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Post by redtutu on Jul 6, 2007 14:53:30 GMT -5
I want to use my ATM card in Paris. The card was issued by my Credit Union and has a Visa logo on it. I've asked at my Credit Union if there will be any additional charges if I use my card abroad. The cashier said no (which I am going to double-check since I've had issues with the cashiers there not doing what they said). She said just the normal fees.
Can anyone tell me what are the disadvantages to using an ATM instead of cash in Paris? Are there astronomical charges? How about using credit cards? My husband is totally against using anything except cash.
Any info is greatly appreciated!
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jul 6, 2007 15:13:26 GMT -5
Red - there are two or three different issues here. One is whether there is a per-use fee charged by your credit union (I assume that is what the person meant in saying there is no charge -- if you are not charged in the US, that is, you also would not be charged in Europe). The second issue is whether the other institution (since it won't be a branch of yours) has a per-use fee (my bank refunds all other institutions' charges, including those in Europe, but I think that's unusual). The third issue is the conversion from the euros you got from the ATM to dollars when deducted from your account. All institutions, without exception, charge for this -- but the conversion charge is much less than you would pay if you "bought" a lot of euros before you left, so this is the most economical way to get cash (plus then you just take out the amount you need and don't have to worry about carrying a lot of cash with you).
Credit card companies also charge you to convert from euros to dollars; it's not unusual for there to be a conversion fee, plus another small fee "just because they can"!
Be sure you notify your credit union and all credit card companies in advance, so there are no problems with your account due to concerns about possible fraud. They will ask the dates and the countries you will be visiting, and there should be no issue (I didn't do that once, and had to call Visa from Paris to clear things up with the balance owed for an apartment I was renting).
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Post by annettecinca on Jul 6, 2007 15:14:20 GMT -5
We use our ATM to get cash, then usually pay with cash in shops, restaurants, etc. We prefer to not carry large amounts of cash on us, and travelers checks are a hassle, so this works out best for us. Our bank only charges a 1% foreign exchange fee, so it's not too big a deal.
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Post by GitteK on Jul 6, 2007 15:16:50 GMT -5
Danish Visas and MasterCards are free of charge to use in shops, restaurants, railway stations, taxis etc. - that is, if you use them to PAY for some service or article. If you use them to withdraw cash/money from a money-automat, your bank will charge you a fee, normally about 5-7 euros per transaction.
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Post by redtutu on Jul 6, 2007 15:46:09 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the replies. I am going to take my ATM and use it to get cash a couple hundred at a time--I'll just try not to worry too much about the fees. Now my only remaining worry is whether or not I'm going to be the fattest person in Paris or not since I didn't lose the 50 lbs in two weeks I'd planned on. Still, I am SO EXCITED! ;D
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Post by luvparee on Jul 6, 2007 16:04:05 GMT -5
On my last trip to Paris last summer, I used the ATM to obtain cash and then paid for everything in cash. My Visa card had charged me a 3% fee when I charged TGV tickets and made the deposit and final payment on the apartments we were renting in addition to the conversion fee. That was a big 3% for the 2 apartments! My bank charged me $1.50 for each ATM withdrawal no matter what the amount was.
I am not too swift when it comes to converting Euros to dollars, especially when I'm so excited to be in Paris and on sensory overload, so before I left, I figured what the cash in my checking account would be in Euros so I knew fairly accurately what I had to spend. Then when I subtracted the amount of Euros I was withdrawing, I didn't have to do the exchange right then and there and knew if I spent 1000E total, I'd better have the amount of cash in US dollars to cover it! Worked very well for me.
Enjoy!
joy/luvparee
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jul 6, 2007 16:04:20 GMT -5
Well, with the amount of walking you will do you can be pretty sure that even if you eat and drink anything that appeals to you, you're not going to gain weight in Paris - and here's a real bonus, you probably will lose weight!
Don't give any of that another thought -- just have a great time!
