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| *Travel Tips>>>General - France Travel Tips |
What is the best way to buy euros before going to France? |
Travel Info My daughter will be going to France next summer. She will be 16. What is the best way to make sure she has Euros for her trip? Should I get them here in the us first? She has an ATM card for her bank account, but not sure if she should use it overseas. What is the best way to handle this. Travel Tips There are several issues that are involved among which are exchange rates, fees, convenience and security. These interact in different ways depending on whom you bank with and what credit cards you have available. The most basic fact is that exchange rates are not fixed but vary depending on who is doing the exchanging. The individual will never get as good a rate as big institutions like banks and credit card companies. Furthermore, generally speaking, exchange rates for an individual in the USA are considerably worse than those in Europe. So to begin with you should change only as many dollars into Euros here in the USA as you anticipate an absolute need for on the first day of travel. These you can obtain from your bank. The exchange rate will be poor but I would do this even tho there are ATMs at the airport as my feeling is that getting into the city and getting settled in your hotel should be your first priority. Dealing with anything immediately after a long flight is a trial and getting thru customs, passport control, and an unfamiliar trip from the airport is quite enough to deal with. Use credit cards for most of your expenses. The credit card companies get excellant exchange rates. The only issue here is the fees that credit card companies charge for foreign exhcnage transactions. Some of them are quite outrageous. As of this time last year the best deal was given by Capitol One. You may want to check them out. It us (or at least was) worth getting one of their cards if you don't already have one. Of course not everything is conveniently charged to a credit card and the ATM is certainly a good way to obtain cash. Again, however, beware of fees that can often be outrageously high. Its because of those fees that I take Travellers Cheques. I can get dollar denominated American Express TCs from my bank (BankAmerica) at no cost. I'm a so called Preferred Customer but I don't know if that is required. Check with your own banker. Traveller's cheques are useless for actually buying things since most people don't accept them and when they do they give you a terrbile rate of exchange. However, I simply use them as a safe way to carry money. I exchange them, as needed, at the American Express office in Paris. They give a decent exchange rate and if you're an American Express card holder you pay no fees. Others www.LouMarTravel.com click on extras and select buy foreign currency. Your travel agent can order money through companies that deal with travel agents. If you are near a major airport, they might have an exchange kiosk there. A major bank might be able to order them for you. Yes. Overseas an ATM card is often best for exchange rates. But start with some cash so she arrives with enough for taxis and emergencies. Also..can she get a credit card? Most if not all banks have access to foreign money and can exchange your dollars for any currency you desire. Give them a few days notice and you should get what you need. Also you will get the current exchange rate and not what you might get over seas. Find out the exchange rate fee here and over there. Sometimes there are different rates depending on where they are obtained and what date, because they fluctuate day by day. She might not get as well of a rate if she were to obtain them at the airport in France than if she were to get them at the airport here, because of the fees. Do a check to see what the fee will be. You obviously don't want her to carry too much money on her, so maybe travelers checks would be a good idea. I wonder if there is a card like a gift card that can be used like a credit card with only a certain amount of money that you determine, on it. If your bank has something like that, she could have easy access to money without draining her bank account, if that is one of your concerns. I don't know if many places in France take credit cards(its been a while since I've been there), or if there are many atms that will be compatible with what you have, but you'll want to do some research on where she will be going. If there is a hotel she is staying at, you can try to call them and ask them these questions. If that isn't available, just give her some Euros. If she needs more for an emergency, you can send it to her via Western Union. It requires a fee, but it is quick. ATM card won't work, credit cards like Visa, Mastercard, Amex are accepted everywhere, ATM included. You will find ATM everywhere. Better buy some Euros before leaving. You can also buy Euro traveller cheques which can be exchange for currency in any bank, they are reimbursed if stolen (it also makes it easier for a 16 years old to budget her money). ATM will definetely be her best bet. If you want to be safe buy travellers checks, sure you will lose 10% or so on the transaction but if you lose the cash then you are out. ATM machines are everywhere and usually give the best rate. |
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