Euros for Excursions

[mappel96]

I am taking quite a few private non-ship excursions on my cruise and most want to be parid in cash(Euros). I arrive in Venice on Saturday and know that the exchange kiosk at the airport will be quite pricey to exchanfe US dollars. I am told that ATM's are the best way to go, but there is a limit on how much you can take out a day. Does anyone have a good system on how to stay on top of this. I am going to need almost $2k in Euros(large family for those excursions) Thank you in advance

[Essiesmom]

You can get euros from your local bank to tide you through the airport. I usually get $300 worth and my sister does the same. Yes, the exchange rate will make them more expensive than getting them from a Bancomat in Venice, but it certainly better than the rate you would get if you changed dollars to euros on the ship. Ask your bank to raise your daily limit and explain why. Also make sure your bank and credit card companies know you are traveling out of your normal spending area!

Also, some machines have a daily limit lower than your bank! If this happens, get whatever it will give you, then visit another. EM

[whogo]

Shop for currency locally and compare the price to what your bank would charge you for ATM withdrawals. Mix and match US purchases with ATM withdrawals to minimize costs as your daily withdrawal limit allows.

[cruisemom42]

If you are in the US, your best exchange rate will be using ATMs in Europe. But if you worry that you will not be able to get sufficient quantity of euros in time to pay for all your tours, then look at the options available via US banks for obtaining some euros before your trip. Don't be afraid to shop around at several banks and BE SURE to compare the actual exchange rate they are giving you. Some banks love to tell you they charge no fee -- but their exchange rates can be terrible, so they make up the $$ either way....

 

Worst exchange rates are from AAA, from airport/hotel/ship exchange desks and those little kiosks in tourist areas. If you must exchange dollars for euros in Europe, look for a bank -- although not all of them are willing to do this anymore, since ATMs are so plentiful and well-used.

[Underwatr]

Don't buy (exchange cash for) Euros. Withdraw them at an ATM. You might pay a fee to your bank for this but it will still cost less than the markup on the exchange rate at a moneychanger.

 

Make sure the ATM is a bank ATM and not one with the Travelex brand on it. There's a difference in how your withdrawal is converted to dollars and the Travelex machines will charge you moneychanger rates.

[MMOMOM]

I am taking quite a few private non-ship excursions on my cruise and most want to be parid in cash(Euros). I arrive in Venice on Saturday and know that the exchange kiosk at the airport will be quite pricey to exchanfe US dollars. I am told that ATM's are the best way to go, but there is a limit on how much you can take out a day. Does anyone have a good system on how to stay on top of this. I am going to need almost $2k in Euros(large family for those excursions) Thank you in advance

 

Everyone told us not to get the Euros ahead, to do the ATM thing. However, like you, we needed large amounts of cash. I had called the bank regarding our trip and usage of both our debit and credit cards. Their exchange was the current rate and did NOT charge a fee. I ordered them online and picked them up at the bank. There is a fee if you have them delivered. They told us which banks to go to for ATMs. Since we were going to France and Barcelona first as land trips and then to Italy for the excursions on the cruise, where we needed the cash, we wanted to make sure we had enough because we could only find the 'global' one they recommended in France and Italy, not Spain. That would have meant if we ran out of cash before the excursion, we would have had to ask the driver to stop at the ATM during the excursion in Italy, and we didn't want to do that. It worked for us. I had one of those steel enforced carry across the chest with the locking zipper and many compartments, etc. purse and used that when we flew to Paris and took a cab to the Hotel. When we got to the hotel, all the $ went into the safe and we only carried what we needed. Same thing in Barcelona and of course on the ship. As I said, we got the current rate with no fees and felt secure handling the cash the way we did ... worked for us. Good luck in whatever you decide to do! Have a great trip! :)

[cruisemom42]

Everyone told us not to get the Euros ahead, to do the ATM thing. However, like you, we needed large amounts of cash. I had called the bank regarding our trip and usage of both our debit and credit cards. Their exchange was the current rate and did NOT charge a fee. I ordered them online and picked them up at the bank. There is a fee if you have them delivered. They told us which banks to go to for ATMs. Since we were going to France and Barcelona first as land trips and then to Italy for the excursions on the cruise, where we needed the cash, we wanted to make sure we had enough because we could only find the 'global' one they recommended in France and Italy, not Spain. That would have meant if we ran out of cash before the excursion, we would have had to ask the driver to stop at the ATM during the excursion in Italy, and we didn't want to do that. It worked for us. I had one of those steel enforced carry across the chest with the locking zipper and many compartments, etc. purse and used that when we flew to Paris and took a cab to the Hotel. When we got to the hotel, all the $ went into the safe and we only carried what we needed. Same thing in Barcelona and of course on the ship. As I said, we got the current rate with no fees and felt secure handling the cash the way we did ... worked for us. Good luck in whatever you decide to do! Have a great trip! :)

 

I am curious what bank you found this deal with -- I also live in GA and I have researched pretty heavily; have never found a bank that offers the official rate AND no fees....

[MMOMOM]

Bank of America in Acworth.

[thinfool]

BoA builds a 5% fee into their exchange rates. Even if they don't tell you about it, it is there.

