Roger O

Our daughter Alizée just got back from her visit-sister holiday in Switzerland and forgot to changer her CHF back to euros before departure at one of the Zürich airport banks.

For the first time while in LR (PO or Aude) we need to change currency and find with a shock that the only place in Carcassonne to do this (at a derisory rate!!) is the main post office.

This utterly surprised me as Carcassonne advertises that it has over 3 million visitors per year from all over the world!! Where do they change their money????

When Annaick and I worked on the Côte d'Azur and lived in Antibes (and used to travel a lot too) we had any number of possibilities to change money - including this one in Antibes where we lived.
http://eurochange.fr/
which was almost as good as having a little Swiss bank in town!

Anyone any tips on this subject or have we discovered a marketing "hole" which could be filled by an entrepreneur??

Ka Ora!

Unless you are in a city the La Poste is the only place in towns, Its something to do with the way Bureau de Changes are regulated in France.

Look at how hard it is to take coins to a bank

dmu

Why doesn't she keep her Swiss francs for another time? Or "sell" them to some one going to Switzerland?
If it's any help, my daughters' bank here (CIC) accepted to change £ Sterling into € provided they put the money directly into their accounts.

Cassandre

In May the two airlines flying to Béziers/Cap d'Agde were from the UK and Denmark, bringing tourists from 3 countries that don't have the Euro.

There was no bank which would change money, even the Banque de France, who told us to go to MONTPELLIER...

Roger O

Thanks for replies!
I have lived here in France for 15 years - 9 in Antibes and 6 in the LR region. I have also worked for AMEX in Zürich as well as Swissair for a total of 24 years - just to avoid "advice to beginner"-type misunderstandings.

What I am really after is whether there is a real need for currency exchange offices - i.e. a business opportunity (including or excluding British residents or tourists) placed anywhere in the LR where there is a massive all year round (but especially in summer) influx of ex-eurozone tourists who may need such a service. I have heard foreign tourists from all kinds of places - when I've been strolling in downtown Carcassonne and in the Cité - asking where they can change money (including travellers' cheques..) which naturally, with my own small problem, prompted me to put in the above post.

Probably I gave a wrong impression by the wording of my original post above..

Normally, I personally have no need of money exchange as my Swiss pension is converted in Geneva using a preferential rate before transfer in euros to my French bank and the same bank also receives euros directly from the DSS (via an intermediary bank in Ireland) when transferring my small UK pension.

Cassandre

Based on the experience above I would say yes, as long as the UK, Sweden, and Denmark are not in the Euro, but have low-cost flights arriving in the region. (I count Sweden, since many people from southern Sweden fly from Denmark)
I think Americans and other non-European travellers have probably taken precautions.

Ka Ora!

Most people in the Modern Times, Just go to a hole in the wall and get local cash out. Were at the med at the moment and the funny thing now is all the places with No Maestro and the other crappy brit card signs up. If its Visa Mastercard Amex in some places your laughing. These days banks are as competitive as Bu de Changes its just skipping the international fee from the bank, A few UK banks dont charge for Overseas transactions.

Anyroad im off to play crazy golf with the kids

Roger O

Sure... Gold Mastercard gets you cash anywhere - even on Mauritius or Hong Kong - but my 19year old daughter hasn't got one (yet!!).
She's working on it, though!!