Where to get Euros in US - Charlotte?

Get them here in Colorado, from Wells Fargo, before you go. Any currency exchange in Charlotte is likely to be Travelex, which charges a lot (Airport exchanges, in general, charge a lot). A few years ago, I spent month tracking the exchange rate for Euro on the Internet every morning and, on the whole, Wells Fargo has the best rate I could find (5% average). BofA was second with about 5½%. Of course, their rates are fixed for the day, and the Interbank rate varies all day long, so it might not be 5% when you look. These are the rates at main branches (Downtown Denver or Boulder). If you go to a Wells Fargo in Longmont, they might charge extra for shipping.

Thanks Lee. Am going into Boulder today or tomorrow anyway to get some good stuff at REI so will pick up the Euros at same time. Love Boulder - wish I could afford to live there again - but student days were long ago.

Bank of America has foreign currency as well. You can order it in mixed denominations so you can have smaller bills for the cabbie. We always take around 400 euros each with us so we can hit the ground running in Paris. ATM's in Paris are numerous and easy to get replenished if you have a B OF A or proper debit card. We always use more cash than we plan for since many small merchants don't take credit cards. Not a problem.

Thanks George. I was lucky and able to get a chip-pin card from my credit union. They started issuing them about 2 months ago - lucky timing. So, if the gods of the ethernet (or wherever they hang out these day) are smiling all should be well. I will follow your advice and hit the ground running with euros and especially in small demoninations.

Wells Fargo is the place to buy foreign currency, especially if you can avoid delivery fees by visiting one of their International Teller Sites: https://www.foreignexchangeservices.com/index.html?partnerid=FES&serviceType=stores My international teller said that rates changed during the day. I have no reason to doubt her, but did not check rates later.

Don't really know why you would buy ANY euros here. You can easily use your ATM card when you arrive at the airport. You can also use your credit card at any establishment in the airport.

Every time I come back from Europe I make sure I bring back a couple hundred Euro to start the next trip. In 2004, I arrived at FRA and hit the first ATM I saw. My first and second ATM cards were rejected (on a technicality that was easily corrected later). I had a third card and it worked. Of course I wasn't too concerned because I had brought Euro with me. For a $10 fee you can get about €140 from Wells Fargo. That's really cheap insurance. It's like wearing a money belt. The chances of getting pickpocketed or the ATMs not working are very small, but the consequences would be devastating. Better to be safe than sorry. Also, consider the bank whose ATM card you are using. If it's a major bank like Chase or Wells Fargo, they'll charge you 4% (3% + $5 for a less than $500 withdrawal). Getting cash over here only costs an extra 1%.