I have at least $500 worth of cash from half a dozen different Asian countries sitting in my underwear drawer for at least two years now. What's the cheapest, lowest-fee but legal way to convert them into one currency (Euro or USD)? I travel frequently to France and the United States, so changing them to Euro or USD is fine either way, but just not sure if the best way is the airport counter, a random bank, at the hotel I stay at, or something else...? I would like to have a good idea on how to go forward with this, before I go about traveling with all this random cash, only to find out I'd have to lug them back to home to my ultra top secret underwear drawer hideout since it's too expensive/all these currencies aren't accepted for exchange/not worth it. [more inside]
posted by peachtree on Apr 29, 2013 - 7 answers

This past weekend I had a huge moving sale, and ended up with about $1500 in small bills ($1s, $5s, $10s, $20s). Between cleaning my apartment and packing everything up today, I forgot to go to the bank and deposit the money into my account. Tomorrow morning I fly out of JFK (Terminal 4, specifically) to move to San Francisco, and since my flight is early there's no time to go to a bank. I feel weird traveling with these huge wads of cash, especially as it's all small bills. Right now it's all stuffed into a cigar box in my carry-on. I don't think it will fit in my wallet. Will the currency exchange places give me $100s (or better yet a money order) for my cash, and will I find one before passing through security? Will TSA steal from me, or give me a hard time for carrying these wads of bills? Is there possibly a Bank of America branch in JFK? What should I do? I don't think I'm comfortable depositing this much cash through an ATM, and anyway it would take forever.
posted by betsbillabong on Aug 27, 2012 - 18 answers

Money: who are the current deep thinkers about money, monetary systems, currency, global flow of cash... and alternative systems and options. [more inside]
posted by HopStopDon'tShop on May 8, 2012 - 4 answers

Help me figure out the best way to convert dollars to pounds in Europe. [more inside]
posted by Tamanna on Feb 19, 2012 - 8 answers

Economics filter: I'm sitting on a lot of Korean won. I want to buy US dollars (practically, I'd do a wire transfer from my Korean bank acount to my US one). Given that the Republican Party might ruin the US economy out of sheer spite, how should I time this transfer to maximize my personal profit re: a beneficial exchange rate (weak USD, stable/strong-ish Korean won)? [more inside]
posted by bardic on Jul 27, 2011 - 7 answers

Should I buy some Turkish currency now, ahead of my two-week September trip to Istanbul, to hedge against the (hopefully remote) possibility that U.S. politicians will not raise the debt ceiling by August? Or euros? Are there other steps I should take now to protect myself, just in case? [more inside]
posted by croutonsupafreak on Jun 30, 2011 - 11 answers

A friend, who's as bad at numbers as I am, has money in an American bank account. He needs to pay for something in Switzerland. Is there any advantage to changing the dollars to euros and then to Swiss francs, or is a direct dollar-franc transfer the best way to go? [more inside]
posted by Paris Elk on Apr 3, 2011 - 6 answers

How to get the best conversion rate (GB Pound to US Dollar)? I've been working in London for the past year, trying to save up money for grad school when I return to the states. I was told that December was the best month of the year to do a GBP to USD conversion (not too sure how accurate that is). I bank with Barclays (England) and Chase (US) and am in the states at the moment. I've brought the money (in GBP) over because I thought it would give me more conversion options. I know that it can get complicated with conversion rates changing, various banks with their own exchange rates, etc. I'm willing to open an online bank account if that's the best option to transfer pounds to dollars. Are there any conversion geniuses out there who can help give me any tips? Many thanks! D
posted by Danah_78 on Dec 23, 2010 - 8 answers

Help us organise our money for a trip to Borneo. [more inside]
posted by micklaw on Jun 7, 2010 - 3 answers

Advice about how to convert dollars and euros back and forth. [more inside]
posted by postergeist on Jan 14, 2010 - 10 answers

I'm an American who's just bought a lovely home in the EU. Yay! Now I have to make regular mortgage payments while still living and working in the US. How do I transfer money over to our EU bank account on a regular basis as cheaply as possible?... [more inside]
posted by finitejest on Oct 30, 2009 - 9 answers

Need to transfer modest amounts of money from UK to a US bank account every 2-3 months. What would be the most cost-effective way to do so? [more inside]
posted by moiraine on Oct 22, 2009 - 10 answers

What is the cheapest way to send $4k USD from Greece to US? [more inside]
posted by lupefiasco on Jul 6, 2009 - 15 answers

