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Original poster

Do I need Euros for Paris?

51 replies

earlydoors42 · 02/07/2022 10:40

Going Tue to Fri next week to Paris. Do I need to take Euros or can I just pay by card or take cash out of cash machines there? One day will be at Disney, is everything payable by card there too?

Thank you! Just saw a queue at the foreign exchange place and wondered!

OP posts:
chipsandpeas · 02/07/2022 10:43

everything will take card but id take maybe 50 euros just in case

etulosba · 02/07/2022 10:44

I would just get a few euros from an ATM when you arrive and pay by card wherever you can.

However, if your cards charge you for foreign exchange transactions it could be an expensive way of doing it.

MarshaMelrose · 02/07/2022 10:45

You can pay by card and take cash out but it costs more than buying euros in cash or travellers cheques because of bank charges. Also it might be cheaper to buy euros in France. In theory it should be although it never seems to work out that way for me.

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user1471505356 · 02/07/2022 11:03

Use a credit card rather than a debit card less costly.

WhatsInAMolatovMocktail · 02/07/2022 11:06

I was at Disney in half term and we didnt need Euros at all. However for unexplained reasons my DH's debit card (HSBC) wouldnt work there (worked outside Disney). My debit card (Barclays) - no problem. Cannot explain why but thought I'd mention it.

LBF2020 · 02/07/2022 11:16

I was in Belgium a few weeks back and didn't take any euros. Just used my card.

  • I know it's not France but I feel the same applies
notimagain · 02/07/2022 11:28

MarshaMelrose · 02/07/2022 10:45

You can pay by card and take cash out but it costs more than buying euros in cash or travellers cheques because of bank charges. Also it might be cheaper to buy euros in France. In theory it should be although it never seems to work out that way for me.

Yep, I don't there's a right or wrong answer...

A lot depends on the charges/fees and the exchange rates levied (both by the card companies and the money exchange outlets) so it's one of those "it depends".

Throwawaytoday · 02/07/2022 11:31

I ways take equivalent £100 in Local currency when I leave the UK. Just in case my bank is down, or my card is blocked.

Of course my bank has NEVER been down, but the worst time for it would be when I've just arrived in a different country.

Yodaisawally · 02/07/2022 11:34

We had the same issue with hsbc debit in Disney. Didn't have euros but did have other cards.

Iflyaway · 02/07/2022 11:35

Someone upthread mentioned travellers cheques....

They've not been around for years to my knowledge. (I travel a lot, twice abroad last year, twice this year).

Polkadotties · 02/07/2022 11:37

Sign up for something like Revolut. You will get better exchange rate

SiobhanSharpe · 02/07/2022 11:42

We use cards but also generally q have a few euros left over from previous trips (probably anywhere from 20 to 120) so we make sure we take them too in case there are no ATMs handy on the first day. Useful for tips, parking, coffees etc).
But there are at least as many cash machines in France and Spain as in the UK and also, fewer of those are the 'extra charge for usage' ones, IME.

Neighbours87 · 02/07/2022 12:01

i live in a border town, so use both euros and sterling. Get a Revolut card. The exchange rates for using your cards are shocking

reluctantbrit · 02/07/2022 12:06

MarshaMelrose · 02/07/2022 10:45

You can pay by card and take cash out but it costs more than buying euros in cash or travellers cheques because of bank charges. Also it might be cheaper to buy euros in France. In theory it should be although it never seems to work out that way for me.

That's not 100% true. Buying cash means a different exchange rate is used than withdrawing money at a cash machine.

It all depends how much your bank is charging for using a card or withdrawing money compared to the rate used to exchange cash before you travel.

We normally have cash with us for small things, it's more expensive using a card for buying a bottle of water if your bank has a fixed rate per transaction. But using a card for a larger amount (meals, tickets etc) means you don't have to carry so much cash around.

Paris is also known for very clever pick pockets. A card can be blocked immediately, cash will be gone.

Irishfarmer · 02/07/2022 12:12

I'd say you'll be fine with just cards. I'm in ROI and we recently went to Scotland. I paid for everything on my card. Only took cash out for the event (and bar) we were there to attend. I'd imagine it'll be the same in France, take out some Euro if needed but I can't see you needing much. Everything is tap these days. I would make sure you have two cards though in case something happens to one or like when I was in Cuba it didn't work!! (Cuba is very diff to France you won't have that prob)

chipsandpeas · 02/07/2022 12:13

Neighbours87 · 02/07/2022 12:01

i live in a border town, so use both euros and sterling. Get a Revolut card. The exchange rates for using your cards are shocking

if the OP is going away on tuesday they wont get the physical card in time and i wouldnt want to rely on using the likes of apple/google pay on my phone all the time

Polkadotties · 02/07/2022 12:23

chipsandpeas · 02/07/2022 12:13

if the OP is going away on tuesday they wont get the physical card in time and i wouldnt want to rely on using the likes of apple/google pay on my phone all the time

Show quote history

You don’t need to use a card you can use your phone. It’s perfectly safe and secure, more so than using your normal debit or credit card.

chipsandpeas · 02/07/2022 12:25

Polkadotties · 02/07/2022 12:23

You don’t need to use a card you can use your phone. It’s perfectly safe and secure, more so than using your normal debit or credit card.

Show quote history

i know and i use mine a lot, i just wouldnt want to rely on it 100% tho

PriamFarrl · 02/07/2022 12:30

I’d always be inclined to have €150 or so on me but I never use cash in the U.K. and would expect France to be the same.
Check the charges on your cards though.

OmaSwims · 02/07/2022 12:32

How about opening a Starling account and adding a euro account to it? They charge a minimal amount to transfer from your sterling to euro account. If you do it today you might even get a card before you go. Mine came in 48 hours.

JaninaDuszejko · 02/07/2022 12:35

Last time we went to Paris we took some cash with us, and did the old fashioned thing of using cash for smaller purchases and our cards for bigger purchases.

RedToothBrush · 02/07/2022 12:37

Throwawaytoday · 02/07/2022 11:31

I ways take equivalent £100 in Local currency when I leave the UK. Just in case my bank is down, or my card is blocked.

Of course my bank has NEVER been down, but the worst time for it would be when I've just arrived in a different country.

We usually never bother to get money before we go abroad in Europe anymore. If its Eurozone we tend to have a few left from last time.

It has nearly caught us out on one occasion though.

We arrived at the airport in Lisbon and went to pay for tickets with DH's card. It was close to midnight and we still had a way to get to where we were staying.

We think his card hit an automatic fraud block. It being close to midnight and being slightly frazzled by the journey, this was not a good thing and we had a bit of a panic about it.

Fortunately, when we (eventually) twigged that it wasn't the card machine that wasn't working and that all his cards for the same bank were now doing the same thing, we tried one of my cards for a different bank.

And that did work.

So yes, I would recommend having enough money in cash to get to your destination or having multiple cards for different banks, in case one has a hissy fit.

Basically whats your plan b if plan a fails. But card all the way...

etulosba · 02/07/2022 13:07

I ways take equivalent £100 in Local currency when I leave the UK. Just in case my bank is down, or my card is blocked.

I never rely on one card. I had a card eaten by an ATM on the first day of a US road trip. Luckily, I had a couple of backup cards.

circlingthedrain · 02/07/2022 13:18

You need to check what charges you will get from your accounts in france- we went last month and chose to change money in the uk to take over for the bulk- and had our cards that we used for a few things. Our accounts would charge per transaction- so I wouldn't choose to use our cards for lots of little purchases. Have a lovely holiday

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 02/07/2022 13:19

Disney will take your money whatever way they can get it!