Credit Card usage/ exchanging Money

Hi Jon. I have a Capital One Visa which has no international fees and is my primary card when I travel. I also bring a backup credit card (Chase Visa). Whichever card you bring, notify your cc company of your travel dates and which countries you'll be in.

All VISA or Mastercard cards will give you exactly the same exchange rate at the point of sale. After that it depends on the card issuer whether or not additional fees are added. Most cards will add a currency conversion fee ranging from 1 to 3%. A few do not. Capital One has cards that do not add any fees but you always need to check the fine print. For most of Europe we pay cash from a debit card at a local ATM because it is more convenient, more secure, and you can often get a discount, especially for lodging.

Capital One, hands down. Also, open a money market account and get an ATM card. Close to mid-market rates and no fees.

Get cash from ATMs. Most big US banks charge a fee for each withdrawal from a European ATM. As Chani said, there is no fee for using a Capital One debit card linked to a money market account. Small banks and credit unions often don't charge foreign transaction fees for using their debit cards. It's good to have a second debit card linked to a separate account anyway in case one card doesn't work. Read this helpful article by Rick Steves.

I use capital one. No fees and I take along my debit card as well, withdrawing cash as I need it. Plus, my capital one card gets me airline miles! Cash is generally preferred and you'll often get discounts if you ask.
Have Fun!

More and more cards are now not charging foreign fees (i.e., those 1-3% charges). For example the Chase Hyatt Visa. Capital One Venture Rewards, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase British Air. Here are some links:
http://www.cardhub.com/credit-cards/foreign-transaction-fee/ http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/2011/credit-card-no-foreign-transaction-fee/ These things can change often so it is best to call and recheck the info.

Capital One is probably the best major bank for credit cards, agreed. But there's a caveat! Do Not Use Their Debit Card! After practically pulling teeth, I finally got them to disclose their "exchange rate". They told me, "we don't charge any fees, just build it into the exchange rate." How much? About 15%!!! Awesome trick I just found out. If you have Paypal, you can get a Paypal debit card free. Paypal does have a fee, it's 2%, 3% in some instances. But that's with the BANK EXCHANGE RATE, that elusive number you can never get. So instead of some mystery "fee-included" crazy high rate and them telling you there are no "additional fees", get the awesome rate with a little tiny bit tacked on that they'll disclose. You can link it to your existing banking account with any bank and pull Euros out without worrying about paying way too much.