Where can I find old historical exchange rates? Right now I'm looking for the crosses between British Pounds, US Dollars and French Francs in the mid-1950s. [more inside]
posted by b1tr0t on May 31, 2009 - 8 answers

I'm taking a standard week-ish trip to the UK soon and I'm (obviously) going to need some cash for traveling. What's the best way to get US Dollars converted into British Pounds? [more inside]
posted by c0nsumer on Nov 5, 2008 - 21 answers

Good places to buy $US cash in Sydney CBD? [more inside]
posted by UbuRoivas on Oct 30, 2008 - 4 answers

Why are electronics so crazy expensive in Europe? Any creative ideas to help me buy a video camera? [more inside]
posted by Meatbomb on Sep 19, 2008 - 10 answers

I'm going to Japan (from the UK) and want to arrange my cash for out there - I don't want to go down the traditional credit card route as they seem to sting you for allsorts of fees nowadays. 2 parts to this question: 1. Where would I get the better deal / exchange rate for changing my Sterling to Yen? In the UK before I go, or in Japan once I'm there? 2. (This one is very specific to a UK Bank) Does anyone know if a Nationwide Flex / current account Visa card will work in many cash machines in Japan? Any help gratefully received.
posted by mairuzu on Jul 15, 2008 - 9 answers

I live in Canada and do contract work for a US company. How do I get the best exchange rate for regular currency exchange transactions? [more inside]
posted by Emanuel on Aug 1, 2007 - 8 answers

What's the best way to exchange Japanese Yen (in cash form) to USD? [more inside]
posted by Muu on Mar 5, 2007 - 4 answers

UK bank filter. I get small cheques from an Ameican tech publisher, drawn on an American bank., for dollar amounts. My UK bank wants to take 28 days to clear them, and deducts an unspecified amount to do it. Any recommendations for UK banks that are in the 21st century? [more inside]
posted by Pericles on Jan 16, 2007 - 19 answers

I'm trying to avoid shelling out an annual fee to XE for UK foreign exchange data. The European Central Bank provides a feed with Euro as base currency and the Bank of NZ has one for NZD. Surely there's a GBP equivalent?
posted by Foaf on Dec 10, 2006 - 10 answers

Do you trade FOREX? How's it going? [more inside]
posted by andrewyakovlev on Apr 30, 2006 - 12 answers

Is China keeping its currency undervalued a double edged sword for China? [more inside]
posted by studentguru on Apr 23, 2006 - 28 answers

I have a not-insignificant amount of Polish zlotych. Help me figure out if and how I can exchange it... [more inside]
posted by deafmute on Jan 24, 2006 - 7 answers

Is there a website that catalogs the daily exchange rates between countries? For example, if I wanted to know the exchange rate from Canadian to American dollars on July 27, 2005?
posted by billysumday on Oct 13, 2005 - 6 answers

This week, apparantly, the financial movers and shakers in the US have "toughened up" their demand for China to let their currency float with respect to the US dollar, saying, among other things, “Failure to move on the renminbi means China is also not doing its fair share in reducing global payments imbalance" If their fixed exchange rate is the reason for China's enormous growth, what reason would they have to oblige? [more inside]
posted by Popular Ethics on May 9, 2005 - 13 answers

USAsian traveling to the Continent this Fall -- should I buy some euros now? How? [more inside]
posted by Rash on Mar 6, 2005 - 11 answers

Seeking advice/information on exchanging currency. I am planning on converting a chunk of money in yen to dollars and moving it from a bank in Japan to one in the US. Has anyone had experience doing this and could give me a heads up about what issues I need to concern myself with, aside from the exchange rate?
posted by shoos on Aug 31, 2004 - 5 answers

How would one go about purchasing new Iraqi Dinars, if one were so inclined? My local banks (in Canada) laughed at me, as it is not apparantly exchanged outside Iraq, and the Internet seems to be full of ripoffs selling the currency as "collectibles" at double the official exchange rate. Does anyone know a way I could buy the dinar anywhere close to 1460/US dollar?
posted by loquax on Jul 28, 2004 - 5 answers

Hey, are there any MeFites planning a trip to Mexico soon? I just found a few pesos while cleaning up (not much, only 96), and I'd much rather give them to someone than exchange them for what's probably barely enough to buy a cup of coffee.
posted by antifreez_ on Feb 21, 2004 - 9 answers