How to pay in euros from the US?
I am planning a trip to France from the US, and need to make multiple payments in € on-line, including but not limited to train tickets on https://www.oui.sncf/. Of course, the easiest way to pay those expanses is to use a credit card, but, from my experience,
- American credit cards are not often accepted by European websites, (for troubles relative to oui.sncf, cf. 1 , 2, 3, or 4.)
- The exchange rate applied by the bank is often to the disadvantage of the client,
- Some (hidden or not) fees may apply.
I don't mean to endorse them in any way, but converting $ into € using https://transferwise.com/ had been the cheapest solution by a long shot in the past for me. Unfortunately, they don't provide credit cards.
I believe a way of getting a good exchange rate and little-to-no fees would be to buy a pre-paid visa card in € using $ transferred from transferwise (or the like).
However, I haven't found a way of buying a pre-paid visa card using a wire transfer: does that even exist?
Best Answer
I have never had a problem using my Schwab visa on websites for Renfe (Spanish trains) or airlines based in Spain, Turkey, and elsewhere. Nor for any hotels. Never tried SNCF. I did use it to buy a train ticket on loco2.com which should also be able to book SNCF.
Schwab is one of several banks that charges no exchange fee. They use whatever rate Visa uses, which is a hair higher than transferwise. Many sites also accept PayPal, which lets you choose the currency but not at a great rate.
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You can buy Euros with either an e-check (you enter the check information) or a credit card. The exchange rates will differ depending on your payment method. Be sure to check what the transaction and shipping fees are. You may want to browse several web sites to find one whose fees are acceptable.How do I pay online in a different currency?
Here's how to pay online in a foreign currency:Log in to check exchange rates for your intended currency. Collect the necessary banking information from your recipient, including their name and bank account number. Set up and submit your transfer.The Euro Explained for Travelers
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Answer 2
Some online banks provide the solutions you need, like WeSwap or Revolut : For less than $10, you can get a Mastercard, top it up in your local currency and spend it in (almost) any foreign currencies.
I have one of them and I already bought a SNCF train ticket with it (and also some flight tickets in EU), I never get any trouble.
Answer 3
Not really an answer, but I thought I'd comment on what I ended up doing:
- For most of the expenses, I paid cash using euros that I withdrew using my US cards. The exchange rate was fair, and there was little fee (ranging from $1 to $5 per withdraw, but some of the fees were actually refunded at the end of the month).
- For some (larger) expenses, I paid using my US card: same deal (fair exchange fee, low or no fees).
- For the on-line payment at https://www.oui.sncf/, I asked someone with a French credit card to do it for me. For most of the tickets, I obtained e-tickets that I could print myself, but in one case I had no choice but to get the ticket at the station using the card used to pay: in that scenario, having used my US card would have been problematic.
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