Some Euro information

[kebabs]

Just thought I'd mention that Northern Ireland still uses the pound. The Euro is accepted in a few places but don't rely on it - it's not the norm.

[steve]

pennymb said:

Note Britain (except Northern Ireland) is still on the British pound.

Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom--for better or for worse--uses pound sterling, just like the rest of the country.

[Penny]

Sorry, on one map it was showing N Ireland, teach me to read more carefully.

[GitteK]

holger, the USD is so cheap in DK - compared to what it used to be "in the good old days". I mean to remember that the USD has been as much as almost 800, now look:

100 USD = 539 dkk
100 euro = 744 dkk

OBS !! Anyone using PayPal: I suddenly discovered that they give the lousiest exchangerates when you use them for paying for e.g. apartments (I just paid my first installment for 2008). I was charged 762 dkk = 100 euro, instead of the above. Next time I will order a bank cheque in euro or ask my bank what they charge for transferring the money to Paris - it must be cheaper. The other way round they also give you lousy rates if you want to withdraw an amount from PayPal and transfer it to your bank.

PayPal is easy to use, but NOT cheap !!

[muffya]

Gitte here in the US, money transfers are a big pain. Ever since 9/11, the paperwork they have to make sure you aren't transferring your money to terrorists makes a lot of banks not even want to do transfers, and when they do, they charge you an arm and a leg plus other body parts to do it. Last time they charged me $40 to transfer to a French bank, and then the French bank charged us as well-they took it out of the transfer.

[cybee]

Yes, I did a money transfer to a French bank also and OUCH! I think I was charged 50 dollars! I vowed to avoid such transfers after that , if possible!

[GitteK]

Can't you buy a banque check made out in euros ? We can buy one in DK for about 10 USD - my bank's bank associate in France is Credit Agricole. And then you could send it in a recommended (sp ?) letter ?

That way you have a receipt in hand, both for the cheque which can always be traced AND for the letter (if recommandé, you get a receipt at the postoffice)

[Truffaut]

We use XE Trade, which is an online trading system for transfers between our banks in the US and our banks in France. A $5,000 transfer runs about $20 in fees.

[Anne]

Sorry guys, but the euro reached over 1.40$ today .
The "Knowledgeable Ones" used to say that it wouldn't climb that high before the end of the year
I'll try to talk again hubby into going to New York next spring ...

[toutou]

anne266 said:

Sorry guys, but the euro reached over 1.40$ today .
The "Knowledgeable Ones" used to say that it wouldn't climb that high before the end of the year
I'll try to talk again hubby into going to New York next spring ...

Extremely painful if you are paid in U.S. Dollars and living here.

Doesn't help the vacation payment either...

[cybee]

Ouch, Anne! The euro reaching 1.4 as against the dollar is painful news indeed! When will it end? I recall when I went to Paris in April of 2006, the conversion factor averaged 1.22 and I thought that was bad! The conversion factor to the British pound has made me think twice about going to London, but I don't want to these currency rates to dampen any Paris plans!