Please explain how much cash I should take to Italy. Rick said in his book to take US currency in $20 bills. However, someone on the forum said no one would take US currency in Italy. I am leaving on Friday and need to know what cash to take (US or Euros) and how much.
Thank you!
I think it depends how you want to handle money. I typically don't carry any us currency. I withdraw money from ATMs throughout my trip as I need, carrying only a comfortable amount of cash in hand. I use credit cards for large transactions. There are fees associated with this method so it is not for everyone. You can bring all USD and exchange it at currency exchange windows throughout your trip. These can be easily found throughout main cities and train stations but I personally wouldn't want to carry that much cash with me all the time. Good Luck!
Don't bring US currency to exchange with you not unless you can afford to lose value in the form of transaction fees and poor rates that banks abroad charge for that service.
Take your ATM card and use it to take out local currency which are Euros and you will get better rate.
Or if you are uncomfortable with using an ATM in a foreign country or do not have an ATM card
go to your bank before you go and have them give you Euros from your checking account in small bills. hopefully they offer this service.
Also tell your bank (credit or debit cards) in person or via 1-800 number your travel plans before you leave so they don't block your card usage in Italy.
You must be thinking of Rick's cash tips: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/cash-tips
where Rick recommends:
Bring along some US dollars. While you won’t use it for day-to-day
purchases, American cash in your money belt comes in handy for
emergencies, such as when banks go on strike or your ATM card stops
working.... If local banks don’t have exchange services, you can
always find exchange desks at major train stations or airports.
Rick's intent is converting the USD to local currency as a last resort if the usual means of obtain local currency fails. US dollars are the primary reserve currency, the Euro being the next most popular reserve currency. Last resort in the sense that you will not get as good an effective exchange rate as your ATM cash withdrawals or using your credit card.
$200 or $300 USD would get use enough pocket cash (assuming your credit cards work for big expenses) until you can resolve your ATM card failure. (I carry at least two ATM cards/accounts).
PS Assuming you are flying from/to a US (or other North American) airport, it's useful to have US dollars for small purchases at the US airport. It's hard to spend your Euros in America.
A bit off topic in that when traveling to China, we bring new $100 USD bills to exchange for Chinese RMB (Yuan) because ATMs are not as common in China. Banks and hotels will exchange your USD currency for Yuan. Clean new bills are preferred and torn or dirty bills are not likely to be accepted. The Chinese banks even have automatic counterfeit detection machines calibrate for US currency.
You might want to read this Money section here on the RS website. There's a lot more to learn there.
"How much" to take ...???
Depends on how long you will be there; how much of your hotels are prepaid or will take a credit card and whether you have a debit card you can use at ATMs or banks to get cash ( euros) as you need them.
I have always had a few hundred in euros when I leave so I do not have to hunt down an ATM at the airport in my jet-lagged condition. That way I have euros available to get a taxi, train, bus or whatever to get to my hotel. The small eateries take cash, but unlikely to take a credit card. This way I have at least a few days to get acclimated before having to find a bank or ATM to get more cash
The original poster made a mistake and posted the question twice; my reply is on the other or duplicate posting.
kathyw,
I'd suggest deleting your duplicate threads on this topic so that you keep all replies in the same place. Why did you post three times on the same question?
I usually take $100 US as an emergency stash. I will take any leftover currency that I may have left from a previous visit. When I arrive, I will hit an ATM and get local currency, amount dependent on what I know needs to be paid.
