Money

[mikehalus]

We will be hiking from Pamploma to Santaigo this spring. We are figuring about 100 euros a day for two people. We will stay in albergues. The following questions concern money:
1) How much do you recommend we carry on our person?
2) Which denominations are the most useful?
3) Is it difficult to get change for large euro bills?
4) How accessable are ATM machines)
5) Is 100 euros a day a realistic figure? We are conservative in our spending and eating habits.

I really appreciate any response to the above questions from those who have walked the Camino in last few years

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You can probably get by on 50E a day. ATMs are very common. You will need a four digit PIN. Most will dispense a maximum of 300E in bills of the banks choosing. It is prudent to spread the money around a bit -- wallet, pocket, pack. I have cashed a 100E bill at 0700 for breakfast, and the bartender did not bat an eye. It is best to break the large bills, however, at larger establishments in the middle of the day!

 

[Thengel1]

Unfortunately, ATM's in Europe not infrequently will kick out 100 Euro notes, which can pose certain challenges. On previous trips to Europe, I would make a point of withdrawing say 280 vs 300, so I could be assured of getting some smaller denominations. 20 Euro's or less are ideal, although I have had not had that many difficulties with 50's. (Granted, most of my travels in Europe have been in cities rather than rural Spain.)

At 100 Euro a day, you could afford to stay in private accommodations every night, and still have money left over.

Generally speaking, I wouldn't carry a large amount of cash around, any more I would at home. However, if your bank charges you a fixed fee for ATM withdrawals,obviously it is to your advantage to pull out as much as you can at one time. With two of you, you can split the cash and minimize the risk.

 

[billmclaughlin]

I'm not sure why someone wrote that a 4-digit PIN is required. I used a 6-digit PIN with my US bank card in Spain without any problem.

50 euros per day per person is *very* generous. You'll be fine. You'll be able to order food that's not on the pilgrim menu or upgrade the wine to something better than the (usually just OK) table wine. And stay in nice accommodations and enjoy a little privacy while washing up and sleeping.

 

[Icacos]

And although coins can be a bit heavy...I always kept a a few close at hand for when I needed a bathroom but didnt need to buy anything in a cafe/bar. I would always go to the counter first and offer some Euro. The staff really appreciated this.

I don't know if the owner of the cafe/bar would be happy about this, but it is good to know. Thank you.

 

[Tia Valeria]

We budgeted 100 euros a day for the two of us last year to ensure we had sufficient to stay in private albergues when needed and to eat well. We came home with money left over, which was good. We would plan to do the same again this year.

Our method was to load euro cards (Mastercard issue) with half out budget each. The withdraw the maximum allowed for each individual withdrawal, thus minimising any fees. Our cards fee was 2 euros for up to 250 euros daily limit. This meant that there was no link to our actual bank accounts. Our particular cards had good on-line facilities for checking the balance etc, but we loaded with cash at home 'fee free' before setting off.

We each carried a chosen amount to cover a few days, using the ATM before we ran out and also while the banks were still open. Cash was carried securely with just sufficient for the days basic needs carried 'to hand'. Paying for a night's accomodation we could access the 'safe' money as needed. We used the larger denomination notes for accomodation, and as soon as we could, so as to have mostly 20s and 10s.

The cards coud also be used as debit cards, but we preferred to rely on cash as many places are not equipped to take cards. Also we could keep a running total of withdrawals and fee.


Spain seems to mostly have 4 digit PINs, but adding 00 to the end is OK if a 6 digit PIN is required.
For Mastercard it is possible to call up the list of free ATMs via the mastercard website.

 

[HillTrekker]

Does anyone have any update on the information in this thread?
I have read these posts, but they are 2 years old.
Any comments?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Anniesantiago]

As far as I know, this is pretty much still the way it is.
I usually take out about 300 euros and it lasts me about a week. I never carry more than that on my person.
The one thing I would say is that in some bank ATMS you will need a 4 NUMERAL pin.
Also, I'd suggest putting your travel money on a debit card that is different from your regular savings/checking account.
And lastly, be sure to notify your bank you will be traveling or you may find your card frozen in Spain.

Oh.. and I like my Charles Schwab online bank account because they reimburse ALL money exchange and ATM fees at the end of each month.

 

[HillTrekker]

As far as I know, this is pretty much still the way it is.
I usually take out about 300 euros and it lasts me about a week. I never carry more than that on my person.
The one thing I would say is that in some bank ATMS you will need a 4 NUMERAL pin.
Also, I'd suggest putting your travel money on a debit card that is different from your regular savings/checking account.
And lastly, be sure to notify your bank you will be traveling or you may find your card frozen in Spain.

Oh.. and I like my Charles Schwab online bank account because they reimburse ALL money exchange and ATM fees at the end of each month.

Many thanks.
All good info.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I'm not sure why someone wrote that a 4-digit PIN is required. I used a 6-digit PIN with my US bank card in Spain without any problem.

50 euros per day per person is *very* generous. You'll be fine. You'll be able to order food that's not on the pilgrim menu or upgrade the wine to something better than the (usually just OK) table wine. And stay in nice accommodations and enjoy a little privacy while washing up and sleeping.

Hi , most of the european bankcards use a 4 diged pin-code also the creditcards use a 4 digid pin-code , Peter .

 

[billmclaughlin]

Since my post from March 2013 was just quoted, perhaps I should enlarge upon and update it.

I have used the same 6-digit code with a variety of credit and debit cards somewhere in Europe in all but one of the last 37 years. I used that code in 2012 in Spain and England, and in 2013 and 2014 in France.

I have heard of people having problems and blaming the number of digits, but that simply has not been my experience.