Traveling to Europe, currency exchange?

Question

I'm from the USA, if I only take my debit card with me to Europe, will it be possible to get some Euro's to take back home as souvenirs? What is the exchange rate for USA money to Euro's?

Answer 1

Yes. You can. There is no bar. The exchange rates will differ according to the place where you would purchase.

Answer 2

Just remember that it cost more US dollars to spend in the Europe. So, if you are using a debit card at a merchant or an atm. Double the cost of the transaction and add fees.

For example if something cost
$10.00 Euro = $ 13.3003 Us dollars or
$10.00 UK pounds=$19.6119 US dollars.

Plus any foreing transaction fee.

Make sure you use a Machine that will not eat your card. Since, some machines will only take chip and pin cards now.

You may run into the merchant that will refuse your card. However, Show the merchant you are a travel and tell them the US does not have chip and pin yet and you will sign for your purchase. Some debit cards may work as a pin transaction if your card has a Maestro, Cirrus or Visa plus symbol on it. Choose current/chequing account for this. If the merchant take those cards and then enter your pin.

To be able to sign for your purchase your debit card must either have a MasterCard or a Visa Symbol. Also if you card does have a MasterCard or a Visa Symbol you can also choose credit at an atm to withdraw money.

Answer 3

someone had asked the same question earlier this month, and i'm going to tell the same thing. the euro is 20% more expensive than the U.S. dollar, so whatever you find in europe will be expensive. i advise you to take more than 1 debit card if you have more, because some cards may have trouble when being slid(e) on the credit machine. there will be problems if that happens. say you take $1200 with you to europe. when you exchange the currency (dollars to euros), you will probably get between $900-$1000 dollars back. it may be less, i'm sure its between those numbers. again, try to have more than one card when travelling in europe.. you never know what might happen! have fun and good luck!

Answer 4

Does your debit card allow you to withdraw money from ATM's? If so, you will be able to get Euros from an ATM. If you can get cash advances on your debit card, then you can go into a bank and get a cash advance in Euros. Otherwise, take 10 dollars and exchange that for Euros to get your souvenirs.

As of today the exchange rate is: 1 dollar = 0.7527 Euro.

For up-to-date exchange info, check this out:
http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=1&from=USD&to=EUR&submit=Convert

Answer 5

to check the exchange rate... here is a calculator link: http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html

But it keeps changing... so look right before you leave.

I would suggest using a credit card, not a debit card. Call your credit card company and see what kind of exchange rate they will give you... different cards are different for some reason. I used my debit card at a foreign bank ONCE and the fees were something horrible! and the exchange rate was pumped up quite a bit too.... I am not sure how that exchange rate thing works... but it seems like financial institutions can make it whatever they feel like making it.

Answer 6

It changes daily, but your debit card will work in an ATM in Europe, provided its compatible with the world wide system.
Here is the exchange rate today

1 US Dollar = 0.75174 Euro
1 Euro (EUR) = 1.33024 US Dollar (USD)

Source(s):

http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic...

Answer 7

Normally yes, most Debit Cards work with the ATMs overall in Europe.

Today's exchange rates (it has nt changed dramatically the last couple of years):
1 USD = 0.752588 EUR
1 EUR = 1.32875 USD

Answer 8

Of coz u can bring back Euro's as souvenirs. 1usd wud get u about 0.75euro's. So if u change bout 100usd that wud get u bout 75.30euro. U can refer to the link below for more info.Good Luck :)Perhaps best u use a credit card instead coz they charge a certain fee when u withdraw money,that u shud take into consideration coz if u withdraw a few times,that can come up to quite a sum too.I always prefer t have cash,and credit cards ( for emergency only ) lol..

Answer 9

Of course you can...
usually consider that 3 USD = 2 Euros, it's approximative but it's easy to understand how much you spend.

Anyway, beware of one thing: credit and debit cards in some European countries are not accepted everywhere as in the US.
If you travel in France, it'll be quite easy (though some shops require a minimum expense of 10 of 15 Euros to accept your visa). In Italy credit cards are not accepted everywhere, and usually not for small amounts of money.

Furthermore, beware of the fact that American Express is far less accepted tan Visa and Mastercard.

Enjoy your trip!

DDgirl

Answer 10

Check with your bank before you use your debit or credit card abroad. Most US banks charge fees, sometimes up to 3%, to conduct transactions abroad or in foreign currency.

For the person above who suggested buying euros at a local bank: America is far more insular than the rest of the world. In most places here (unlike the rest of the world) you can't do currency exchanges of ANY kind in banks.

Answer 11

Bear in mind that not all countries in Europe use the Euro. They do in most of western Europe, but not in Norway or England. And the eastern countries, like the Czech Republic don't either.