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US Dollars to Euros


M First

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Hello, 

I was interested to know if any one has information on the purchase of Euros from the concierges desk, what the cost is , conveyance fee and also to sell them back at the end of the trip that is what is not used. - This is to be used when the merchants don't accept credit  cards

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I found it much better to purchase Euros thru my local bank here in the US. Then last evening of cruise I used what I had left to pay my shipboard charges . We did a 7 day cruise departing rom the UK (pounds) one day in Germany, two days in the Netherlands (2 ports) and two days in France. We changed $500.00 in Euros prior to leaving and had around $375.00 left

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I've left remaining foreign currency as an extra tip for certain crew.  They can use it when they get an opportunity to leave the ship in whatever region they are.  

I still have some euros tucked away for my next visit to Martinique or Europe.  

There is usually one ATM onboard that can dispense local currency such as euros when ships are in Europe but I prefer to use my local bank.  Like many things on a ship, you can get it cheaper by bringing it.  Not all branches in my hometown have foreign currency so I have to plan ahead or call around and find the one larger branch that does carry foreign currency.

Finding a local ATM on shore can work too but make sure to let your bank know you are traveling or it could be flagged as fraud and denied.

 

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Concurring with @markmand @twangster - though my opinion is based on land travel in Europe and not a cruise.
I've always gotten a couple hundred exchanged ahead of time from my bank. The rate is average, but it gets me through until I reached my destination and can find an ATM if I'm in need of more cash. The vast majority of merchants accept credit cards. You can usually get the best conversion rate through the credit card company than cash exchanges, especially if your card doesn't have a foreign transaction fee. Some vendors will ask if you want to run your card in euros or USD - always opt for the local currency. If I have left over currency, I don't bother to re-exchange since it's never very much and the fees would eat up most of what was to be exchanged. I end up saving it as spare change for the next overseas trip. Though if I were on a cruise, I'd also just leave the remainder as extra gratuity.

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3 hours ago, M First said:

Hello, 

I was interested to know if any one has information on the purchase of Euros from the concierges desk, what the cost is , conveyance fee and also to sell them back at the end of the trip that is what is not used. - This is to be used when the merchants don't accept credit  cards

When we flew back from Barcelona the flight attendants offered to receive unused Euros for application of some charity.   At least get rid of the coinage.

 

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16 minutes ago, cruisellama said:

When we flew back from Barcelona the flight attendants offered to receive unused Euros for application of some charity.   At least get rid of the coinage.

 

I think it was in Barcelona I saw coin boxes just before exit immigration where you could dump change for a charity before boarding a plane.  One less thing to set off the metal detector.  

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We used to get foreign currency before traveling through one of our credit unions but the fees got to be a bit much.  Now before we land somewhere we look up nearby banks and just hit up a ATM.  Our credit union ATM cards have zero fees for international transactions, the conversion happens automatically at a non-marked up rate and we've found most ATM's throughout Europe don't charge any extra fees. 

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I spend a good chunk of my year outside the US, and I almost never bring any local currency with me unless I have it from a previous trip. Just no point. I stop at an ATM once I arrive and pull out local cash if I need it. I also usually carry a little bit of USD to exchange in a pinch (such as once, on my fourth trip to Brazil in a year, for unknown reasons, my cards were all getting declined at the same ATMs (but not shops/restaurants) I had used on previous trips, so I was able to swap some USD out for local currency in a pinch). 

To me, it's a huge waste of money in most cases to swap out currency abroad. 

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15 hours ago, cruisellama said:

When we flew back from Barcelona the flight attendants offered to receive unused Euros for application of some charity.   At least get rid of the coinage.

 

Yeah some airlines do this, usually for UNICEF, and are very vocal about the "any currency, any amount" line. I think it was British Airways where the guy next to me donated Moldovan Leu...

I would love to see all of the cool currencies they get in any given year. 

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On 12/17/2020 at 7:45 PM, cruisellama said:

When we flew back from Barcelona the flight attendants offered to receive unused Euros for application of some charity.

That is such a great idea.  I always have a ton of change when I come home from my Japan trips.  I wish Delta would do that.

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