Baltic Cruise - Currency Exchange

[Velvetwater]

Be a smart and respectful traveller and use local currency when possible.

 

Easy enough from a ATM machine or just pay on your card if your fees are ok...I realise currency can be difficult to obtain before you go.

 

Using Euros in places that do not accept it not only screams 'I prefer convenience over culture' but paying in local currency gets you a better deal most of the time. Don't even get me started on dollars which are only accepted in certain establishments in Europe as they can jack up the price even more.

 

Theres also all the cool markets and independent shops that only accept local currency.

 

6 people traded roubles with me to use the public toilets in Russia on our tour. Worked out for me in the end as the euros I got in exchange were price higher at the time. 😄 

[SRF]

On 7/2/2019 at 6:48 AM, ontheweb said:

And in Russia, our private tour guide happily took dollars.

 

No kidding.

 

Would YOU take rubles?????  😄

 

I have found that most countries, people will take hard currencies (US dollars, Euros, or Pounds).  In Asia, they will take Yen or Aussie.

 

Only a few countries will they not take them.  And typically they will not take them in 1st world countries .

 

Heck, I have had hotels and airport shops NOT take the local currency. 😄

 

[meadowlander]

On ‎7‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 5:34 PM, clo said:

 

Twelve cents per dollar?  Wow!  That's outrageous IMO.

I wrote I was charged 12 cents to convert dollars to euros, I did not write 12 cents per dollar. You asked if converting money at AAA was "a lot". My post was to inform the op that it does not cost "a lot".

[clo]

Just now, meadowlander said:

I wrote I was charged 12 cents to convert dollars to euros, I did not write 12 cents per dollar. You asked if converting money at AAA was "a lot". My post was to inform the op that it does not cost "a lot".

So you paid 12 cents for as much as you wanted?  I'm confused.  Something I read subsequently is that AAA may not charge a fee at all but their exchange rate is bad.

[meadowlander]

3 minutes ago, clo said:

So you paid 12 cents for as much as you wanted?  I'm confused.  Something I read subsequently is that AAA may not charge a fee at all but their exchange rate is bad.

You are correct, AAA does not charge a fee to its members to convert currencies. There was a difference of 12 cents in the amount of DKK I received in exchange for US dollars on the date of transaction between AAA's rate and exchange rate I saw online that morning.

[Underwatr]

AAA makes their money in the buy-sell spread in my experience.

[clo]

20 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

AAA makes their money in the buy-sell spread in my experience.

With 15 cents to the Danish krone I still couldn't make out the deal.  But it really doesn't matter.  We never do that anyway.  What we do do 🙂 is periodically check what exchange rate we're getting on a trip.