Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with euros

Best option for regular US to EUR currency exchange?

finitejest — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:23:40 -0800

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?... Some more info: It seems as though the majority of the currency exchange companies are targeted towards Brits. The rest look pretty shady.

We've looked at Currencies Direct, however in the middle of our application process we were informed that because of some new laws they were no longer able to open new contracts with any US citizens not based in the same state (GA) as their only US office.

Now we're out of ideas. We've even looked to see if we could somehow wrangle a PayPal account into euros and do exchanges through there.

Currently banking with BOA and doing wire transfers, but they charge hefty fees on top of the normal exchange rate.

So... halp please! Any suggestions from personal experience?

Last minute advice for solo trip to Paris?

cider — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:21:50 -0800

I'm heading off to Paris for four days, and I'm starting to get a bit nervous that I'll forget something important. I've never been to Paris, and I haven't been to Europe for fifteen years. I'll be staying by myself in a hotel in Arondissement 7. I'm wondering if you can help me out with any last-minute tips or things I'm likely to have forgotten. Here are the types of questions that I suddenly find myself asking:

Will I need an adapter of some sort in order to charge my camera or ipod?

Am I required to carry my passport with me, and if so, should I get some sort of money belt? (I believe my hotel room has a safe deposit box -- is it better to leave it there?)

I'm assuming that I can get Euros out of a bank machine with my regular (Bank of America) card. (That's what I did in Germany years ago.) Is this true?

Will I generally be safe walking around at night? I'm a woman who will be travelling by herself; are there areas I should avoid?

I hate not having access to internet in case I want to look up directions, print tickets, or other computer-based tasks. I have an iPod touch -- is there likely to be free wi-fi around? Are internet cafes common in Paris?

Is there anything else that I'm forgetting?

Thanks so much!

How do I convert US to euro?

gingembre — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:09:53 -0800

How can I send a check from the US to France in euros? More currency abroad questions inside. I am taking a course in France this summer and need to pay the deposit by check. How do I do that? And it has been so long since I traveled abroad; I might need a primer on how the currency exchange works. Do I convert some money at the airport and then do more at a bank? Should I convert to euros or francs? Does anyone still use francs? And is it advantageous to use a credit card or do you get killed on the exchange? I feel like a student again, and I kind of love it.

How do I invest in Euros?

pikaboy202 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:36:33 -0800

Are there any financial institutions available in the US to buy Euros as a hedge against the falling dollar? As we all know, the value of the Dollar is falling and money in the bank is free-falling due to both the falling dollar and inflation. In a way to hedge against the falling dollar, I thought it might be possible to save in Euros or even the Chinese Yuan instead.

Is there any financial institutions are methods to invest in Euros or have a savings accounts entirely in Euros instead of Dollars in the US?

converting dollars to cheese!

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:13:32 -0800

I'm going to Europe for at least a year in September. When should I convert my dollars to euros? I know that if I were planning on staying in the US, converting money to different currencies would not be the best course of action. But what about in my specific situation?

I will probably be in France from at least September-June (longer if possible). There, I will only be making ~750 euros/month after taxes so I will want to use money that I have saved for this trip to supplement that. But! I'm worried that something awful will happen in the next six months and my US savings will be worth a more meager sum than they already are. (Am I on the wrong track here? Will the economic stimulus package fix everything?)

Would it be totally foolish to transfer my dollars to euros now? If so, when should I do it instead? (and how?)

Saving money while avoiding the spectre of inflation

chef_boyardee — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 19:39:44 -0800

What's a safe long-term savings investment if (1) I'm concerned about inflation and/or the dollar getting weaker and (2) I'll only be investing a small amount, like $100 a month? Is it possible for me (in the U.S.) to buy small amounts of Euros without getting eaten alive by transaction/exchange fees?

Recommendations for a euro bank?

hazyjane — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 07:20:42 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for a decent bank where I can keep an easy-to-access checking account and a savings account with a decent interest rate and decent customer service. My current bank has made too many mistakes lately and I can't take it anymore. I get paid in euros but I do know of a bank in the UK that I'd like to try - but they don't offer euro accounts. So, would I be taking a big financial hit by converting my salary to pounds and then back to euros whenever I make a withdrawal? And if so, can anyone recommend a good euro bank? Customer service would need to be readily available in either French or English.

Monetary Policy and Me

clearlynuts — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 06:50:51 -0800

I'm not afraid of bird flu. I'm afraid of waking up broke one day. How do I avoid this? I'm slowly starting to digest some of the effects of monetary policy - particularly that of the United States over the last five years. I've read in various places that a large bit of America's debt is held by foreign entities. I've also read that monetary policy has been to simply print more paper money to stimulate the economy and avoid a recession.

Though I'm not expert, it would seem that these two things work to devalue the dollar. I'm sure that the American government would have us believe that it will never default on it's obligations and that the dollar will always be there. But anything's possible, right?

Didn't something happen in Argentina recently where the currency devalued so fast that the whole country was in anarchy? Utlimately, how can I shelter some of my assets in case the Armerican economy goes to hell in a handbasket? Buy euros? Keep them in a European bank?

How do US citizens best invest in Euros?

pwb503 — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 15:16:15 -0800

Suppose an American citizen living in America wanted to invest 10k - 50k of US dollars in Euros. What would be the easiest way of going about making this investment? I only mention the dollar figure to see if there are any limits before certain rules kick in. What tax hoops and/or other legal hoops would one have to jump through? Is there anything else one should know about before making the decision to invest in Euros?

What's the easiest way to move liquid assets from dollars to Euros?

Anonymous — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 23:58:24 -0800

if one wanted to move a portion of ones liquid assets from dollars to euros ... what is the easiest way with minimal overhead?