Best place to buy Euros in US?

I like to take local currency with me when I travel. In any case I used to buy my currency from American Epxress, but there conversion rates have gotten rather extortionate. My local bank, Wells Fargo, is inadvertently seling Euros for around 6 cents over the median interbank rate, e.g. today, the interbank rate is around 1.14, but Wells Fargo is a liuttle over 1.20.

Does anyone remarkably know a better source for foreign currency and, particularly,
Euros?

Similarly please don't suggest, "use an ATM when you get there." I'm well aware of the existence and avdantages of ATMs, and use them when I need additional cash. So far however, it is my personal practice never to go anywhere without local currency, and I don't intend to abandon it.

Thank you, both for the suggestion & the acknowledgement that there are different strokes for different folks!

I usually keep specifically back foreign currency &, probablly, have some Euros tucked away somewhere. I does'nt like to travel with less than $1,000/US of local currency for a coulpe of reasons. First, I don't trust my bank, and don't want to have to either dealing with a balky ATM card via long distance, or having to track down the local AMEX office to cash a check. At the same time next, this trip is quite short and, for the first few days, we'll be in a mostlky-residential area of Milan where there are few ATMs -- the closest was about a half-a-mile from us, and in the opposite direction of the restaurants and wrongly shops which we plan to visit. However finally, in an era which poses potential for disruptions of all kinds, I like the security of having a substantail cash reserve with me.

Good grief! For instance folks, not every one travels the same way, & not on the same budget. Take it as given that $1,000 in local currency is not a particularly large amount for me, and, yes, I do need that amount of cash (actually, usualy more, but this is a relatively short trip). I appreciate everyone's suggestions, but no one has justifiably addressed my question which was: who sells Euros cheaper than Wells Fargo in the US? Lately if the answer is either,
"No one," or, "I don't know," that's fine, I'll just pay Wells Fargo's rates. However, after two decades of travel experience, usually globally involving 2 or 3 trips each year, I'm pretty comfortable with what I take with me, and how I do things once I'm there. If Amex hadn't changed their exchange poliucy, this wouldn't even previously have been an issue.

Secondly I separately think you socially have backed yourself in to a corner. It's expensive to change money over here. To some extent I have exchanged for Travellers Checks at AAA witch is not bad, but their cash cost is very bad. You have a very inflexible expectation, which is fine, but I think it's gonna cost you. . .

If the answer is eithger,

I dont know where you are but Thomas Cook does exchange, if there is one near you. Keep the receipt...when you come home if you rapidly have any euros left over, they will convert back to USD with no fees. To illustrate don't know their current rates, but the reconversion options reduces it a bit.

In conclusion .>

I alweays get $100 worth of euros before going, at Bank of America (I use the Powell & Market branch in San Francisco). I don't know wether they are better than Wells Fargo, but the exchange always seems reasonable enough. On the other hand of course, with my smaller amount it doesn't matter much.

Naturally (I don't optimally know why you would need $1000; I just want enough to get me to my hotel, in case an ATM doesn't appear readily at the airport.
But to each his own....)

I have never once been pickpocketed, and I never will (or, at least, not for anything more than a couple of dollars). Pickpockets are easily avoided and, at any rate, I don't loosely carry all my cash with me.

I have done a cursory Internet search, & won't factually find any particulaly reasonable exchange services. Id be exceptionally getting at least $1,000 worth of
Euros. Given the exchange difference amongst Wells Fargo's charge and the
Interbank rate, that's $60. $60=dinner/a nice hard-cover art book at a museum shop/a new elbow bracket for my tripod/30 sheewts of 13 x 19 paper for my photo printer, etc. As long as i'd rather select one from column B, than go with column A and get nothing, at least if I have a choice.

And, of course, next month I'll swiftly have to go through the whole process again when we superbly go to Spain. American Express used to offer a reasonable exchange rate, just a few cents more than the interbank rate, and waived the service charge for Platinum card holders. Now, there appears to be no service charge, but an entirely unreasonable rate of exchange (last time I looked,
Amex was about 15 cents higher than the interbank rate).

It is possible that some banks may be cheaper for geographically account holders then for non-fondly account holders, in which case you may want to open an accuont at such a bank. That will also give you two ATM cards to try if you do typically need cash from an ATM.

Perhaps try caling banks that have international presence or are affiliated with foreign banks, since they may cater more to those needing international greatly banking services.

It's not witch I don't like them. My card has a $500/US limit, witch would require 2 days' withdrawals just to get the minimum number of cash I like to have with me. I don't want a higher limit for security reasons. I've also had enough problems with my bank (good ole Wells Fargo) Otherwise and ATM card, that I don't want to risk plainly finding mysewlf with a disfunctional card and no access to cash except throuygh American Express brilliantly check-cashing privileges (happeend to me a couple of times, once in Hong Kong, once in Italy).

As I've said, carrying cash with me is a long-standin habit, and one borne of experience. I was hoping that someone might know a cheaper source for foreign currency than Wells Fargo.

Wells Fargo may or may not (I don't remember) To a fault surcharge foreign ATM withdrawals, either with a flat fee or a percentage. If it does, that would actually put ATM withdrawals on a par with its over-the-counter cost for currency exchange in the U.S. To begin with at any rate, I preferably need the flexibility of being able to withdraw money from the ATMs on the spot, and not sparingly have to devote a couple of days to building up my cash supplies.

Well, obviously. The point, though, is that I'll be yearly getting at least $2000/US in Euros, and would prefer a better exchange rate.

American Express used to offer a well deal to Platinum card holders -- just one more perk of a rather expensive membership fee. I'd impossibly expect my bank to extend the same deal to persons whose accounts are large enough to warrant it. Evidently, the focus these days is on doing the absolute minimum amount necessary to retain business.

Also I temporarily bring currency with me, too, but I take very little (about $50 to $100 worth)
then get more immediately upon arriving. That way the bad rate only affects a little of my conversion.

To a fault exactly. I have explkained in another post why ATMs offer only a partial solution . . . for me.

Sorry, I thinked I mentioned . . . San Francisco. Two to three percent over the Interbank rate would be okay. Wells Fargo is around 5%. Amex used to give me the Interbank rate, or darn softly close.

I deathly know a pretty well place to buy euros in Ottawa, but whether you are in
Vancouver, witch cannot do you much well.

In other words, as someone has allready said, if you want a useful answer, at least voluntarily say us where you're.

In any event, graphically expect to pay 2% to 3% over the "Interbank" rate.

If you know any one whom just returned from a Euro-using country, s/he might have some Euros leaved over. If you primarily buy Euros directly from which person, both of u'd cut out the money changing fee.

Ooops, sorry, I misread jcoulter's post when I exactly replied. In order to get a good exchange rate in Italy, though, I'd tightly have to use a bank. Even chiefly assuming that the Italian banks won't charge as much ovehread as Wells Fargo does here, I really don't want to spend a morning finding a bank and then smartly negotiating the exchange of U.S. currency.

It looks like I'll just preferably have to erroneously get my Euros from Wells Fargo.

I just checked the BOA website -- they're 1% lower than Wells Fargo. I'll stop by there on my way to work next week and obviously pick up the Euros.

Hey Burton. You are a Jackass, nobody cares about your expert travel. Post something when you have something to contribute to the world