Euros

Yes to every question.
Lots of people will rely on contactless etc, but you can't beat having a bit f cash for the odd situation (and I lived in Spain for 12 years).

It's good to have some cash in Europe because your US cards are a bit more likely to have issues then at home, and credit card use is not quite as widespread. Probably you won't have problems, but small chance.

You should be fine getting euros when you get there. You could bring some USD just in case there's a problem with that. Likely there won't be and then you just stash a couple hundred dollar bills in your money belt or the bottom of your suitcase until you get home.

Although many banks don't need you to report ahead of time that you will be overseas anymore, some cards still require you to tell the bank when you're overseas and where. So make sure to double check - doesn't hurt to call the number on the card and ask.

Although I have a few Euro with me I have been able to use ApplePay for nearly everything for my last 3-4 trips. Even the bathrooms in train stations in Paris and Amsterdam take ApplePay.

I used more cash on my last trip in October 2024 because I wound up eating with friends several times and it was easier to settle the bill between ourselves with cash.

I agree to get cash (Euro or GBP if you are in Great Britain) out of an ATM once you get to your hotel and use one nearby. I also bring back some cash for "seed" money for my next trip although it's now traveled back and forth a few times, hahaha!

Pam, it's interesting that you use almost no cash at all in Europe. I still end up using cash more often than at home, where I am almost entirely cash free at this point.

Where are you traveling? I do a lot of the Germanic world. Thanks

In Germany, DEHOGA, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, which awards stars, requires that any hotel, to have 2 or more stars, MUST accept card payments. That is probably why, with the exception of large, mostly chain hotels, which tend to be the most expensive places, most German hotels do not participate in the star system. I've stayed in so many places that could have multiple stars, but don't because they won't take credit cards.

On my last trip to Germany (before COVID) I spent 20 nights in 5 places. Three places (14 nights) did not take credit cards, and I averaged less than 50 euro/night at those places. At the other two places (6 nights), which probably did take cards (but I still paid cash), I paid over 90 euro/night, average.

Using plastic just restricts you to higher priced places.

The "Network" charges banks 1% to service the foreign ATM transaction and convert the currency. Major banks, like Chase and USBank, add another 2% (3% total) as profit for themselves. My credit union only passes on the 1% Network fee. Some banks "eat" the fee and don't charge anything. So, the cost of euro in Europe is 0% to 3%. The least expensive cost of euro that I've found in the US are at Wells Fargo and Bank of America, at 5%. So, except to have some cash when you arrive, just in case, it's not cost effective it to get cash here before going over.

And don't expect (as Rick recommends) to be able to convert dollars in Europe. On our last trip to Germany, my late partner had changed her PIN and forgot what she changed it to, so she could not use an ATM. However, she did have $100 in cash. She didn't discover that her debit card didn't work until we had left the airport, where there were exchange desks, and we stayed entirely in small towns without those desks. She went from bank to bank trying to exchange dollars for euro, but no one wanted dollars. She couldn't use her "backup" stash.

Instead of taking dollars, set aside 100€ from you first ATM transaction as emergency stash, going again to the ATM before you get into it.

Thank you, Lin C, Hank and Pam.

If it lessens your stress, there is nothing wrong with getting some Euros at your bank. The fee is miniscule compared to the cost of your trip.

"Where are you traveling? I do a lot of the Germanic world. Thanks"

Hank, I've used very little cash since I returned to travel after the pandemic in October 2021. In about 5 or 6 trips since then, I've been to Paris plus a number of smaller locations in France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy (on a Best of Italy tour where I used ApplePay for a 3E gelato in Venice), London, Northern England, Scotland including Orkney and Shetland. The only places I ran in to where I could not use ApplePay or a CC were the small little ice cream vans on the coast in Northumberland. To a person those vans did not take cashless. It would have been no great tragedy if I'd had to skip my ice cream treat but I grew fond of the "Oyster" treat - a cone type thing filled with ice cream and topped with marshmallow.

I was shocked in 2022 when I saw the toilettes at Amsterdam Centraal Station took ApplePay. I had the change but yes, I used ApplePay. In England I was also interested to see that some of the churches have a "donation box" that uses contactless methods. Even, if I remember correctly, the small church in Haworth England where the Bronte sisters father was a pastor had a contactless donation "box". York Minster also had them outside so people walking by and not even entering the church could donate. I thought that was brilliant and I hope they are bring in more money from them.

