Italy ATM debit card

"Also, am I correct that if I withdraw cash using the debit card at an ATM (Banocomat) I receive euros and my credit union debits my US ccount in US
dollars using the current exchange rate? e.g. I ask for 100 euro, receive the funds, but my home account is debited by approximately $150 or $160 by today's rates?" Yes, except that http://www.xe.com/ shows that €100 is about $131 now. Maybe you were thinking of pounds sterling, which would indeed be about $158 for £100. Don't forget to add any fees charged by your bank/credit union. But the European bank will not add any fees. As for better ways to go than Travelex, the ATM card is it. Here is a page of Rick's, with links to all his money tips. Read all the links, and you'll be a pro: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/money-travel-tips.htm

Of course US debit cards work in those areas! This has been discussed over and over and over and over. If you want to pay extra fees and worse exchange rates then continue to use your Travelex card. Ease of use? How could it be any easier than using the same debit card you use everywhere else including home? Yes, of course you withdraw LOCAL currency and your bank converts the sum into US Dollars and subtracts that from your bank account.

Harold,thanks very much. And you are correct, I am going to England as well as Italy and was thinking of the pound exchange rate. Tim, thank you also. By 'ease of use' for Travelex, what I meant was one never has to think of exchange rate or any fees while traveling, but it definitely costs more in the long run. Question asked and answered. Thank you both.

"By 'ease of use' for Travelex, what I meant was one never has to think of exchange rate or any fees while traveling, but it definitely costs more in the long run." You never have to think of exchange rates when you use your ATM card, either, since you are getting the best possible rate. When you use Travelex, you've spent a lot of money in fees and poor exchange rates, regardless of whether you're "thinking" about it or not. This is similar to Rick's point about places in Europe that take US dollars:
>>Many Americans exclaim gleefully, "Gee, they accept dollars! There's no need to change money." But the happy sales clerk doesn't tell you that your purchase is costing about 20 percent more because of the store's private exchange rate. Without knowing it, you're changing money -- at a lousy rate -- every time you buy something with dollars.<< The only thinking required for an ATM card is to learn your daily withdrawal limit in dollars, and use XE (link above) to convert it to local currency, before your trip. When you arrive, jet lagged, it's important to know how much you can withdraw, since higher amounts will be blocked. If your limit is $500, you have to know that that is roughly $385, and your can't get €500. But that's it for "stress."

Just make sure you inform your bank where and when you will be traveling, so they don't block your use of the card. It happens. Other than that, the debit card is the way to go!