Santa Monica Place | Cxi - Currency Exchange International (2024)

FAQs

Where is the best place to exchange international currency? ›

Where Can You Exchange Currency? Banks, credit unions, and online currency exchange bureaus and converters provide convenient and often inexpensive currency exchange services. Also, your own bank's overseas ATM or a foreign bank's are ways to get local currency with a credit card or ATM card once you have arrived.

Look at online currency specialists

Online currency exchange brokers, such as Travelex, Eurochange, TravelFX, TorFX, and the Currency Online Group, are all likely to offer more competitive exchange rates compared to the high street banks. These providers offer a wide range of currencies for home delivery.

Credit unions and banks will exchange your dollars into a foreign currency before and after your trip when you have a checking or savings account with them.

Best place to exchange currency: Your bank or credit union

Many banks offer currency exchange to their customers. Though there may be a small fee if you exchange less than a certain amount, your bank or credit union will almost always be the cheapest place to exchange currency.

Resist the urge to buy foreign currency before your trip.

Some tourists feel like they must have euros or British pounds in their pockets when they step off the airplane, but they pay the price in bad stateside exchange rates. Wait until you arrive to withdraw money.

Ordering currency from your bank before you travel is almost always better than using the airport currency exchange. Sally French is a travel rewards expert who joined NerdWallet in 2020. She previously wrote about travel and credit cards for The New York Times and its sibling site, Wirecutter.

To avoid dynamic currency conversion fees when traveling internationally, choose to pay credit card transactions in the local currency rather than in US dollars. Some merchants will attempt to make this decision for you, so confirm which currency you're transacting in before you pay.

The best place to exchange foreign currency in the U.S. is at your local bank or credit union before you leave for your trip.

Any Bank of America customer can exchange foreign currency at any financial center.

Is the euro stronger than the dollar? ›

Basic Info. Euro to US Dollar Exchange Rate is at a current level of 1.108, up from 1.102 the previous market day and up from 1.073 one year ago. This is a change of 0.59% from the previous market day and 3.27% from one year ago. The Euro to US Dollar measures the ratio between the Euro and the US Dollar.

If you're traveling across Europe, you may want to exchange your US dollars for euros before heading overseas. Exchanging currency with a bank like Chase® can help you avoid foreign transaction fees for using your card abroad – and you can make sure you have enough spending money for your trip.

Key Takeaways

Currency exchange shops and kiosks in airports are not the best places to exchange money. For the best rates, try a local bank or a bank ATM to make your currency exchanges. Check to see if your U.S. bank offers foreign ATM fee refunds for using a foreign ATM.

Waitrose has the best Euro rate right now at 1.1634. You'll need to order online to guarantee this rate as rates may be lower in store. You can buy your euros online and collect them from your nearest Waitrose travel money store if you don't want to wait for home delivery.

A Bank of America International Transaction Fee of 3% will apply when converting your currency.