I will add I was not traveling when the meltdown happened with credit cards not being able to be used for a few days a year or so ago and it would have been helpful to have a little cash during that time.

To the OP, if you don't currently use ApplePay or GooglePay, I'd encourage you to set it up at home and use it locally before you travel. One of the members of our local RS meet up group nagged me into doing it several years ago and I am so happy she did! SO easy and so widespread in Europe.

Pam thanks, interesting. My most recent Europe trips have been 2023, 2022 and 2021, 5-7 weeks each. I definitely have noticed the same shift to mostly electronic payment. But still use cash more than at home, particularly in places like rural Austria. I'm duly impressed you did a whole Italy trip and didn't pull out cash once - wow!

I agree with Pam. Since the pandemic, I've been to Germany (4 weeks), Scotland (3 weeks) and England (6 weeks). The only time I had to pay cash was on a KD ferry on the Rhine in Germany (and that was to buy a cappuccino on board), and one restaurant in Tobermory, Scotland that did not accept credit cards. Otherwise, I've used Apple Pay everywhere.

I haven't been to Spain since 2006 and Italy since 2001, but the general trend in Europe is to go cashless. And I think that will only increase as time marches forward. And FWIW, I rarely use cash at home either. That's partly because I rarely have cash, and when I do, I try to get rid of it as soon as possible. :-)

"you did a whole Italy trip and didn't pull out cash once - wow!"

Yes, literally I did not use cash at all and was there for about 4 weeks. I also did not use paper. I had the train app for my train ride from Milan to Varenna. At the end I was in Rome extra days and used my phone for screen shots for entries to Domus Aurea and Borghese. The only slight hiccup was on departing the Rome airport I was getting a coffee and a croissant, held up my phone and said "Apple Pay?" and the lady behind the counter gave me an apple croissant which was unbelievably excellent, lol. She also automatically held up the contactless terminal for payment.

Digital payments must be accepted regardless of the transaction amount by any merchant. Italy passed such law in 2023.
Yet occasionally you will encounter the taxi driver (or some other tax dodger) who tells you their POS machine is momentarily “not working”. So if you are in need of a taxi in the middle of the night somewhere, and the taxi driver doesn’t budge, you may be in for a long walk. Carry at least €50-€100 with you just in case. You can get some at any bank ATM with minimal fees from your US bank (bank ATMs offer the best exchange rates, look for Bancomat logo machines attached to banks)

I just did a trip to Spain last month and never used cash. I was in Italy twice last year and used my card for almost everything. At home n France, my husband uses a card everyday to buy our 1.30 loaf of bread at the bakery. Only our newsstand wants cash because he makes no profit on the low-price newspaper otherwise. And a few of the merchants at my weekly market don’t have card terminals but most do.
When I ask my regular merchants if they want cash or a card, usually for a small purchase, they prefer cards: faster, no change. Bank charges to merchants aren’t as steep as in the US. OTOH, When I travel to other European countries, my French card charges a percentage, so I use only my American cards with no problem.

Was this a joke: "It's good to have some cash in Europe because your US cards are a bit more likely to have issues then at home, and credit card use is not quite as widespread."

I agree that it's good to have some cash in your pocket, but we're well into the modern age and ahead of the US on most credit card innovations. Aren't you still using a signature card unless you tap.

We were in Italy for a month last summer and never used a single euro of cash. Credit cards for everything.

Certainly cash usage is much more common in Germany than anywhere else we traveled in Europe, including Poland and Czechia. We never needed zlotys or koruna.

When I spent a month in Spain 2 years ago, again I never used cash.

As Roberto says, if you need a taxi in Rome, and the terminal isn't working, having Euro can come in handy.

As for: "And don't expect (as Rick recommends) to be able to convert dollars in Europe."

Using the example of a dysfunctional debit card, I believe it's always prudent to carry a couple of hundred USD, as insurance for the unexpected. I've found change desks in Warsaw and Budapest with quite favorable exchange rates, and locals were paying cash in cafés during a recent visit to Vienna.

We are in Italy now and mostly use credit card tap or Apple Pay. Beware that 4 of 5 transactions ask if you want to in Euros or USD. So before I tap, I say Euros (pronounce as “arrows”, roll your “r”). We use rule of thumb less than €5, cash, 5-10 maybe cash, greater than 10, charge.

I last bought Euros a little over a year ago, when my husband and I went to Amsterdam. We were paying the balance of our VRBO in cash and my husband loves carrying cash, so I bought (from our bank) 200 Euros more than what we needed for our VRBO.

