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Hi, Denise, Welcome to the forum!Do we convert dollars to euros when we land on Portugal?
I think that this comment refers only to the money exchange desks that you see at most airports. I would never change money there. ATMs at the airport, at least those of regular banks, will give you the same rate at the airport as they will anywhere else.You can change your money on arrival, but you will possibly get a better exchange rate away from the airport.
They probably don't charge an extra fee, but they make their money through the exchange rate.If you have Bank of America you can have Euros sent to your local branch for free.
I'm not sure that I would be so adamant about this. I have always carried a small amount of other currencies when I have been travelling. Generally it is enough for any purchases that I might need to make on arrival or during transit. That said, the more widespread acceptance of credit and debit card transactions makes this less important for me today than it was in the past.Do NOT bring a currency to another country whose currency is not your currency. Get some money exchanged at home and bring euros to a country whose currency is euros. That is all.
Yes, in May’23, one bank, Santander, charged us non-euro county customers 6.5 percent to obtain Euros from their ATMs. The 6 Euro fee was not much in comparison! So if you convert money do first look at their exchange rate! Also, if you are a non Euro country, use your credit card as much as possible, always paying in Euros, not in your home currency.They probably don't charge an extra fee, but they make their money through the exchange rate.
I was actually talking about buying Euros from one's home bank in the US. They may say that there's no fee, but they will generally not give you the best exchange rate.Yes, in May’23, one bank, Santander, charged us non Euro county customers 6.5 percent to obtain Euros from their ATMs. The 6 Euro fee was not much in comparison! So if you convert money do first look at their exchange rate! Also, if you are a non Euro country, use your credit card as much as possible, always paying in Euros, not in your home currency.
I would add that the OP should check with her credit card company to see if they charge a foreign transaction fee. That can be 2-3%. I personally use my Schwab debit card as fees are paid. I used to get a waiver on my foreign transaction fee but no longer. I hate credit card companies. So right about using currency exchanges. One of the big rip offs in foreign travel.Hi, Denise, Welcome to the forum!
In my experience, you do not want to bring dollar bills with you. Use a debit card to withdraw euros. Just make sure that it is an ATM machine connected to a real bank.
And when you are walking, use a credit card whenever you can, because the rate will be better than what you get from the ATM. And when using a CC, if they ask you whether you want to have the transaction done in dollars or in euros, you should always say euros. You will get a better exchange rate.
I think that this comment refers only to the money exchange desks that you see at most airports. I would never change money there. ATMs at the airport, at least those of regular banks, will give you the same rate at the airport as they will anywhere else.
Excellent advice, also allows you to get familiar with some of the different bills in useYou may want to get 50 or 100 Euros in small bills before you leave home. That way you don’t need to panic if you don’t see an ATM at the airport (there will be at least one).
Agree totallyAnd to your point - always reject the automatic conversion and always choose Euros at the ATM or when paying by card.
If you have a Charles Schwab account they would reimburse you the 6 euros Santander charges.Yes, in May’23, one bank, Santander, charged us non-euro county customers 6.5 percent to obtain Euros from their ATMs. The 6 Euro fee was not much in comparison! So if you convert money do first look at their exchange rate! Also, if you are a non Euro country, use your credit card as much as possible, always paying in Euros, not in your home currency.
I too,, as @dougfitz does, always bring some euros with me from USA. However, I don't purchase it in the USA. I usually bring “extra” euros from a prior trip, anticipating,what cash I might needfor a couple of days on my next trip. It is usually circa €350. However, many might need less. We usually take taxis from the airport, when we arrive. Since flight and train connections can be tight, It eliminates the need stop at an ATM in transition to our final starting point and urgency to get euros before we start walking..
I take 3 cards stashed in different places!!Another reason to bring 2 cards with you: during my walk, someone in the US somehow used my card fraudulently. This was the card I used for most everything. When this was caught by the bank, they immediately shut down my card (standard practice). It took more than a week to fix, especially since I was in a foreign country. They would not mail my replacement card overseas. Since my brother was flying over to meet me, we did a workaround through him.
I was so grateful to have a second card I could use! This could have ended my Camino.
And when you are walking, use a credit card whenever you can, because the rate will be better than what you get from the ATM.
Also, if you are a non Euro country, use your credit card as much as possible, always paying in Euros,
For convenience, use a credit card when you can
Thanks for responding Doug.
I won’t ever try withdrawing CASH from anywhere Atm etc in Oz or overseas. I have always been aware of the high interest “commencing immediately” on cash withdrawn using credit card.
I was only questioning the quotes by others / I had not realised they were comparing to cash withdrawn from ATM’s / using the ‘credit card’ / (a no no I wouldn’t do)… and paying with that cash ! as to using the credit card for the purchase. The confusion for me was the interpretation of the written word.
Btw. Leaving the above query aside : I was debating with myself ? Re the wisdom (pun intended) of adding funds (currency) to my WISE card : as opposed to topping up my current CBA travel debit card ?
Do you still find the WISE card a good alternative?
I would take 3 types with me: in the event that one of my cards was chewed up
or not accepted.
Can you use the WISE card in Spain for cash withdrawals or best kept for purchase and hotels etc?
I have used my Wise card almost exclusively on this trip.Note to others : I am not American so cannot get one of your Charles Schwab accounts which sound great.
Thank you, yes I am recovered and looking forward to finishing the Camino Madrid. My retreat finishes tomorrow. I am then going to visit a friend for lunch and then restart my Camino.I hope you have recovered yourself by now and are able to continue on your camino
Try to make sure you have some kind of two-factor authentification process that you can use when you're overseas.
I use a Google voice number based in the US for my authenticating texts. One of my Banks is OK with this, but my credit card company doesn’t like it. They wont use numbers they don’t recognize as real cellular phone numbers.If your bank/credit card company wants to text/sms you a verification code to your on-record phone number, and you have installed a Spanish sim into your phone, you need a workaround for online purchases. My bank advised me to re-install my home country sim card and turn on roaming. (If you don’t have a local sim, just turn off airplane mode and turn on roaming.) Use WIFI to make the purchase or do your online banking, wait for the text/sms to arrive. Use the code and make the purchase or transaction. DO NOT reply to the text or to any other text messages and DO NOT open any voice mail messages - as doing so will trigger the home country phone company to charge you for out of country usage.
Re-install the local sim or turn on airplane mode.
I use Rogers for my cell phone in Canada, and this process worked. When Rogers saw I was in Europe they also sent me a message saying that I could use my phone for $15 per day(!). I did not receive any extra billing from them, so the above method worked.
Strangely enough, when I went to book my flight home, the airline didn’t need two factor verification. Booking.com didn’t either.
For convenience, use a credit card when you can.
I didn't mention a better rate, as I don't pay much attention to the differences. I use a credit card for purchases when I can, but never for cash. I use the credit card for convenience only, so that I do not need to withdraw cash very often with my debit card.it sounds like using a credit card on purchases/hotels etc gives better value than withdrawing from ATM and paying those things with cash. You all mention a better rate when paying by credit card.
The other useful thing about the Wise card is I have their app installed on my phone and so provided I have an internet connection I can always authorise a two factor payment through the app regardless of what SIM card I am using.Thank you, yes I am recovered and looking forward to finishing the Camino Madrid. My retreat finishes tomorrow. I am then going to visit a friend for lunch and then restart my Camino.