Possible gift idea. btw i bank at suntrust and secu but i cant find anything online for them.

12/5/2006 10:16:46 PM

Currency exchange at the airport? Not sure if RDU has that though.

12/5/2006 10:23:11 PM

^yes

12/5/2006 10:23:27 PM

From RDU website:

Quote :

"Currency Exchange Currency exchange offices are located in the RDU Business Centers located in Terminal A on the ticketing level near the information desk and in Terminal C on the concourse level between gates C15 and C16. Business centers also offer travel insurance and wire service. Call (919) 840-0366 for more information. "

http://www.rdu.com/travelinfo/visserv.htm#webcurrency

12/5/2006 10:25:23 PM

can a bank do it? id imagine currency exchange at an airport would take a big chunk

12/5/2006 10:30:19 PM

Got it!

Quote :

"Foreign Currency Exchange A local State Employees Credit Union branch can convert your US dollars to foreign currency, and vice versa. You should initiate foreign currency purchases 2 – 3 weeks prior to departure. More favorable conversion rates may be possible via ATMs at foreign airports."

http://www.ncsecu.org/Services.aspx

12/5/2006 10:35:58 PM

What kind of present is this? If you're going for weird money, you should get some Iraqi Dinar

12/5/2006 10:39:06 PM

to go with a gift for someone who is going to europe for new years and could use some money for a nice night out

12/5/2006 11:23:07 PM

don't go to an airport, the exchange rates are horrible

12/5/2006 11:24:57 PM

tell them they'll get a better exchange rate by just using their card everywhere. that's what I found. A few euros would be a cool gesture, tho.

12/5/2006 11:42:09 PM

12/6/2006 12:00:54 AM

Travellers Checks or a pre paid American Express card

12/6/2006 12:04:06 AM

give her american money

have them exchange it over there at a bank

(usually instantaneous and lower surcharge)

12/6/2006 12:04:17 AM

Try Europe.

12/6/2006 12:27:35 AM

i recently got a bunch of euros through bank of america

http://www.bankofamerica.com/foreigncurrency/

the exchange rate was pretty good, although there was a shipping fee -- i bank with them though, but it looks like that's not necessary (though i would imagine other banks have a similar service)

12/6/2006 5:13:11 AM

great idea in theory.. but your gonna lose a arm and a leg in extra charges. give them local money and tell them to change over there... or come up with something else. heck take them to a nice dinner here... youll save some money... buying foriegn currency in such small amounts is gonna kill your walllet... my two cents

12/6/2006 7:38:09 AM

While it is more expensive to get the currency in the US, I know I would appreciate a gift like that. Usually when I get to the airport I don't want to exchange money there because I'd rather get better rates by exchanging at a bank, but you normally need a small amount to take a taxi into town. Enough to take a taxi into town without having to deal with converting it at the airport would be a nice gift.

12/6/2006 7:55:18 AM

Good gift idea. Don't let the transactions cost bother you, this gift is only awesome if you give it in Euros. Just do it.

Do you know anyone who just went to Europe? My boss just came back and he had like $40 extra bucks, but they weren't in Euros because he went to Eastern Europe to some place that uses a local currency. My thought is that if you find someone who just got back and has some extra, you might could trade them for no cost.

12/6/2006 8:09:57 AM

if you're a AAA member, you can do it for pretty cheap through them.

12/6/2006 8:30:04 AM

i have about 10 euros worth left over.....

12/6/2006 8:45:56 AM

Your best bet is if you know of anyone who came back and has euros to get rid of.
i had to get rid of some yen and the person i just sold them to actually came out way better, and so did I.

12/6/2006 9:23:47 AM

Quote :

"btw i bank at suntrust "

I, too, have an uncle

but I bank there too and literally saw a sign this morning that said currency exchange in the cameron village bank, not the in-store one in Harris Teeter.

12/6/2006 3:44:20 PM

bttt for elk

6/13/2007 2:34:23 AM

It amazed me how hard it was to find foreign exchange when I was living in NC. In Europe almost every bank branch has it. I suppose it makes sense considering only 21% of Americans have passports.

6/13/2007 5:45:16 AM

That's not too surprising -- hell I would have thought it would be less than that. It's way more costly for an American to travel to another country requiring a passport (Americans could go to Canada without a passport until this year) than for europeans.

6/13/2007 6:41:46 AM

don't get travelers checks! usually when you try to cash them, they take a huge pecentage for processing or some crap. i don't know where to get euros here, but cool idea.

6/13/2007 7:49:18 AM

I had asked this to be bttt'd, but have since found my answer. If anyone needs to know, it takes about a 3 day turn around at any bank to get euros. Though SECU said a week, so did Wachovia when I called, but when I went to do the paperwork the lady told me it would be in today...we'll see how accurate that is this afternoon, hopefully.

