, there isn't even a second best way, as all the others involve more time, money and hassle. Pay particular attention to janetravels44's point: most banks will no longer do currency exchange if you're not a customer at that bank.

jvasko: Since you're in New York, if you do want to get some euros in advance and are a Chase bank customer, they will do it for you on a walk in basis at any large branch. If you're not a Chase customer, see if your own bank has them or will order them. Your bank will probably give you a better rate than the exchange booths scattered around the tourist areas (Empire State Building, Times Square).

Also, there's a Rick Steves travel meeting next Saturday: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/travel-meetings/new-york-city-meeting-february-11. Go to that thread and ask if anyone has euros they will sell you in exchange for dollars. This is a win-win: you not only get some euros to have immediately, but also get a better rate than a bank will give you (since no commission is involved). I'd sell you some, but I will be out of town for that particular meeting. Plus, you can get some euro coins - very useful.

Adding to Chris's post, original chargers that come with Apple products are multi-voltage - all you need is a plug adapter. Plug adapters are not only sold all over New York - drug stores, B&H, etc - but also available online from Rick or from Amazon. But if you buy replacements chargers from other sources, check carefully. A few years ago, someone posted here that they bought a cheap charger for their iPod (remember them?) from Amazon. Only when they checked the (literally) fine print did they see it was 110 volts only, and would not work safely in Europe.

Most chargers these days are 100-240 volts and will work with just a plug adapter. More and more appliances are also multi-voltage. But do check each one, to avoid trouble.

I take a few adapters with me because one may fail, it's happened to me before.

I always buy some Euro here in the US before I fly out, I love hitting the ground running when I land, don't envy the lines at ATMs at airports.

Today Google says $1.08 will buy 1 Euro, my bank may charge around a nickel for each dollar exchanged, adding to the cost of each Euro, you have to ask your bank how much they charge for each dollar exchanged and get the total cost of each Euro your bank will charge you.

I've bought Euro here when they cost a lot more than current, I'm Not saying I liked it, but it's important to me to have some days worth of Euro on me when I land!

@Chris F. Thanks for the tip. The charger says 100 - 240 | 50 - 60 Hz so it looks like I'll be fine with the adapter. And thanks @Harold for the trip about the travel meeting. I may just do that. We're going to try to use credit cards for most things but it's always better to have some cash on hand.

We're going to try to use credit cards for most things but it's always
better to have some cash on hand.

You will definitely need some cash and should always have some on hand. We ran into any number of restaurants/shops which did not take credit, and even booked one accommodation in Italy which only took payment in cash. There are others which offer discounts for cash payments, and cash is always preferred or even mandatory for small purchases.

A lot of smaller businesses want to avoid paying commissions to CC companies.

And even if a business will take a CC, they often will not take just any kind. For instance, American Express isn't accepted at enough businesses abroad to leave it at home. Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted.

Get just enough euro to hold you for cash expenses for a day or so, just in case you can't see an ATM right away at the airport. Basically enough for a taxi ride and small purchases (100 euro is more than enough). Italy has the largest concentration of bank branches in the EU, so you are never farther than 100 yds from a bank ATM in any town over 2000 people.

Buying euro in the US will cost you substantially more than using the ATM once you get there, but exchange fees on $100 for your first day there won't kill you.

When I use the ATM overseas, I like to use it during bank opening hours (Mon-Friday), because if the machine eats your card (for example if you enter a wrong PIN more than once), you can get inside and ask the bank staff to retrieve it.

Before you travel, make sure you notify your bank you will be using your card outside the US, or they will block it thinking it's being used fraudulently. Have two ATM cards on two different accounts (or have your traveler partner have a separate card) just in case things bad happen to one card.

Regarding the converters, a poster earlier said flat irons could start a fire if you don't use the appropriate converter. In that case, does anyone know what's the actual converter I need to buy to safely use my flat iron when I'm in Italy?

Lauren, a proper 240V to 110V converter for power appliances will weigh nearly as much as your iron.
The only safe way is to buy a travel iron, which will work 100V-240v (perhaps with a switch), or even better to buy one in Italy, then you know it will be the correct voltage and have the correct plug.
That gives you an excuse to go shopping, AND bring your other half along to help you; he will really appreciate this :-)

Lauren, you're talking about a flat iron for hair, right, not an iron for clothes? If so, as discussed above, it depends on whether it's single or dual voltage. I Googled and saw plenty of them that are dual voltage, in which case you'd just need a plug adapter and there shouldn't be any fire hazard.

... flat irons could start a fire if you don't use the appropriate converter.......

That is correct. If the flat iron is NOT dual voltage that then you need the correct converter. Converters are generally two types - low wattage (50 watts or less) and high wattage that can go as high as 2000 for hair dryers, irons etc. I am guessing your flat iron draws something in the range of 1000 to 1500 watts. Therefore you will need a high wattage converter - they are big, heavy and expensive. And even with a proper converter you can have damage so the absolutely best advice is either buy a flat iron that is dual voltage or buy one when you get to Rome.

Thanks to this thread, my new curling iron is dual voltage!

The first time we decided to use ATMs in Europe instead of getting euros ahead of time, our cards didn't work. Yes, we had alerted our bank ahead of time, giving them the dates, itinerary, card numbers... The whole shebang. It turned out that our small bank had updated its security system a matter of hours after I had told them we were going to Europe, and had dumped our info in the process.

But we were stuck in Haarlem with not enough euros to get us through the weekend (we had brought a few with us, leftover from our previous trip,) with no recourse until the bank opened up again on Monday. We did have emergency dollars, and we did go to a money changer at the train station. Stuff happens, so think about what you would do just in case...

This is when knowing your pin number on your credit card is handy. Expensive but handy. Second, most of us recommend, is having two debit card accounts just for situations like this. (Knock on wood ) We actually carry three debit cards but have never had to use more than one. We always test the second one after we arrive just to make it is working.

a suggestion ... notify your Bank you will be out of country so transactions are not declined

Notifying your financial institution is always a good plan, but as mentioned above, stuff still happens sometimes. I had the same issue in Madrid last year after I had visited my credit union in person. I watched an employee make entries on her computer, but something went wrong somewhere. Since it was a credit union rather than a mega-bank, I was able to deal with the problem by sending an email that included a lot of identifying information that only I would have.

I second the recommendation to have a second account if it's practical. Making phone calls back to the US from Europe is either a hassle or costly, or both.

Yes, we've noticed that many folk recommend a second bank account. I'm going to check out some of the other banks in town well before our next trip. There's a local credit union that just built a new branch less than a block away from me.