Hatunen

On 17 Apr 2003 09:48:58 -0700, [email protected]
(testingForEchoes) wrote:

    >I am considering buying Euros now in case they go up against the $USD
    >before my vacation later this year. My bank wants $1.13 per Euro.
    >see the rate is about 1.09 on the exchange markets. Is there any place
    >to buy Euros (without a large fee) at a rate closer to the foreign
    >exchange market listings?

And how will you feel if the rate declines? Foreighn exchange is
a bit of a gamble and it's really rather pointless to pay extra
now to buy for a trip months in future. In fact, it's better not
to buy in th9is coutnry at all, although the rate your bank wants
is only about 4% and not as bad as some. But remember, if you
have any euros left over you'll pay the conversion fee again.

Just take an ATM card and a credit card. Get cash from ATMs and
pay for things with the credit card and you'll do as well as
anyone can.


************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Testingforechoes

I am considering buying Euros now in case they go up against the $USD
before my vacation later this year. My bank wants $1.13 per Euro. I
see the rate is about 1.09 on the exchange markets. Is there any place
to buy Euros (without a large fee) at a rate closer to the foreign
exchange market listings?

Miguel Cruz

testingForEchoes wrote:
    > I am considering buying Euros now in case they go up against the $USD
    > before my vacation later this year. My bank wants $1.13 per Euro. I
    > see the rate is about 1.09 on the exchange markets. Is there any place
    > to buy Euros (without a large fee) at a rate closer to the foreign
    > exchange market listings?

What if the euro goes down?

You can buy them at a decent price at exchange specialists. There are some
of these in San Francisco right by the Powell St. MUNI station. I'm sure
other major cities have similar clusters.

Note that I am not talking about places like American Express or Thomas Cook
- they have absolutely atrocious rates. I'm talking about little holes in
the wall run by Asians or middle easterners.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Latest photos: Dubai and Vietnam

Wolfgang Schwanke

[email protected] (testingForEchoes) wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    > I am considering buying Euros now in case they go up against the $USD
    > before my vacation later this year.

It might as well go down.

    > My bank wants $1.13 per Euro. I see the rate is about 1.09 on the
    > exchange markets.

The rate published in the media is the mean rate for book money. Real banks
sell/buy foreign currency to their customers at higher/lower rates
respectively. That's how they make their profit. The spread is higher with
cash than with book money, because cash causes higher costs. Some banks may
or may not add a flat per-transaction commission on top. The combination of
two price factors makes calculating the actual price quite complicated and
hard to compare without a programmable calculator handy, but there's no way
around the fact that you pay.

Regards

--
alias deutsch2pc: sed -e 's/er/erInnen/g;'

Frank Matthews

Actually a 4 cent fee is pretty good. I doubt that you will do better
prior to departure.

Frank Matthews

testingForEchoes wrote:
    > I am considering buying Euros now in case they go up against the $USD
    > before my vacation later this year. My bank wants $1.13 per Euro. I
    > see the rate is about 1.09 on the exchange markets. Is there any place
    > to buy Euros (without a large fee) at a rate closer to the foreign
    > exchange market listings?