I have read the responses about what to use when in Italy - credit card vs debit card. I guess it really depends on how big the investment is...anyways..
I am planning to use AAA to get some Euros in my hands prior to leaving for our trip in October. Does anyone have knowledge of what sum would be good for 2 people the first few days? We will be in Italy for 11 days.
Thanks in advance
Tony
That depends on you. Do you want to go to expensive restaurants, or use taxis instead of a bus, and things like that? The easiest way to get money is from an ATM which are everywhere, including your arrival airport and the bank charges are minimal. I do not know what the AAA charges, but if you want to have 100 € or so in your pocket, that would probably be enough.
Hi Tony,
We are taking some Euros over before our trip just for some peace of mind. I'm not sure how well the exchange rate is for AAA (I thought I read in previous posts that it wasn't great). I used the Wells Fargo Bank to exchange mine (https://www.foreignexchangeservices.com/) You just tell them how many Euros you want, pay with a credit card then they arrive in a day or 2 via Fed Ex. You have to be there to sign for the package or they won't leave it (happened to me 2 days in a row) so that gives you some peace of mind. I also compared it with other sites (xe.com, americanexpress.com, ett) and they were the best deal.
Have a great time!
Tracey
The amount you'll need depends on if your hotels want cash or if you can charge. Most restaurant did not take plastic. Ditto for museums and shops. If you can charge your lodgings 300-400E will do you for several days. I used my bank to get Euros, the AAA exchange rates are terrible.
I usually travel overseas with about $100 worth of the local currency per person. This gets me settled into my hotel and time to look for the local bank connected by my bank so I don't get charged a fee. I then use the ATM for the rest of my journey.
I buy my currency from the bank. AAA's exchange rate is terrible.
Addendum...when i say "fee," I don't mean an exchange rate fee. I mean that I don't get charged a fee for using the ATM from those banks. Most U.S. banks will charge you a fee to use someone else's ATM.)
And remember it's "Euro" not "Euro dollars."
Hi Tony-we just returned from 2 weeks in Italy-family of 5. I arranged for cash Euros through my bank (Wachovia) before I left. The apartment I was renting required 600 Euros cash and I didn't want to fool with gatting cash at the airport for that. Wachovia charged $15 flat for the transaction and it included FedEx to my house. It was cash debited from my checking account and I received the $ in 2 days.
ATMS are abundant and easy to use-but most have a 250 Euro max per transaction. Even though most things require cash, I wouldn't carry too much at one time with you-security at question, and with ATMs everytwhere there is no reason to.
The best advice is to check around for rate and any applicable service fees. One bank may have the lowest exchange rate, but higher processing/delivery fees. Today, based on buying $1000 in euros, Bank of America had the best overall deal. With that amount of money, you pick up the euros at the banking location of your choice and, if I understood it correctly, there were no additional fees. Wachovia and Wells Fargo had better exchange rates, but their fees made them more expensive overall.
An alternative to getting Euros here would be to head to an ATM in the airport, if you have no success, take US Dollars you have stashed in your moneybelt (Because you know you should have some for emergencies) and exchange money there. Now true, you do not get the best reates at airport exchanges, but it will be better than almost any source in the US, especially the AAA.
To add a bit, all banks and exchanges charge for the service of exchanging money. Even if they say "No Fees", all that means is that the cost of doing business has been rolled into the exchange rate. By referring to the interbank rate, you will know what kind of price you are paying.
I travel to Italy every September and usually only have a few Euros left over from the previous year (though I stocked up last year because I could see where the dollar was going). ATM's are plentiful and easy, with the best rates. Buying Euros in the states is a mistake.
We always go in with about $100 to $150 in local currency. Get us to the hotel and maybe through a meal. Then hit a convenient ATM and get some serious cash. Most of the time we have that much left over from the prior trip.
Last October we used our (Eagle Creek brand) money belts (real belts for our pants, not the undergarment-type money belt) to carry 18 - 100 euro notes each. After 24 days in Italy we returned to the states with 25e left over. Never had to hassle with ATMs although we had arranged to do so through our banks.
But the bigger question is what was the fee that you paid to acquire that many Euro in the US. It had to be something greater than the 1% I paid for the ATMs/
Hey Anthony,
Everyone above has offered you some good advice.
Not be be a jerk or anything but its "Euros" not "Euro dollars" :) There was a whole discussion about this in the "General Europe" section, so just posted this as an FYI.
Have an awesome trip....Buon viaggio!!
Don't make the mistake we did. We converted $1600 cash before we left and probably got about $100 less in Euros than if we had waited until we got there! We just today showed our bank what the exchange rate would have been had we gotten the $1600 in country, and after some indignation on our part, they refunded the difference.
I'd take maybe $100 - $200 to use for metro, snacks and small necessities until I could get to a bank in country.
I took along both a Capital One Credit and Debit card. I used the Credit card whenever I could and used the Debit card for the ATMs. Capital One debit cards don't incur charges internationally except from the ATM owner possibly. We were fortunate to find no fee ATMs on occasion which made it really nice for us.
My wife and I easily made it on 100 Euros (~$150) for 2 days since we used the credit card for anything real expensive such as meals, hotels, and large purchases.
