Changing money!?!

Thought I%26#39;d ask before I begin with a headache - What is the best currency to carry over to Europe....credit card, travelers checks, euros or american dollars? We will visiting Paris, London %26amp; Belgium. Also, should I get my money changed before I leave? Where %26amp; how? Thanks

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Credit cards are all you need with maybe $100 worth of euros in your pocket too.

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Even though most banks and credit card companies are now charging more for foreign currency transactions, the best and least expensive way these days is to use your regular ATM card to get cash and your credit card for everything else. In France and Belgium you will be paying in Euros, but the UK still uses the pound. There are ATMs in every major airport and train station, so you really won%26#39;t need to carry any cash with you as you can load up as soon as you get off the plane. (And bank%26#39;s rates in the US are always horrible in my experience.)

Be sure to let your credit card company and bank know you will be traveling abroad or they may block your transactions if they regard them as %26quot;suspicious%26quot; activity. And you might want to ask your bank to raise your daily/individual cash withdrawal limit temporarily while you are overseas.

Have a great trip!

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Before I left for Europe I exchanged some of my money ( to British pounds and Euros). That way I didn%26#39;t have to worry about doing it right away once I arrived. I could leisurely go to an ATM whenever I came across it. And I also didn%26#39;t want to deal with what I assumed would be the high airport exchange fee%26#39;s. I used Travelex, which is located in a shopping mall I frequent. There are also AAA Travel and American Express locations by me. But that being said, I really don%26#39;t think its necessary to exchange it before leaving. If its more hassle to find a place near you to do so, then I%26#39;d just wait til you arrive. The small amount you may save in exchange fees wouldn%26#39;t be worth the hassle.

And I know everyone is saying that travelers checks are so %26#39;out of date%26#39; due to ATM machines everywhere, but I did have some for my trip. I wasn%26#39;t planning on it. But a day or two before I left, my boss asked me if I was taking any, I said %26#39;no, there was no reason as I have an ATM card%26#39;. And his response was %26#39;what if you lose your ATM card? then what?%26#39; So I thought about it and then had to admit that %26#39;yes, maybe it would be wise to have one for emergency, perhaps a $100 one%26#39;. Later that day, I discovered why my boss was asking me... turns out, he and my other two bosses bought $500 worth of travelers checks for me. So I split them up and put in different places.. wallet, money belt, hidden in my luggage... And felt secure knowing I had them. Of course no emergency came up.. well other then I was spending way too much money and needed helped out with that! ;-)

Oh and be sure to notify your bank and credit cards that you are going to Europe. Otherwise they may decline purchases for security reasons.

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Your best bet will be to use purchase a small amount of EUROs before you leave to use as %26#39;..arrival/convenience cash..%26#39; (100 Euros or so for airport transfer fares, tips, sundries). Once in Paris you should try to use your major credit card for purchases of goods and services whenever possible (you can use it for Metro tickets, many museum admissions, etc) and your ATM card for any %26#39;walkin%26#39; around%26#39; cash you might need. As an %26#39;..emergency/back-up..%26#39; fund, we also carry a few hundred dollars (enough for one or two days estimated expenses) in conventional Traveler%26#39;s Checks in US DOLLAR denominations. We can get US $ denomination TC%26#39;s free through our AAA membership or at our local bank. Since we only carry them as %26#39;emergency/back-up%26#39; funds, that way we don%26#39;t have to take an exchange rate %26#39;hit%26#39; when we get them or another %26#39;hit%26#39; when we re-deposit them after a trip.

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Thanks so much for all your help. I don%26#39;t even own an ATM card - but I suppose I will look into now!

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We just returned last week from a trip to London and Paris.Bought small advance amounts of sterling and Euros at exorbitant rates from bank (BOA). Around 2.09 rate on sterling and 1.40 on Euros. Used ATMs in both Paris and London...BOA has reciprocal agreements with Barclays in UK and BNP-Parabis in France...no ATM fees on either end...Just checked my bank statement....Avg. exchange rate on sterlings was around 1.90 and around 1.30 on euros....Much better to use ATMs. They were everywhere!!!

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I have visa check card from my bank. Will there work everywhere in France including as a credit card?