Best Place to Exchange USD to Euro in San Diego (credit card, home)

[mricu]

Hey everyone,

Trying to get my best bang for my buck converting USD to Euro.

Can anyone recommend a place that has a good exchange rate in town? Banks and airport typically provide a higher exchange rates so looking for alternatives.

[TacoSoup]

Use the ATM in Europe for cash, and your credit card for purchases. You’ll get a much better rate than any exchange here or there, and you’ll be protected with your purchases should something go wrong. Talk to your bank and credit card companies first, often they’ll waive or limit your fees, and increase your daily limit for withdrawals. Thankfully the days of exchanges, and travelers checks, are a thing of the past.

[Mike930]

Originally Posted by TacoSoup

Use the ATM in Europe for cash, and your credit card for purchases. You’ll get a much better rate than any exchange here or there, and you’ll be protected with your purchases should something go wrong. Talk to your bank and credit card companies first, often they’ll waive or limit your fees, and increase your daily limit for withdrawals. Thankfully the days of exchanges, and travelers checks, are a thing of the past.

Be aware most credit cards charge a 3% fee for foreign transactions.

[RosieSD]

There is a Travelex currency exchange place in Fashion Valley Mall that usually has fair exchange rates. I often use them to convert back any leftover cash after overseas trips and I like to have a bit of cash on me when I go, just in case I can't find an ATM immediately upon landing. They're right next to Nordstrom's. https://www.travelex.com/stores/fash...-diego-ca/1464

[TacoSoup]

Originally Posted by Mike930

Be aware most credit cards charge a 3% fee for foreign transactions.

I’ve never paid a foreign transaction fee with my American Express card. Don’t leave home without it.

[ucctgg]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

There is a Travelex currency exchange place in Fashion Valley Mall that usually has fair exchange rates. I often use them to convert back any leftover cash after overseas trips and I like to have a bit of cash on me when I go, just in case I can't find an ATM immediately upon landing. They're right next to Nordstrom's. https://www.travelex.com/stores/fash...-diego-ca/1464

Travelex website said $1 = .73 Euro


Currency Converter says $1 = .81 Euro


That's a huge markup.

[Radical347]

Originally Posted by Mike930

Be aware most credit cards charge a 3% fee for foreign transactions.

This used to be the case but now we're seeing more and more credit cards with No FX fee, and I'd even say that out of the new ones from the main issuers, the majority waive the FX fee. Many of these also have no annual fee, such as the Capital One Quicksilver/Savor/VentureOne (not Venture), Discover it Cashback, and Bank of America Travel Rewards. The Costco Visa also just removed their FX fee.

Most ATM/Debit cards still tack on a 3% fee but I'm slowly starting to see banks introduce ones that waive the fee too.

[sdjimbob]

I can't recommend any local place for that, as their overhead is too high. If you must change cash, do so upon arrival. Better yet, withdraw about 200 at an ATM upon arrival and use credit cards everywhere else and debit cards where the credit cards don't work.

Credit cards either charge a fee for foreign transactions as a separate percentage, or they advertise as "no foreign transaction fee" and just bury that cost in their exchange rate calculation. Either way, the fee is the same, and it's way lower than cash exchange fees.

Europe is 100% chip/pin and there can be issues at automated kiosks (metro stations, unmanned gas stations, parking payment stations etc) when using American chip/sign credit cards. Many aren't programmed to bypass the PIN entry. There are also places that simply don't understand how a credit card without a PIN works. In these cases, your chip/pin debit/atm card is necessary.

[sacreole]

The Auto Club of Southern California (AAA) offers foreign currency exchange services:

https://www.calif.aaa.com/financial/vacation-money.html

https://onlinetravelcurrency.com/mtwid000714/Basket