How much currency to bring?

[sharkster77]

1 hour ago, allyg said:

Capital One Quicksilver — you are right— no foreign transaction fee. Think we had a different one in the past. Although that is not the card we generally use, it’s good to know we can when traveling. Thanks.

Ooops---I said we had a Cap One Venture card, when it is in fact a Quicksilver card as well.  My only gripe with the card is that when COVID hit, I guess fewer people were paying their bills, so Capital One had to reduce its debt, so they CUT MY CREDIT ALLOWED BY TWO-THIRDS!!   We always pay our balance in full every month--I tried to explain why good customers like me had to suffer because of others who don't pay their bills--they pretty much said too bad, sucks to be you! (my words not theirs, but that was the vibe)

 

I said OK, and now I use that card as little as possible--found the AARP card from Barclays, no foreign fees, and a nice healthy amount of credit allowed.  

[FetaCheese]

I used my cap 360 debit card in Marigot, St. Martin a few days ago, to purchase cheese and wine.  Later, Calculated the exchange rate, and nearly identical to USD/EUR rate on Yahoo finance.  Also, no forex fee. (Was not given choice of EUR or USD).

 

Probably has been said, but in foreign countries, if using ATM, always use a bank owned ATM, never one at at an airport cambio or storefront ATM.  And also, whether purchasing at stores, or Bank Owned ATM, and, if given choice, select to transact in Local Currency.

Edited March 23 by FetaCheese

[sowhat33]

On a lighter note, upon my return from my trip on the Saturn, I had so many euros left over, I was able to pay my hairdresser for my next cut. He was going to Italy shortly afterwards so we laughed at his being able to begin his trip with the newly acquired euros.  Saved him some exchange charges!

[CDNPolar]

14 hours ago, sowhat33 said:

On a lighter note, upon my return from my trip on the Saturn, I had so many euros left over, I was able to pay my hairdresser for my next cut. He was going to Italy shortly afterwards so we laughed at his being able to begin his trip with the newly acquired euros.  Saved him some exchange charges!

 

We are in Europe so often that we just hold on to what we bring home and then we are always ready to go!

 

But... what a great thing for you to be able to do!

[Mich3554]

On 3/21/2024 at 9:41 AM, sharkster77 said:

Also when you pay by credit card, you have a choice of paying in local currency or your own.  Always choose local---let your bank/credit card company do the conversion, they will give you a better rate than the vendor's bank.

 

We started travelling internationally 7 years ago---we find that we need much less cash on hand than when we started---COVID accelerated the move to mostly cashless societies--Europe is more cashless than here in the US.

Anyone going to Thailand, be aware that Thailand is NOT moving towards cashless.  We switched SIM cards at the airport….cash only.  Same with taxis.  Even the car and driver we had that took us from Bangkok to Laem Chabang wanted cash only.  

[rmalbers]

I noticed the coin comment, depending on where you are at in Europe you may need some 'coin' for a bathroom, just saying.

Edited March 27 by rmalbers

[ddeprez]

22 hours ago, rmalbers said:

I noticed the coin comment, depending on where you are at in Europe you may need some 'coin' for a bathroom, just saying.

I appreciate you taking the time to share this. If people haven’t traveled to Europe, they may not know this, and we’re all about sharing knowledge here. Thanks!

[rmalbers]

7 minutes ago, ddeprez said:

I appreciate you taking the time to share this. If people haven’t traveled to Europe, they may not know this, and we’re all about sharing knowledge here. Thanks!

LOL, ya, it's one of those things you don't want to find out the hard way! 

[ropomo]

Just back from TA Ft. Lauderdale to Rome on Mars. I met several couples on their first trip to Europe and didn't realize that many/most places that you want to use plastic require a PIN. They had never heard of a credit card having a pin and were having significant inconveniences on shore. Make sure you know your PIN or set up a PIN for any cards you plan to use in Europe.

[Mike07]

I usually bring $100-200 in local currency and then a couple hundred in USD.

 

"Credit cards" is not a solution if you find yourself in a bind and need to pay somebody off.

[Squawkman]

1 hour ago, ropomo said:

Just back from TA Ft. Lauderdale to Rome on Mars. I met several couples on their first trip to Europe and didn't realize that many/most places that you want to use plastic require a PIN. They had never heard of a credit card having a pin and were having significant inconveniences on shore. Make sure you know your PIN or set up a PIN for any cards you plan to use in Europe.

I’ve been on 10+ cruises to Europe since 2015 and never needed a PIN for credit cards. First I’ve ever heard this.

[Neilj203]

10 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

I’ve been on 10+ cruises to Europe since 2015 and never needed a PIN for credit cards. First I’ve ever heard this.

Contactless generally works across UK but anything over £100 needs a pin.Also after so many transactions you are randomly selected to enter your pin. Needed Pin in Italy and France in last year.