 

Many credit union ATM services include a 1% fee.

 

No bank does business for free. There is always a fee...and sometimes more than one.

[chipmaster]

I am taking quite a few private non-ship excursions on my cruise and most want to be parid in cash(Euros). I arrive in Venice on Saturday and know that the exchange kiosk at the airport will be quite pricey to exchanfe US dollars. I am told that ATM's are the best way to go, but there is a limit on how much you can take out a day. Does anyone have a good system on how to stay on top of this. I am going to need almost $2k in Euros(large family for those excursions) Thank you in advance

 

We had similar challenge, in the end I sucked it up and got 90% of my tour costs locally ( yeah the exchange isn't the best ), but trying to get more than a few hundred euro's out of every ATM just isn't an efficient system.

 

During my private's I would stop where convenient to get some more, but with so little port time not a practical at all IMHO

[paul929207]

Are their other people in your party that have a debit card you could load with cash. They could then make a withdrawal for you. You can settle up at home.

[Texas Tillie]

BoA builds a 5% fee into their exchange rates. Even if they don't tell you about it, it is there.

 

Many credit union ATM services include a 1% fee.

 

No bank does business for free. There is always a fee...and sometimes more than one.

 

Yes, that's true about BofA. I find it convenient, however, and always buy money in advance. Also pay the $7.50 to have it delivered to my home. BofA does their forex in Los Angeles and I always get the money in Houston the next day by FedEx.

[cruisemom42]

Bank of America in Acworth.

 

Hmmmm....

 

Bank of America's advertised rate for exchanging dollars for euros today is:

 

1.187 (essentially 1.19)

 

The actual exchange rate is:

 

1.12

 

 

So you're losing 7 cents on every euro purchased. Not a big deal for most travelers who only need a limited number of euros. But certainly not as good as you'll do via withdrawing at an ATM in Europe.

[chipmaster]

Hmmmm....

 

Bank of America's advertised rate for exchanging dollars for euros today is:

 

1.187 (essentially 1.19)

 

The actual exchange rate is:

 

1.12

 

 

So you're losing 7 cents on every euro purchased. Not a big deal for most travelers who only need a limited number of euros. But certainly not as good as you'll do via withdrawing at an ATM in Europe.

 

How much trouble is it to save 7 cents/euro. You have but a few hours in port, spent thousands flying there, thousands more on the boat, and then thousand on tours. In the end I sat back and looked at the forest instead of staring at the trees and said hell with the few dollars of exchange fees :D

[cruisemom42]

How much trouble is it to save 7 cents/euro. You have but a few hours in port, spent thousands flying there, thousands more on the boat, and then thousand on tours. In the end I sat back and looked at the forest instead of staring at the trees and said hell with the few dollars of exchange fees :D

 

And that is exactly why I wrote "Not a big deal for most travelers who only need a limited number of euros." :rolleyes:

 

P.S. Not everyone who travels to Europe feels it is a one-time shot and spends thousands and thousands of dollars....

Edited June 15, 2015 by cruisemom42

[Loving My Life]

For our cruise last month, we called our bank, Bank of America, and requested that our daily ATM withdrawal limit be increased to $1500 on each of our cards, which they happily and easily did for the length of the cruise. They also gave us a list of the banks in the countries we were visiting that they partnered with so that we would not be charged any fees. We had no trouble finding ATMs in Paris, Barcelona, Mykonos, and Athens.

 

We rented an apartment in Paris that did not have a safe, and then we were spending a few days in Barcelona, a city that is notorious for pick pockets. We didn't want to carry a large sum of $$ on our persons even though we had a money belt. Once we were on the ship and had a safe, we were less concerned about the money.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Loving My Life

[whogo]

For our cruise last month, we called our bank, Bank of America, and requested that our daily ATM withdrawal limit be increased to $1500 on each of our cards, which they happily and easily did for the length of the cruise. They also gave us a list of the banks in the countries we were visiting that they partnered with so that we would not be charged any fees. We had no trouble finding ATMs in Paris, Barcelona, Mykonos, and Athens.

While Bank of America does not charge a $5 transaction fee for using one of their Global ATM Alliance Partner's ATM's, I believe they still markup the conversion by 3%.

 

Understand the types of fees charged: The non-Bank of America ATM usage fee is $5. This fee is assessed for each withdrawal, transfer or balance inquiry performed at a non-Bank of America ATM in a foreign country. In addition, the ATM operator may charge an access fee for cash withdrawals. Your deposit account statement will reflect the U.S. dollar equivalent of your foreign ATM withdrawal. Bank of America will assess an international transaction fee of 3% of the U.S. dollar amount for all ATM withdrawals processed in foreign currency. International ATM operators may offer to do your currency conversion for you, but they may charge a higher fee for conversion. To insure that your currency conversion does not incur a fee higher than the one stated above, you may refuse the ATM operator's offer to convert the amount of the transaction. The fee is assessed as a separate transaction fee on the posting date of the withdrawal.

You can avoid the non-Bank of America ATM usage fee and ATM operator access fee by using one of our international partner ATMs in the corresponding countries listed below:

https://www.bankofamerica.com/deposits/manage/faq-atm-fees.go