[akamia]

That's been my experience as well. Using credit cards when possible and withdrawing cash from ATMs are the two best ways to get a good exchange rate.

[Scoundreller]

And then there are the American banks that charge foreign transaction fees on all foreign transactions, even those in US$.

Fuck you PNC.

[akamia]

Yeah. That's pretty frustrating. I always try to make sure that I have at least one card that doesn't have foreign transaction fees and I stick to that card I'm out of the country.

[JeanMarcS]

And if you can find places where there’s cashback, you can also skip the ATM fees

[akamia]

Definitely! My credit union (BECU) actually refunds ATM fees which is an amazing perk. Before I was with them I would try to look up ATMs without fees ahead of time but that can be pretty tricky and inconsistent (especially outside of cities).