Bureau de change in Missouri?

[RealPi 0]

Hi all,

My US fiancee has a certain amount of Euros she brought back with her on one of her visits to Europe to see me . When I get there with my K-1 visa in about a month and a bit, I may also bring some Euros with me ;if I can change it easily there, that is. She lives in St. Louis, MO. Anyone knows of any bureau de change services there or near there? The one I found closest off the net was a Travelex office in Naperville, IL (about 275 miles away) which is a little too far away! As she definitely needs to change the money very soon, though, as we need to start paying the bills for the coming wedding, I'd appreciate any help anyone can give us!

Thanks in advance to all who read this and for your help!

Real Pi

[thesnowman 1]

I live in kansas city, MO and we ended up going to Bank of America for them to exchange money.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

I wouldn`t bother with bringing lots of cash. My husband just keeps an open bank account in Germany and we get out whatever we need through ATM machines and PayPal here. Most take Maestro or EC cards. The exchange rate has usually been pretty good.

My husband still has a 100 euros in cash because he can`t find anywhere to exchange it that won`t totally rape him. So we just decided to keep it in a safety deposit box for our next trip back to Germany because the exchange rate from dollars to euros is garbage.

Edited April 13, 2008 by Wacken

[Krikit 1,164]

I agree. Don't bring euros over here to change. Not only is the exchange rate terrible but the service fees are outrageous. I use online banking and an online international payment solution (Custom House). You don't have service fees and you get a good exchange rate.

[RealPi 0]

I live in kansas city, MO and we ended up going to Bank of America for them to exchange money.

I would like to thank everyone for their replies. Alas, the money is already in the US and it's not easy to travel too far to change it, so it does seem (after an exhaustive search) that a Bank of America is the only viable option.

However, there are other choices for those who can afford the time to travel around a bit. This is what I found so far:

1) Bank of America. They charge normal rates (neither good nor bad). However they will only do it if one has a checking account with them. Not the best choice but best one locally.

2) Another local option is the airport which offers bureau services. However they always overcharge, so not a good option unless one has difficulty obtaining an account in 1)

3) A Travelex branch. Nearest one is in Naperville, IL (north of Joliet, about 270-ish miles from St. Louis). Very good choice if one can afford to travel there (e.g. on their way to Chicago say, for a weekend), esp. as it is open on Saturdays too. Always call a few days before to ensure they have enough currency for you, else you may have to make two trips!

4) An American Express branch. I do know they only charge a fixed commission independent of how much you change. On the downside, the nearest one I think is in Chicago, its branch being inside a Bank of America (by the riverfront I think).

5) Probably the best option, but depends heavily on the circumstances: find someone from the local European communities who wish to travel to Europe and need euros, find the mid-market rates on xe.com and cut out the middleman .

Anyway, I thought I'd mention this in case others find it of some use. Thanks again to all!

Pi

[mogdog 0]

Hi all,

My US fiancee has a certain amount of Euros she brought back with her on one of her visits to Europe to see me . When I get there with my K-1 visa in about a month and a bit, I may also bring some Euros with me ;if I can change it easily there, that is. She lives in St. Louis, MO. Anyone knows of any bureau de change services there or near there? The one I found closest off the net was a Travelex office in Naperville, IL (about 275 miles away) which is a little too far away! As she definitely needs to change the money very soon, though, as we need to start paying the bills for the coming wedding, I'd appreciate any help anyone can give us!

Thanks in advance to all who read this and for your help!

Real Pi

Us Bank at Lambert airport does exchange. She should call first before going as their hours are different from normal banks.