Silly question about euros

[josiejump]

We went to Brittany earlier this summer and came back with a few euros. We're now off to Ireland and planning to spend said euros, BUT I was wondering if I can spend the coins, as it seems to me they are french. Please excuse my ignorance, but would love to know the answer!

[CAM]

I always buy them from a post office - no commission payable and their exchange rate is comparable to all the banks. All Euros can be used in all Euro countries. Unless you use cash to buy the Euros in the post office you have to take ID like passport.

[janh]

zebra, there is something particularly good about Nationwide and foreign money but I can't remember what exactly - it may be that if you use their debit (not credit) card in an ATM they don't charge anything - just convert and at a good rate.

FWIW I just checked out our transactions in Spain at Easter (I do love internet accounts, not having to scrabble around finding bits of paper!) and on 2 cash withdrawals, of 150 euros and 300 euros, we got rates of 1.39 and 1.40 respectively, and were charged £1.62 commission for the first and £3.21 for the second (this is Alliance & Leicester).

Using our Egg card to buy things we got rates of slightly above or below 1.40 depending on the day and time - Egg use international trading rates (or something) to NINE decimal places!

Those were the going rates then, wherever we looked - very poor - 1.45 just now apparently. So your Nationwide debit card in an ATM is probably your best bet (Which magazine always recommend doing it that way.)

[zebra]

Every time I've every come home and compared the rate we got using our credit card to buy something versus the rate I got when I shopped around and bought currency in the town where I lived -- the credit card rate was far worse. This has been with a multitude of credit cards & banks. I haven't tried the debit card, I admit. I will check again; we're with Nationwide, & from what I recall Nationwide is the only Building Soc. that doesn't charge high commission on foreign currency transactions. Even so, I know that their rate won't be as good as what I can get scrounging around the bucket shops and informal traders.

In an ideal world you find people who have recently been to Europe & just buy cash straight off of them.

[StuartC]

I've always found ATMs give a good rate if using a debit card (don't know about a credit card - never used one in an ATM).
I've used ATMs for 8 years in France, Germany, etc and wouldn't consider any other means of exchange.

[zebra]

Where to get Cheap Euros? Does anybody have any good advice; I think to order them online wouldn't be worthwhile due to Special Delivery costs.

Regardless of popular belief/official advice, I always take cash because the exchange rates from ATMS using credit cards are always much worse than I can get from any Exchange Bureau in England.

Thanks!

[janh]

You can use them legally but everybody may not accept them - DS1 was given a non-Spanish coin in his change in Spain (it was Dutch or something) and had it handed back to him in one shop.

Probably not a problem for you in Ireland though - just thought I'd mention it!

[josiejump]

Thanks for that. Dh said the same, but as usual I didn't like to believe him- I guess this is one occasion I'll have to bow to his superior knowledge-harrumph!

[hermykne]

josiejump
you can use he coins in ireland no problem, its brillant really going anywhere in the eurozone andyou donthave to think about money

[lou33]

Just copied and pasted this from a website:

What Euro notes and coins are in circulation?
There are seven Euro bank notes, which are the same for all countries in the Euro zone €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. There are also eight coins**: 1,2,5,10,20,50 cents and €1 and €2. One Euro is made up of 100 cents. Each coin has one common side and one country-specific side. All Euro notes and coins can be used throughout the Euro zone countries.

Hth.