Exchanging currency before traveling abroad can sometimes leave you baffled, how to avoid unwarranted fees. These insider secrets below will help you avoid surprises and get the best rates.
Knowing the Exchange Rates Before Traveling

This will help you know when you're getting a fair deal and allow you to estimate the overall expenses of your trip in your home currency. Knowing the exchange rates is also an important factor you need to balance your spending budget throughout your overseas journey.
Avoid Exchanging Money at Merchandise or Service Providers
You won't get the best exchange rates here and these providers only exchange money for you when you use their services or purchase goods from them. If you must exchange money at such providers, the advice for international travelers is to exchange money at counters in hotels, airports, or train stations to get better rates than other providers.
Maximizing Credit Card Usage While Traveling
When using credit cards while traveling abroad, you should also carefully consider the currency conversion fees. If you're a frequent international traveler, you may consider opening a new credit account with no foreign exchange fees and earn points when making transactions in foreign currency.

Knowing the ATM Withdrawal Fees
If your ATM card can be used at ATMs abroad, that would be convenient. However, in some countries, you'll want to pay attention to the withdrawal fees when using ATMs outside of banks. Therefore, choosing a bank with partner or affiliated banks worldwide will help you avoid high transaction fees when preparing for your overseas trip.
Calling the Bank Ahead
You should call the bank to inform them about your trip including the location and duration of stay to avoid issues when using your account abroad. It would be troublesome if your bank account is frozen while you're traveling abroad. Additionally, keep the bank's phone number handy in case you need to use it.
Tracking Currency Conversion Fees
You may incur additional fees when converting payments to USD during transactions. Choose to pay in local currency when asked for transaction method.
From Dân Trí
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Reference: Travel Guide by Mytour
MytourSeptember 10, 2014