USD to Euros in Germany (bank, expensive, accepted, cheap)

[nuts2uiam]

I have a US bank debit card and also credit card. Most of the trip has been prepaid but will need tips and spending $$. I plan to have a few EUROS from my local bank on me when we leave.

I will only have to pay the ATM fee from Germany and nothing else according to my bank here. In other words, my bank will not charge me the conversion fee for the transaction, nor the ATM fee for using a non (my bank) ATM.

That stated, where should I convert additional money? Can I go into any bank or do I need a bank account to exchange the funds? Are some ATM's cheaper than others or is there a flat ATM fee?

Any suggestions gratefully accepted. Thanks in advance.

[Glucorious]

Get a Bank of America bank account. They won't charge you anything ( at Deutsche Bank ATM's ).

There is no cheaper alternative. Exchanging money at the bank is not always possible as some might not have the desired amount available, and they will charge much more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_ATM_Alliance

[Rob702]

Never go to a bureau de change or to a bank to convert dollars into euros (or vice versa). In most cases it's going to be much more expensive than just withdrawing money from an ATM with your credit or debit card.

[toosie]

Thirding here - don't exchange any money before or during - just use your ATM card. Only use ATMs with the green blinky thing actually blinking around the card slot. If it's not lit and blinking then find a different ATM since that 'could' be a false front or other scam.

[cmptrwlt]

Yes, watch out for skimming devices.

[nuts2uiam]

Many thanks to one and all.