A word of caution: Last year when I was in Germany I found out that banks would not accept all $100 bills. It seems that many counterfeit bills are in circulation. Sparkasse has told me that they will only accept $100 bills printed 1990 or later, as they have a %26quot;security strip%26quot; embedded hence more difficult to forge. I%26#39;m sure other banks have the same ruling. So, be sure to take along only the newer bills!
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Just curious, why taking so much cash with you at all?
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It%26#39;s good to have a cash reserve when, for whatever reason, the ATM fails and it DOES happen or cards are lost or stolen or the strip becomes demagnetized. Also, you avoid the debit or credit card foreign currency conversion fees and higher cash advance rates as well as processing fees. If you use a Sparkasse (not at an airport or train station) as opposed to a major bank, you%26#39;ll get a more favorable exchange rate and lower fees. If you go to Germany often I recommend opening a Girokonto with a Sparkasse, then there will be no fees.
Just not a %26quot;plastic%26quot; person.
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Not sure how easy it is to open an account with a Sparkasse if non-resident. We have bought a flat in Berlin and needed an account , obviously, to pay bills etc but most banks incl. Postbank have a residents-only rule. Our notary rang round to find which we could go to and yet banks that told her that non-residents cd open an account then told me it was impossible.
In the end we opened one with Deutsche Bank who told me %26quot;Absolut kein Problem%26quot; when I rang to make an appointment . In fact Dresdener Bank had advised me to go to Deutsche, %26quot;as they are in Spain too%26quot; which is of course totally irrelevant. The plus with DB is that website is also in English (my husband doesn%26#39;t understand German so extremely useful).
However we are paying 4.50€ a month to run the acct (plus postal charges for extracts to be sent , etc etc) so for someone just visiting doesn%26#39;t make a lot of sense to open an account.
By the way, I%26#39;m amazed that pre 1990 100$ notes are still in circulation!
Also problems having high-denomination euro notes accepted at times. I had to pay over 300€ in cash at Checkpoint Charlie Museum. I%26#39;d been told when I phoned that credit-card payment was not possible but not told 500€ note also unacceptable. As I was travelling with a large school-group (and credit cards not widely accepted in Germany) I had asked my bank for two 500€ notes to reduce bulk. Had to take them back to the bank afterwards to get them changed to something smaller.
Having said that ,here in Spain nothing over 100€ wd be accepted normally (but most places you%26#39;d be using credit card anyway for large sums)
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Lynda writes: %26quot;Not sure how easy it is to open an account with a Sparkasse if non-resident. We have bought a flat in Berlin and needed an account , obviously, to pay bills etc but most banks incl. Postbank have a residents-only rule....%26quot;
I neither reside in or work in Germany nor am I a German citizen. I was able to open a Girokonto (working account) at a Sparkasse with ease and can enjoy all the benefits. Of course, one must be there in person with identification in order to do this. I don%26#39;t know what the policies of other banks are.
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You may be able to open an account with USAA. The military uses it, but I have an account, and I%26#39;m not military. USAA does not charge for dollar/foreign currency transactions anywhere in the world as long as you hold those transactions to ten per month.
The machines will charge you initially, but USAA then reimburses your account.
They also have their own credit card. Service at this institution is excellent.
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If your credit cards get stolen why would the robber not take all the $100 bills, too?
But since we%26#39;re talking about carrying plenty of cash most German gas stations don%26#39;t accept €500 bills. ;-)
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I think that those travelers (like me) who travel rather simply and don%26#39;t stay in the larger hotels, but rather small B %26amp; B%26#39;s, Gasthaueser, etc., won%26#39;t find a safe in their room for valuables such as passports. We keep our passports with us, advisedly in a waist pack under clothing, and keep Euros with us in the same way, because we are in areas not generally served by ATMs or which are not taking credit cards.
I%26#39;ve traveled for years alone in Europe and never had a problem with this, whether in larfge cities or in villages.
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I also heard lots of scary things about money / cards / passport got
stolen when people travelled in Europe. Any suggestion what to do when we are at the hotel, train or on the road. For sure people will
recognize that we are tourist.
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most thefts are not muggings -- so a moneybelt (used as a bodysafe NOT as a purse i.e. no fishing around in it in public - keep the day%26#39;s money and one credit card in purse or pocket) a moneybelt is good protection
I have a travel blazer that has 4 inner zipped pockets as well as the usual outer pockets -- I keep passport etc in those inner pockets while actually in transit -- or in a money belt under my clothes if I don%26#39;t have a room safe
never had a problem -- but I know people who have lost wallets and papers through being pickpocketed - including having things stolen from backpacks they were wearing at the time
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