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Post by geordy on Jul 6, 2007 16:27:36 GMT -5
Hey Red, I know the feeling , I always want to drop a pound or two...or twenty..before the trip! ;D
I've got about 67 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by redtutu on Jul 6, 2007 16:43:42 GMT -5
I am not too swift when it comes to converting Euros to dollars, especially when I'm so excited to be in Paris and on sensory overload, so before I left, I figured what the cash in my checking account would be in Euros so I knew fairly accurately what I had to spend. Then when I subtracted the amount of Euros I was withdrawing, I didn't have to do the exchange right then and there and knew if I spent 1000E total, I'd better have the amount of cash in US dollars to cover it! Worked very well for me. Enjoy! joy/luvparee that's a very good tip and one I will use (being mathematically challenged)--thanks! And Becky, that is true--the last time I went overseas for a month I lost nearly 20 lbs...and ate like a champion!
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jul 6, 2007 16:46:34 GMT -5
Red -- There's one other thing you need to think about with your ATM card. Any European ATM I've seen will accept only a four-digit PIN, so if yours has more than four numbers you need to see if they can change it. Also, I've heard (don't know this myself) that it has to be tied to a checking account (not a savings account) so if that matters in your case it's something to think about in advance.
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Post by redtutu on Jul 6, 2007 16:48:09 GMT -5
It so exciting, isn't it Geordy?!? I have 10 days until vacation and 25 days until Paris. The planning has been so much fun. Okay, thanks, Becky...my pin is 4 digits and my funds for the trip are all in the checking account, so I am all set, I think Hurrah!
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Jul 6, 2007 16:49:38 GMT -5
Red, where are you going to be before Paris? (Wherever it is, you won't spend any of that precious Paris time being jetlagged!)
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Post by redtutu on Jul 6, 2007 16:51:08 GMT -5
Red, where are you going to be before Paris? (Wherever it is, you won't spend any of that precious Paris time being jetlagged!) Morocco--so you are right--we will be ready to hit the floor running when we get to Paris!
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Post by geordy on Jul 6, 2007 16:56:58 GMT -5
Wow! Nice LOOOOng vacation. Interested to hear about Morocco. Know a half Belgian, half Moroccan in Brussels.
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Post by Anne on Jul 7, 2007 2:47:30 GMT -5
Redtutu, where exactly are you going in Morocco ?
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Post by redtutu on Jul 9, 2007 13:34:50 GMT -5
Geordy, I love Morocco. It is where my husband was born. The people are friendly and genuinely hospitable and so many things have just a little exotic flair...like, I saw trucks on the highway that have wild designs in bright colors painted on them. The colors and designs reminded me of the wagons you see the Roma driving (living in) in old pictures. Also, the people as a whole seem to be non-judgmental. People at the beach taking a dip in the water had on everything from long caftans to fruit of the loom underwear--and nobody seemed to be ridiculing anyone or minding anyone else's business. The children are beautiful as are most of the women...and men. The children seem so unspoiled compared to here and refreshingly innocent, too. And nobody does a wedding like Moroccans, as far as I can tell (I've already checked and there are two I will be able to attend while there). Of course there is poverty and all of that (as there is here). One thing, also, there is no way I would eat meat there having seen a large beef carcass outside a butcher's shop hanging in the heat with flies all over it! Thngs are different--in some ways better and in others not so good. But I do love it.
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Post by redtutu on Jul 9, 2007 13:38:32 GMT -5
Anne, our plan is to go from Rabat down the coast to Essaouira, stopping in El Jadida and Safi, probably. We might go to Marrakesh again (was there in 2005 but had a cast on my leg) but we'll see...it is SO HOT there.
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Post by Happygoin on Jul 9, 2007 14:21:24 GMT -5
red, Morocco always sounds so exotic to me. I'd love to visit there one day. You might consider doing what I do when I go to Paris. Make a tiny (8-pt font) cheat sheet of the euro/dollar conversion. I do from $1-30 and then go to $5 increments to about $100. I am a complete dork, so I tape it all around so it's "laminated". Fits in your wallet and can be looked at discreetly in a shop or resto. I make one for every trip. It got so that I also made one for any traveling companion because they always pestered me for mine. It always comes back dog-eared.
Oh You're Going To Have FUN!!
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Post by redtutu on Jul 9, 2007 15:01:18 GMT -5
That's a great tip, Happy, thank you. I will do that as I am soooo bad with numbers, anyway.
I think we are going to have fun, too! I am really excited.
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Post by geordy on Jul 9, 2007 15:10:48 GMT -5
Red, Love your description of Morocco and what enchants you about it! Can't wait to here your take on Paris!
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