Euros; best place to buy them before trip?

The best rates (and fees) will be at ATMs once you reach your destination. Foreign ATMs will not charge you a fee for their use, though your bank might. My local credit union charges nothing additional. And unless you have need of such a large amount of cash upon your arrival, it's not a very safe practice to carry so much cash.

What's a "Federal Exchange Bank location"? There might be something with a better rate available to military personnel, but that's the only thing of which I am aware. If you are exchanging millions of dollars of foreign currency, you can get the Interbank (pier to pier) rate, but if you were, you would already know about it. If you use an ATM over there, you will get 1%-3% over the Interbank rate. If you use someone like Wells Fargo over here, the best rate I know of, you'll pay about 5% over.

If you are a member of AAA they have packets of 50 Euros in the store. You can purchase them there. Others are right, it is best to withdraw once you have arrived at your destination. And carrying that much cash isn't a good idea!

travelex

According to my research, Travelex has about the worst rates you can get anywhere - so bad they no longer show them on their website, so you can't compare.

The best place I have found over here, is Wells Fargo. They average about 5% over the Interbank rate. BofA is about 5.5% over.

Some banks do their best customer's a favor and give them a number of "free" ATM withdrawals a month (the bank absorbs the 1% "Network" charge. Some local banks with no foreign currency operations just pass on to their customers that 1% Network charge. Most major banks, those with foreign currency ops, pay the Network in Euro, then charge you 3% for the conversion. So, the difference between Euro from an automat over there and, say, Wells Fargo over here is about 2%-4%. Is that 2%-4% worth not having to find an ATM over there?. ATM use is certainly one of the major sources of card fraud.

As for carrying large amounts of cash, most people carry their cash where they carry their ATM card. If you lose both, losing the cash will be unpleasant, to say the least, but loosing your card, with no way to get more cash, is the real problem.

My bank just informed me that my debit card would not be valid in Switzerland. Any other suggestions?

That is most unusual. You might ask why because it doesn't make any sense unless you are using a debit card on STAR network or one of the other minor networks that are not available in Europe. In that case get another debit card. My debit card has worked faithfully in 07 and 08. Debit cards are the fabric of life.

ATM's at the airport when you arrive.

You must notify your bank of your departure and return date. Then call your back to reconfirm they have the information a couple of days before your departure.

Does anyone know what's the max you can withdraw from an ATM in France in Euros?

Call around to your local banks, esp the ones you do business with. I just today bought 80 euros for $106 from Chase. National City wanted that 4% rate plus a $5 fee plus $13.00 Fedex fee. Yikes!

The 1000 euros seems like a lot, but I think you're travelling with several others? In my case, they require my daughter have some euros on hand for her trip so they don't have to wait while 30 kids go to the atm.

oops, that was the Federal Reserve Bank branch in Boston...I have heard that you can purchase them there without a charge. and yes, the thousand was for four of us to have $$ avail.

"Does anyone know what's the max you can withdraw from an ATM in France in Euros?"

There is no one maximum withdrawal limit. It depends on the particular French bank, and also on your bank. Both can set limits.

In general, I think you can withdraw at least 300 Euros a day. I've never had any problem with that, and I don't need more cash than that.

Sorry, Susan, but you can't do business with the Federal Reserve Bank. It's not a bank like you know it. Think of it as a bank for banks. There are no tellers. You can't open an account. You can't just walk in.

The Fed controls the money supply, sets interest rates and does it's best not to screw up the value of the dollar--a job it has not done so well lately.

I brought enough to pay the balance for my apartment and use ATM to withdraw money during my Euro trip. I took 300 euros everytime (never withdrew more than once in a day tho) with no problem, and for big purchase I just used credit card. I just don't like have too much cash with me.