When in France...

[Scouzer]

Or am I going to have to goto a bank and carry a _LOT_ of Euro's with me?

Or get traveller's cheques...

 

[KLin]

googled

 

[Sunbird]

When in France... do a french girl?!

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: Sunbird
When in France... do a french girl?!

God no. I've made that mistake in the past...

Stereotypes are for a reason....hairy and stinky.

Great link Klin. Thanks!!!

 

[AndrewR]

You can use them, but I wouldn't recommend it. If someone steals the number, you're out hard cash until you get it fixed. Even with good anti-fraud procedures, you can still have problems with checks bouncing if it happens at a bad time. Since it's overseas, the dispute process might take longer as well. Since you'll be a tourist, you'll be a target, and since you'll be in tourist areas, you're a likely target.

You're much better off using a regular credit card or carrying traveler's checks (or using an ATM -- that would be my preference). From what I remember, the Cirrus network was much more widespread than Plus in France so check the back of your card to see which it has (pretty sure you have one or the other, not both).

 

[cquark]

I found using ATMs to be the easiest solution. Get a money belt to secure your passport, ATM, and credit cards, as it's a real pain if those are stolen.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I always use my ATM card.

PROS: Less hassle, best exchange rate, no exchange fees, no ATM fees (for me)
CONS: Some small towns have too few ATMs, making them hard to find, If you lose the little card you're screwed, usually no receipt given with balance

I have used my ATM card everywhere in Western Europe from Sweden to Greece with no problems.

 

[kami333]

ATM

Avoid traveller's checks, not many places will take them and you'll get charged a hefty comission when cashing it to the local currency.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
Or am I going to have to goto a bank and carry a _LOT_ of Euro's with me?

Or get traveller's cheques...

Do you have a VISA or MasterCard logo on it?
IF yes THEN proceed to spend money.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Or just say you're American and voted for Bush, no one will help you anyway 😉

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1
Or just say you're American and voted for Bush, no one will help you anyway 😉

When in France...pretend you're canadian.

If you have a southern accent, its best to just not go at all.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1
Or just say you're American and voted for Bush, no one will help you anyway 😉

:roll:

 

[StageLeft]

I tried this in France and I just...gave up. 😱

 

[smc13]

When in france...do as the romans do!

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1
Or just say you're American and voted for Bush, no one will help you anyway 😉

When in France...pretend you're canadian.

If you have a southern accent, its best to just not go at all.

Well, I can easily pretend to be German and don't get treated too well either!

Just about everyone I know who has traveled to Paris has told me that if you're not Parisian, the people won't like you too much.

 

[Reel]

I went to the ATM and used my debit/ATM card to withdraw. I expected fees on my statement but I was surprised to find that it treated the withdrawal as a debit card charge and I had no fees at all. I used a combination of the ATMs and credit cards. I was told by my study abroad that they give the best exchange rates.

 

[Kibbo]

One thing that I found in France is that nothing bloody worked. In the Gare du Nord, I went to 5 different, broken ATMs in a row trying to buy a bloody ticket. It sucked.

And the Canadian thing doesn't mean much. If you're a Quebecer, they look down on you because you speak French with a rural accent. If you're English Canadian, they think you're the same thing as an American.

Don't expect them to be nice, try to appreciate the bloody-mindedness as an act put on for your amusement.

Edit: God, I loved Paris.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: smc13
When in france...do as the romans do!

Conquer the barbarian frank tribes?

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: Skyclad1uhm1
Or just say you're American and voted for Bush, no one will help you anyway 😉

When in France...pretend you're canadian.

If you have a southern accent, its best to just not go at all.

Well, I can easily pretend to be German and don't get treated too well either!

Just about everyone I know who has traveled to Paris has told me that if you're not Parisian, the people won't like you too much.

The Parisians don't like anyone, including each other. The French in the countryside are very nice though, but if you don't speak French, you probably won't find that out. 🙂