Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Exchange rate
I list prices in euros for the Netherlands and Belgium.
1 euro (€) = about $1.40
To convert prices in euros to dollars, add about 40 per-
cent: €20 = about $28, €50 = about $70. Just like the dollar,
the euro is broken into 100 cents. You'll find coins ranging
from 5 cents to 2 euros, and bills from 5 euros to 50 euros. (To
get the latest rates and print a cheat sheet, see www.oanda
.com.)
So those €65 wooden clogs are about $100, and the €90
taxi ride through Brussels is...uh-oh.
work easily at larger hotels, restaurants, and shops, but smaller
businesses prefer payment in local currency (in small bills—break
large bills at a bank or larger store). If receipts show your credit-
card number, don't toss these thoughtlessly.
Fees:
Credit and debit cards—whether used for purchases or
ATM withdrawals—now charge additional, tacked-on “interna-
tional transaction” fees of up to 3 percent; some also take an extra
$5 per transaction. To avoid unpleasant surprises, call your bank or
credit-card company before your trip to ask about these fees. If the
fees are too high, consider getting a card just for your trip: Capital
One (www.capitalone.com) and most credit unions have low-to-no
international transaction fees.
If merchants offer to convert your purchase price into dollars
(called dynamic currency conversion), refuse this “service.” You'll
pay even more in fees for the expensive convenience of seeing your
charge in dollars.
Damage Control for Lost Cards
If you lose your credit, debit, or ATM card, you can stop people
from using it by reporting the loss immediately to the respective
global customer-assistance centers. Call these 24-hour US num-
bers collect: Visa (410/581-9994), MasterCard (636/722-7111), and
American Express (623/492-8427).
At a minimum, you'll need to know the name of the finan-
cial institution that issued you the card, along with the type of
card (classic, platinum, or whatever). Providing the following
information will allow for a quicker cancellation of your missing
card: full card number, whether you are the primary or secondary
cardholder, the cardholder's name exactly as printed on the card,
billing address, home phone number, circumstances of the loss or
theft, and identification verification (your birth date, your mother's