Wachovia's charge is $15.00 to process.

6/13/2007 7:51:32 AM

Quote :

"tell them they'll get a better exchange rate by just using their card everywhere. that's what I found. A few euros would be a cool gesture, tho."

Don't plan on using a credit card in Germany. They're super-paranoid about fraud there, so nobody takes them. When I weekended in Berlin 3 years ago, I couldn't use my card anywhere.

Quote :

"don't get travelers checks! usually when you try to cash them, they take a huge pecentage for processing or some crap."

If you're in a major city, go to the American Express office and cash them there. You'll get a better rate than if you were exchanging cash.

The best bet is an ATM card. Just check with your bank to make sure it works. Its more convenient than traveler's cheques and there's normally a decent exchange rate at ATMs.

6/13/2007 8:24:45 AM

And for an update, a minimum of 40 in euros can be exchanged from dollars at Wachovia.

6/13/2007 11:38:56 AM

Quote :

"Don't plan on using a credit card in Germany. They're super-paranoid about fraud there, so nobody takes them. When I weekended in Berlin 3 years ago, I couldn't use my card anywhere."

I havent really found this to be the case. I travel to germany pretty regularly and I have not had any problems using my credit or debit cards there. Just make sure that you have some form of ID on you because they tend to ask a lot to verify that the card is yours.

Getting cash out of the ATM in Europe will save you a lot of money in processing fees and generally will give the best exchange rates. It would be a good idea to call your bank and CC company to let them know that you will be travelling so that you don't get your card frozen because of suspicious transactions.

6/13/2007 12:11:26 PM

i have some. how much do you need? i can give you the exact exchange rate for dollars. pm me, i'll go home and see how many euros i have left. i also have some pounds sterling if you need.

6/13/2007 12:14:26 PM

I was in Germany/Austria/Switerzland about 6 months ago. The airports gave me the shittiest exchange rate. I found it easier to just use an ATM in Germany with my Visa card. Gave me the best rate and my bank (BBT) charged me all of I think $3.

6/13/2007 12:27:16 PM

I got some starting money from my bank (like 200 euros if I remember) and then removed large amounts from the ATM as needed (you'll get hit with the out of network fee or whatever, so make sure the amount is large enough that you only have to do it a couple times). Unless of course you are going to be in the boondocks.

Be sure to give your credit card company a call though and let them know the dates you are going out of town and where you are going (in general just say I'm going to be in Europe these dates) so they don't think someone has stolen you card and is going wild overseas.

6/13/2007 12:51:56 PM

^ Since I have lived here in Sweden, SECU has only hit me up with a 1% currency conversion fee whenever I use a local ATM.

6/13/2007 12:59:01 PM

some banks have a network of international ATMs that you can use for no fee

for example, i have a checking account with bank of america and was able to use deutsche bank ATMs throughout germany with no fees

Quote :

"Don't plan on using a credit card in Germany. They're super-paranoid about fraud there, so nobody takes them. When I weekended in Berlin 3 years ago, I couldn't use my card anywhere."

and i didn't find this to be the case at all (i was in germany from nov-apr) -- i usually used cash at restaurants and bars because it was easier (plus there's a 3ish% foreign transaction fee with my card), but i didn't have any problems with places taking credit cards when i wanted to use it instead

6/13/2007 1:38:06 PM

SHIPPING CHARGES

HAHAHAHAHA, SOMEBODY GOT OWNED

6/13/2007 1:41:22 PM

ATM FTW

6/13/2007 1:50:07 PM

Hmm, I have €150 in cash (trying to press "other" at an ATM my last night in Dublin but getting the largest amount out instead) that I need to exchange, but I'm not sure whether I should bother exchanging them for dollars because I may get a better deal exchanging them for córdobas. PM me if you're looking for a euro to USD exchange, anyway.

6/26/2007 5:19:19 PM

AAA 2 bucks to convert as much as you want

6/26/2007 8:00:19 PM

I'm disappointed that the first reply to this thread didn't say "Europe."

6/26/2007 8:19:49 PM

for reals.

6/26/2007 8:50:59 PM

Don't go to the exchange centers in the airports. They give you very low exchange rates. Try AAA. If you are going to europe, the ATMs in European airports are your best bet.

6/26/2007 9:33:17 PM

Quote :

"I havent really found this to be the case. I travel to germany pretty regularly and I have not had any problems using my credit or debit cards there. Just make sure that you have some form of ID on you because they tend to ask a lot to verify that the card is yours."

YOUR PAPERS, BITTE!!!!

6/26/2007 10:52:35 PM

When I worked @ SECU, they actually used Wachovia to do their conversions.
We also used to tell people about AAA. They usually have euros on hand in packets that cost $100 usd, i think.

6/26/2007 11:18:05 PM

Europe i bet

6/27/2007 8:46:49 PM