Showing up in Paris with tons of cash

I%26#39;ve reserved an apartment for Paris in april, which (as with many people here) requires showing up with about 2000 euros to hand over at the key exchange. I was wondering what the best way might be to do that.

I didn%26#39;t like the idea of carrying all that cash, so thought of travelers checks, but when I read about it the information really emphasizes the poor exchange rate involved.

Then, you read not to get a lot of cash at the airport for similar reasons.

I%26#39;ve always used my atm card in europe, but that%26#39;s not going to let me pull out more than about $500 a day.

There must be a smart way to do this, I see a lot of people rent apartments here, any ideas? Thank you!

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Contact you bank and ask them to increase your daily withdraw limit, then you will be able to withraw the amount you need when you arrive in Paris.. That%26#39;s what I have made.

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One thing you can do is ask your bank to raise the limit of your daily ATM withdrawals. I do it each time I travel.

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Great minds working alike :)

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I%26#39;d strongly advise against the contacting your bank and raising your daily withdrawl limit. If you happen to fall prey to a credit card scam and have your card scanned then you can easily have your account cleaned out.

I don%26#39;t like carrying the cash either but simply take it in larger denominations and keep them in different pockets etc.

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Ahh, brilliant! I had no idea you could do that!

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at same time!!! (lol!!)

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georgeco, I understand what you%26#39;re saying but have to disagree. You have recourse if your card is abused, but if you lose cash, it%26#39;s gone for good. And if you use and secure your card properly, it%26#39;s difficult to have it abused.

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This question is posed from time to time and a list of solutions is readily available by using the forum search function.

While the bulk of French ATMs offer no fee withdrawals, many US banks charge exorbitant fees for obtaining cash %26quot;out of network%26quot;. I recommend you firstly ask what fees your bank charges for withdrawals outside of the US and if a temporary relaxation of the withdrawal limit is feasible.

You may find that the approximately 2% effective currency conversion fee charged by well-selected exchange bureaus in Paris is perhaps a cheaper solution to obtaining large Euro cash amounts than using ATMs:

http://www.bureaudechange.fr/index.php

http://www.ccopera.com/

http://www.fcochange.com/

Of course carrying cash is never the optimal resolution to the apartment %26quot;pay in advance with cash%26quot; problem but it is often the simplest.

Another not often discussed solution is to purchase euros and have them sent to you:

http://www.xe.com/

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I don%26#39;t disagree at all Happy but the recourse issue is really moot when the card issuer has frozen the card for investigation and you need cash in a foreign country.

The best of all possibilities would be to wire the money ahead before you leave.

Carrying cash and having all of it stolen from at least 4 different locations on your body is extremely rare while the incidence of credit and debit cards being scanned without your knowledge is in comparison very common.

I might suggest that one open up a separate chequing account just for this one transaction but then you either have to deposit more than the sum needed in the event that exchange rates fluxuate. Then there is the aggravation of closing the new account once you have returned.

From a functional standpoint, carrying the cash is just the simplest and almost the safest method but the wiring the funds ahead is the absolute best. Increasing your daily limit is just too dangerous in MO.

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I wouldnt typically use a moneybelt in a place like Paris, but when I%26#39;ve had to bring large amounts of cash to places to pay for rooms I do use one. But those are typically in places where ATMs are harder to find, or dont accept cards from other countries.

Even if I%26#39;m relying on my ATM card, I always have about $500 in cash in case of ATM weirdness, which is unlikely to happen in Paris - but happens enough in the developing nations I travel to and always fresh in my mind!