DOCUMENTS
You should have positive identification with you at
all times - your passport. If you are uncomfortable carrying this, you
might do what some do and carry a color copy of the important pages.
It is also a good idea make copies of your passport
and driver’s license and e-mail it to yourself, if you are able
to receive your e-mail abroad.
MONEY
I do not carry travelers
checks anymore, as ATM machines are
everywhere. But of course there could be a strike that affects the
banks or the machines, or the armored car drivers, or the ... or the
... or the .... Have some kind
of alternative available (cash, travelers checks, American
Express check cashing privileges, etc.)
It’s hard to say whether you’ll get
better rates with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or using your bank
card at ATMs. Whichever you use, you will probably be paying at least
3% over the published exchange rate for Euros. Check with your bank.
Bank of America charges a flat $5 foreign ATM charge, no matter how
much you withdraw, plus several other charges. This means you will do
better if you withdraw larger amounts at one time.
Visa and MasterCard are accepted most (but not all)
places where they accept any kind of credit card, but there are a lot
of small establishments that don’t accept credit cards of any
kind, especially for small amounts, though this seems to be changing.
American Express is not as widely accepted as in the U.S., and usually
in more upscale places, though Monoprix supermarkets and some
department stores accept them.
You may be able to get some information on how
various credit cards handle foreign exchange charges at
www.consumer-action.org (new report was due summer
2005).
US dollar travelers
checks are not generally accepted over the counter, and the
exchange rate for them may well be less favorable than for cash. With
the advent of the Euro, there is a lot less need for money changers
(“bureaux de change”) and they seem to be disappearing.
Most bank branches no longer change currency.
Most ATMs now accept US ATM cards that are good on
Cirrus, The PLUS and other systems. All the ATMs we have seen have both
English and French instructions; and allow you to choose the language,
so you can do your transaction in the language of your choice. Be sure
to CHECK WITH YOUR BANK to get your card set up with a four-digit
numeric PIN if it is not already and be sure it is set up for foreign
use. You may be using the ATM more frequently than you would at home
and you should advise your bank so
they don’t block use of the card when their computer sees
a lot of foreign withdrawals.
COINS: If
you’re not good with these, in a spare moment separate out the
little 1, 2 and 5 “eurocent” coins (though people still
call them “centimes”) (copper-colored like our US penny, in
varying degrees of tarnish) and keep them away from the others. Also,
you might try keeping the €1 and €2 coins separate from the
smaller coins. For us Americans used to distinguishing among only four
coins, having eight different ones, some of which are not much
different in size, is a hassle. There are three types,
- the copper-colored 1, 2 and 5 eurocents;
- the brighter brassy (more like yellow gold) 10, 20
and 50 eurocents (which have the edges scored in different ways, but
this may not help unless you’re blind); and
- the bi-metal (silvery and goldish) €1 and
€2 pieces.
CURRENCY
comes in €5, €10, €20, €50, €100 and €500
denominations.
Even now, years after the Euro became the legal
tender in France, many of the French are still trying to adapt, so you
see people turning the coins over to read the denomination (marked on
only one side), or just letting the shopkeepers pick out what they
want. You can do the same. (You might consider saving up the pesky
little 1, 2 and 5 eurocent coins and giving a handful (not just a few)
to a beggar or a street or Métro musician.)
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