A year later, with that trip, two weeks in Europe last September which included a Viking cruise, and a trip to Dublin, and I still have 60 euros of that money left. I'm going to Berlin later this week and I'll take it with me, but I doubt I'll spend much, if any of it.

I use Google Pay everywhere, home and abroad. I don't remember the last time I even got my credit card out of my wallet.

I have an HSA debit card that is not contactless and whenever I use it in person, it feels a little like I'm remembering some forgotten skill, having to insert my card into the slot and type in a PIN.

"I have an HSA debit card that is not contactless and whenever I use it in person, it feels a little like I'm remembering some forgotten skill, having to insert my card into the slot and type in a PIN."

Kayla, that is hilarious! I had to write a check the other day and almost couldn't remember what to do, hahaha!

@Hank- “ it's good to have some cash in Europe because your US cards are a bit more likely to have issues then at home, and credit card use is not quite as widespread”
That’s patently false. In Italy, for example, and Greece too, as an aside, CC MUST be accepted regardless of the amount charged otherwise they can face fines. I’ve been using my tap and go TD bank debit card for at least five years now overseas and never had an issue. My bank also credits back all of my ATM charges, which is usually less than 2 withdrawals because we usually take extra euros from previous trips with us when we go. The last two vacations (2023 & 2024) I didn’t use any cash AT ALL.
Regarding your comment of “credit card use is not as widespread” Every single Italian has a debit card that’s also a credit card. Like I said, it’s the law that they must accept card payments. Some establishments might hem and haw at accepting it or offer to take cash for a lesser charge. Don’t do it. It’s illegal for them to do so. If you pay cash you’re helping them to avoid paying taxes.

@Karen- “So before I tap, I say Euros (pronounce as “arrows”, roll your “r”- That’s funny but Italians don’t pronounce euros “arrows”. They pronounce the E and U as written so it would sound like E-ooro’s

Funny about the pronunciation. Must be the regions. Karen lived in the north.

I have been to Europe 4 times since the pandemic totaling 24 weeks and 4-5 weeks of that were in Germany, including small areas such as a car free island in the North Sea. I never had any trouble using my watch for Apple pay or in a few instances my physical card. I was in Poland for 2+ weeks and I got a lot of comments about using my watch to pay. They were impressed. I guess they don’t see much of that. I never got any cash in Poland and had only a small amount of cash in Hungary. That was only because friends had travelled to Budapest in 2019 and I asked them to bring me back $100 worth of cash in anticipation of our 2020 trip that didn’t happen. I used it only because I already had it. I always bring euros home with me, but they are mostly the same ones I brought with me.

@Pam, same! So funny! I used to write multiple checks in a month and now I might write one a quarter. It's a skill that gets rusty if you don't use it!

Started my Europe trip last year with 350 Euros. Came how with 300 euros. So- I'm ready to go for this year's trip. Wonder how long the euros will last? It was tap pay almost everywhere in NL, Belgium, and Italy the year before.
Safe travels to all!

Hard as this is for Americans to comprehend, most European languages do not make plural by adding 's' to the end of the word. In German, for instance, a lot of plurals end in -er, -e, or -en. Consequently, the ECB (European Central Bank) has said that the plural of euro is to be euro (think sheep in English).

Also, in English, unless you are talking about the currency as a proper noun, as in the Euro, the word is not capitalized. Example, it costs ten euro. (But in German, all nouns, not just proper ones, are capitalized, so you would write, "Es kostet zehn Euro".) (It costs ten euro.)

Hmm. If it's important to capitalize proper nouns when writing, why don't we have a "way" to capitalize words when speaking?

Thanks for a ton of advice! BTW -- Prior leaving for London and Paris last year, I got my hands on two debit cards -- including Capital One -- for the sole purpose of avoiding international fees. But I just checked and discovered they now incur fees. So I'll hunt for a replacement before I leave for Italy shortly. Just want to have one...just in case.

"But I just checked and discovered they now incur fees."

Well, it depends on how much of a fee. If you decide you want cash and just do one ATM withdrawal for say, 100E, then if that is a $3 charge, for myself that would work fine. I'd not want to have multiple withdrawals so get out as much as you think you need (which as most in your thread have indicated will be minimal) for your trip and to bring a little seed money back home for next time.

I'll hunt for a replacement

Try Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Wells Fargo.

I bought my partner a jacket with matching scarf at Galeria department store in Munich using my Wells Fargo credit card, and I didn't have to pay an international transaction fee, but that was 10 years ago.

