Euros / BP needed?

[eileeshb]

6 hours ago, tobyt said:

After having our ATM and bank account skimmed for 3k we are super careful to have it be a single access only as an ATM.

I know we could have taken a cash advance on the credit card but frankly my stomach hurt just thinking about the fees.

We do have a new bank…..

I’m going to make a suggestion you may not like…there are now a few “internet “ banks, basically banks with no physical branches. The most popular one in Ireland is Revolut. It will primarily be my revolut account that I will be using in the states. Their app notifies you for every one off transaction that occurs. I transfer funds to it from my normal account so I can use it for small purchases and some online subscriptions as it’s easier to kill those subscriptions on the revolut app than it is through the banks or even the products own apps ( I’m looking at you amazon prime). Revolut also doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees to a certain threshold. The only negative with them is that I can’t lodge cash directly with them, I have to go via my “normal” bank, and you are also limited on how much cash you can withdraw per month. 
Their location based security can be fun with phone/watch payments.. the Irish ISPs aren’t very precise with their router programming so the router in our shop will regularly claim it’s in some other part of the country while the card machine says it’s in the correct town, revolut checks what the router says v card machine if they don’t match it declines to pay. The workaround .. the cardholder has to turn off the WiFi on their phone so revolut is no longer getting conflicting location data. 

[klfrodo]

Today is 3 Oct 23.

My wife and I just spent the last week in London and a couple of days in Paris. We brought 300 pounds and 300 euros.

We’ve still got all of our paper money. Everywhere we went I used my phone to pay except 1 time I had to use physical card.

No, my cards aren’t limiting out. I had the expected amount in savings and just paid the credit card via electronic banking every couple of days.

[markeb]

This thread just popped to the top again.

 

I just returned from a week in Germany with a side trip to Salzburg. I did use actual Euros, but pretty much only because we went to Oktoberfest which is still cash only. We used a handful of Euros 4-5 times for small purchases (bottles of water, Lebkuchen in Salzburg) and one meal in Munich where they may have had a card reader but didn't offer (and by that time I had Euros in spite of myself). I'm reasonably sure if I'd gotten away from Munich out into one of the small towns I would have been better off with cash, but most places even took my AMEX. Contactless and Apple Pay. Zero issues with the ATMs for cash withdrawals. 

 

I will continue to be confounded by my fellow countrymen who insist on ordering currency in the US and traveling to a physical bank to pick up currency they could easily lose before even arriving.

[Globaliser]

On 9/12/2023 at 9:33 AM, Globaliser said:

On 9/12/2023 at 7:48 AM, Harters said:

Apart from the early stages of Covid, I have not come across any retailer here that refuses cash. That is not to say that there aren't any, just that they must be few and far between. 

Maybe I should keep a diary!

 

As the thread has come back to the top again: I haven't managed a diary as such (yet), but I have noticed that of the four coffee shops near the office that I routinely use, three are cashless.

[Harters]

4 hours ago, markeb said:

traveling to a physical bank to pick up currency they could easily lose before even arriving.

I'm reminded of my sister in law who went on holiday to Spain with a friend. They were renting a villa and the owner required payment in cash on arrival. So, she was carrying a large amount of Euros. While they were loading their luggage into the rental car, they had put their handbags in the trolley. While their backs were turned, one of the handbags was stolen. Fortunately, it was the friends bag which contained only minimal amounts. Apparently thefts were common and the cops went to search the nearby toilets where, as they expected, they found the bag - cash gone but passport still there (so no need for a day spent at the consulate trying to get a replacement). 

 

Of course, it is just as easy to lose a credit card to pickpockets as it is cash. We've been a victim twice - once in Paris (where cash, passports and flight tickets were stolen) and the second in Tenerife (where we only lost a couple of hundred Euros.)

[Globaliser]

33 minutes ago, Harters said:

Of course, it is just as easy to lose a credit card to pickpockets as it is cash.

 

But the difference is that it shouldn't be a big problem if it happens. Take out a backup card to use, and let the bank take any financial hit on the stolen card (as it is paid to do).

[Harters]

2 hours ago, Globaliser said:

Take out a backup card to use

We actually take three cards when we're away. I carry one, my companion in life the other two (not in the same place). We've become much more aware since we became victims. 

[ABQrobin]

We just returned from the 10-day British Isles cruise on the Regal Princess... we found that almost everywhere took debit cards, they like the "tap" feature.  Small coffee shops, vendors,, you name it.  We only used cash (Euros in Cork, BP in all other ports) for tips to local drivers and guides.  

It was so easy.  When we got home, we did see small currency conversion charges on our bank statement, all less than 25 cents each time we used.  We think it was totally worth it.