[OneSixtyToOne]

15 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

I’ve been on 10+ cruises to Europe since 2015 and never needed a PIN for credit cards. First I’ve ever heard this.

It really depends on the merchant and the card processing company they are using. In Amsterdam we tried to buy a transit ticket at a machine and couldn’t use our card. It didn’t accept cash. A friendly passerby used their card and we gave her the cash. Another time we had issues with our card and the waiter had to change some option on his device to “international” to get it to work. It appears that PINs are widely used in Europe but there are workarounds for international cards. If you deal with places that are frequented by non-European tourists, they probably know how to process it correctly. 
 

BTW paying through my iPhone seemed to work every time.

Edited March 30 by OneSixtyToOne

[KBs mum]

All card machines can produce a signature verification slip, but the cashier may need to call a supervisor for authorisation to do so.

ATM machines need PIN, and it's useful to have a card with a contactless chip 

 

[CDNPolar]

18 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

It really depends on the merchant and the card processing company they are using. In Amsterdam we tried to buy a transit ticket at a machine and couldn’t use our card. It didn’t accept cash. A friendly passerby used their card and we gave her the cash. Another time we had issues with our card and the waiter had to change some option on his device to “international” to get it to work. It appears that PINs are widely used in Europe but there are workarounds for international cards. If you deal with places that are frequented by non-European tourists, they probably know how to process it correctly. 
 

BTW paying through my iPhone seemed to work every time.

 

I guess that this discussion about PIN's is making me raise my eyebrows with a question?

 

PIN and Tap technology in Canada is common and expected.  There are limits to tap and every store or restaurant has a different limit.  Everyone in Canada uses PINs for both their bank or ATM cards, and their credit cards.  

We routinely expect to need a PIN when shopping or paying in Europe.

[pavementends]

Getting foreign currency from AAA is so...last century.

[ddeprez]

3 hours ago, pavementends said:

Getting foreign currency from AAA is so...last century.

Ok, then… Suggestions if your bank no longer provides foreign currency, and you prefer to not use an ATM there?

[janetcbl]

12 hours ago, ddeprez said:

Ok, then… Suggestions if your bank no longer provides foreign currency, and you prefer to not use an ATM there?

Our last trip was entirely in Scandinavia where we never used kronor, only our credit cards. Some merchants refused to take cash.

[pavementends]

14 hours ago, ddeprez said:

Ok, then… Suggestions if your bank no longer provides foreign currency, and you prefer to not use an ATM there?

Gotta be blunt here. You prefer the wrong thing. Which, of course, you are welcome to do.

[LindaS272]

15 hours ago, ddeprez said:

Ok, then… Suggestions if your bank no longer provides foreign currency, and you prefer to not use an ATM there?

Not sure why you won’t do ATM just for picking up cash a couple of times during your trip, depending on needs. Sure, the banks on both ends will charge a “service fee” just for use of the ATM. We’ve solved that problem by using a Schwab Bank card that reimburses us for ATM fees—and we put in an amount just for our trip.  We always have a cushion in our home bank card for any emergencies. Haven’t picked up foreign cash from home in 45 years.

 

The other advantage on our Schwab card is that it has a pin and we’ve had to use it when our regular Visa cards aren’t accepted.

Edited April 1 by LindaS272

[SailorPaulH]

I know currency exchange is not possible on board, but is it possible to break larger notes to smaller (same currency) on board?

[millybess]

22 minutes ago, SailorPaulH said:

I know currency exchange is not possible on board, but is it possible to break larger notes to smaller (same currency) on board?

We have often changed Euros and U.S $ at Guest Services for smaller bills. 

[ddeprez]

2 hours ago, pavementends said:

Gotta be blunt here. You prefer the wrong thing. Which, of course, you are welcome to do.

Thank you for your kind reply.  My initial question was just how much currency to bring. Although other suggestions are certainly welcome, and have previously been made in a helpful manner, I don’t really need to be schooled on whether my preference is right or wrong.

[KBs mum]

On 4/1/2024 at 3:46 AM, ddeprez said:

Ok, then… Suggestions if your bank no longer provides foreign currency, and you prefer to not use an ATM there?

Pay commission at a bureau de change, or get a chip and pin card and accept that some market stall type vendors man not accept card payments 

[dcl999]

On 3/30/2024 at 10:06 PM, ropomo said:

Just back from TA Ft. Lauderdale to Rome on Mars. I met several couples on their first trip to Europe and didn't realize that many/most places that you want to use plastic require a PIN. They had never heard of a credit card having a pin and were having significant inconveniences on shore. Make sure you know your PIN or set up a PIN for any cards you plan to use in Europe.

We have been traveling for years in Europe. The only time we couldn’t use a card without having a pin was at a gas station. Most places you just have to tap your card. The other option is they give you a slip to sign. Much of Scandinavia is virtually cashless (including many toilets).