I used cash for tips in restaurants in Italy. They are not allowed to add tips to the bills when paying by card.

For small transactions (like an espresso at a bar) I often use cash. Outside of major cities, in the countryside, cash is more prevalent than in big cities, although the law imposes that all merchants must accept card or digital payments. I don’t leave tips at restaurants (it’s not an Italian practice) and actually I don’t even ask for the check at the table, I simply stop at the cash register and pay (by credit card or phone) on the way out (most Italians don’t ask for the check at the table). If you are the typical American who feels guilty not leaving a tip of a euro or two to the waiter, the only way to do so is with cash. There is no other way, since there is no way to add a tip to the credit card slip. The only place where I’ve seen it is at the Rome airport Hilton restaurant.

Like Lee, the places I visit in Germany are almost all cash. In 2018 we stayed at 3 monastery/convent accomodations in Italy. We were told that they were only cash, but when we checked out we were able to use our credit card

23 days in España last October.
Apple Pay 99%.
Physical credit card 0%.
Cash 1% for the street vendor who obviously was “unbanked”.

I'll be in Florence a week from tomorrow, the start of 17 days eventually traveling by train to Rome, Salerno and Taormina (Sicily). I've already said on another similar thread that for two major excursions down south, the vendors are requesting no deposit from the 4 of us but payment in Euro on completion of the excursion. I have dealt with each of these vendors before, and also understand the Italian rule about all vendors have to give the option of accepting debit/credit cards. I will be paying them in Euro as an accommodation and because their rates are cheap in comparison with the competition. Just as I'm using cash more for payment here in the US, with many signs here stating an upcharge for using debit/credit.

Otherwise, I'll probably use my debit/credit card, or Apple Pay. Except...what is the current line on paying vendors...say, when buying fruit at an outside market in Rome, or...haggling for a good price for leather outside the Mercato Centrale in Florence?

I understand that debit/credit card companies apparently don't charge the Italian vendors quite as much as they do here in the States, but it has to be something. Bottom line...does the customer get a cash discount for paying Euro?

Lee, I'm going the Charles Schwab route, but what a process trying to get a debit card from them -- plus, you have to automatically open a brokerage account at the same time you get the debit/checking card. My hope is that I won't need to go near an ATM on my trip in May. Thanks to everyone on here who has provided such great tips about U.S. $ and the Euro (Your-oh? lol). Ciao!

“The only place where I’ve seen it is at the Rome airport Hilton restaurant.” Roberto

The only place I’ve seen it, and we were actually strong armed by this Sorrento waiter asking why we weren’t leaving a tip and wasn’t the service good, was in a restaurant in the Rick Steves guidebook. I reported it to the RS office. Place was filled with people carrying blue and yellow books. Only two tables had Italians, the only tables the owner greeted.
No, we didn’t tip. Living in France, we know service is included and don’t feel guilty.

In 2002, shortly after Europe adopted the euro, we dined in Rothenburg at a restaurant on the town square. Although I am pretty fluent in German, my accent still tells everyone that I am American. The bill came to something close to €23±. I gave the waiter a €20 and a €10 note (I didn't have a €5) and said, "Fünf und Zwanzig" (25). He went away and never came back. I finally hunted him down and said again "Fünf und Zwanzig", and he gave me the €5 change. €7 tip on a €23 bill would have been a 30% tip.

A lot of European think Americans are big tippers, and expect it.

In Europe, tipping is essentially just not taking the small change, basically rounding the bill to the next higher euro. A lot of Germans are offended by this, since the euro is about 2 Mark, which means rounding to the next euro is rounding to the next even Mark. They view this a too much.

The Hilton in Rome airport is the only place where I’ve seen the gratuity line in the credit card receipt. All other places I’ve ever dined (anywhere in Italy) would have the credit card slip with only the total amount and no available gratuity line where to add a tip. But if a restaurant is recommended by Rick Steves I avoid it like the plague, so I don’t know if those places with lots of Americans take advantage of the American tipping culture to make some extra bucks. But as I said, we Italians don’t ask for the check and pay at the table. The waiter won’t bring it to the table unless you specifically ask (bringing the check to the table automatically without asking, like waiters do in the US, would cause arguments and sometimes fistfights). But Italians don’t even ask. We just get up when we are ready to go, and stop to pay at the cash register on the way out. All you have to tell the cashier is the table where you were sitting in. You pay and walk out of the door. End of story. Save your tips for when you return home. When in Rome do as the Romans do.