Getting the best exchange for your money
May
2007
2007
09
What is the best way to exchange your US dollars to Euros in Italy? The answer is simple: ATMs. Out of the several available options (exchange offices, traveler’s checks, credit card withdrawals, etc), the most convenient and practical way remains to use your debit card in one of the many Bancomat machines (that’s how ATMs are called in Italy).
Although both yours and the Italian bank may charge a little fee, in our experience a few Euros fee is well worth your piece of mind to avoid carrying along large amount of cash all the time.
That said, it’s always a good idea to keep a safe amount of cash for emergencies, possibly in a hidden money belt like Rick Steves’ silk one.
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Bancomat, not bankomat…
You are right, BanComat is the correct way. Let me fix the posting. Thanks
Note that some US banks – Bank of America, for example – require too long of an ATM pin to use on the vast maority of Italin ATM machines. You should be sure you have a card that requires a 4-6 digit pin to get cash. We got stuck on our last trip and ended up having to pay large fees with cash advances on a credit card, as opposed to simply withdrawing from our checking account. Our concierge said this was happening fairly frequently for US visitors.