DharmaBum

I keep hearing about different fees involved with atms in europe. I am budget minded and was wondering if i should use my debit card for purchases, or use foreign atms or bring euros with me from the us. I need the CHEAPEST way obviously. cheers.

__________________
All of life is a Foreign Country.
Jack Kerouac

Places visited: 38 states in North America including Hawaii. Mexico, Guam, Ireland, Wales, England, Germany,Poland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Macau and...

raoulduke

Your best option is to just use ATM's and get as much cash out as you can each time. Using your debit card for purchases is generally cheaper than ATMs so thats something to consider if you are making some big purchases.

Bank web pages will usually have a list of all the fees associated with being overseas.

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One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die -HST

DharmaBum

so withdraw the max from an atm as soon as i get there and just pay in cash? how much do the atms charge?

__________________
All of life is a Foreign Country.
Jack Kerouac

Places visited: 38 states in North America including Hawaii. Mexico, Guam, Ireland, Wales, England, Germany,Poland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Macau and...

raoulduke

Check with your bank but for mine it was 5 bucks (Australian) plus 2% of whatever I took out.

It sucks but I guess its just another travel expense.

Make sure you have a money belt to keep all your extra cash in.

__________________
One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die -HST

jengt

Also, check if your bank charges a foreign transaction fee for using your debit card in a foreign country. I use my debit card to get cash (only have to pay the transaction fee), but use my Capital One Visa for purchases when I can use a credit card. They're the only credit card that I know of that doesn't charge an additional fee to use it outside the US.

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"Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."

~ Aldous Huxley

Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer (an ad in the Smithsonian)

Travel is the enemy of bigotry.

mbo108

^Agreed - Capital One rocks for international use.

DharmaBum

Im just gonna take 1000 euro cash from home. fuck all the atms lol

__________________
All of life is a Foreign Country.
Jack Kerouac

Places visited: 38 states in North America including Hawaii. Mexico, Guam, Ireland, Wales, England, Germany,Poland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Macau and...

Elizabeth

i wouldnt do that bc ur gonna get ripped off badly by the exchange rate...getting it from the ATM gives u a fairer rate, esp if the fee they charge to withdrawl from an unaffliated ATM is low