Eurozone - euro - Currency Guide

General Currency Info - euro

The euro (ISO: EUR) is involved in slightly more than 30% of all foreign exchange deals, and as such, is the world’s second most traded currency, behind the US dollar.

The euro is the currency of the eurozone (officially called the ‘euro area’), which consists of 19 of the 28 member states of the European Union, and is used by almost 350 million Europeans. It was introduced in January 1999.

Of all the thousands of exchange rates that exist in the world, the euro-to-US dollar exchange rate is the most actively traded, or most ‘liquid’.

Since its introduction, the euro’s lowest value against the dollar came in October 2000 when EUR/USD hit lows of 0.8231. The currency was strongest in July 2008, shortly before the worst stage of the 2007-2009 financial crisis, when EUR/USD reached 1.6038.

There are currently more than twenty nations and territories which peg their currencies to the euro, the largest of which is Denmark.

EUR Forecasts and Trends

Dollar strength and German political uncertainty sees the Eurozone single currency on the decline and at 1 YEAR LOWS versus the greenback touching the 1.15 level vs the greenback.

There will be a close eye kept on Eurozone inflation data on October 29, any upside surprise could support the euro.

US dollar to euro - Historical Rates

Travel, Currency and Money saving tips for the Eurozone

No destination holds as much variety and cultural difference as Europe. From the sunny south to the snowy north there is no shortage of places to see here. When arriving at any new destination for first time visitors it cant hurt to stop by the Tourist Point to get any free maps, discounts, and cost free events. Most decent hotels have free WiFi so try using this to avoid any suprise Roaming fees on your phone when you get back home. ATM and credit card use varies greatly between countries so purchasing a Pre-paid Travel Card before leaving for your travels can save time and hassle.

If you would like to travel by train and can book a fare way in advance you can save money by getting a pass for Europe's extensive train system that goes pretty much everywhere. You can check prices at sites like RailEurope. To save a lot of travel time and money you can book a sleeper cabin on an overnight train. While travelling across Europe by bus used to be uncomfortable there are now low cost luxury buses available. And now to save even more time at your locations instead of travelling to them, costs for flights have greatly reduced in recent years making it a very affordable and very fast way to get around. Depends on your preference.

The Euro currency is widely used across most of Europe which makes it very convenient, so if you plan to spend most your travel time in Europe try to convert a chunk of currency before you go to get the best rates. It’s a little known fact that the closer you get to the departure gates in any country the worst the currency exchange rates get! In fact travellers can end up paying more than 10% extra if you load up on your overseas currency at airport bureau de change outlets.

If you end up buying your travel money on depature day without pre-ordering online you are most likely wasting some of your money.

Travel money for the Eurozone

Save money and time by Ordering your euro online from Travelex, you get better rates and can pick up the EUR cash locally or even on travel day at the airport.

Another popular option is to use a Pre-paid Travel Card. Your Debit/Credit Card provider will charge you 2% from market mid-rate, but your bank may also charge an extra 3% as an “Overseas Transaction Charge” plus “Overseas ATM” fees for withdrawing cash.

For card purchases if offered a choice of currencies always select to Pay in euro otherwise you may get much worst exchange rates.

Send Money to the Eurozone - Best Rates

To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to the Eurozone you need to find and compare exchange rates for International Money Transfers (IMTs).

The available FX rates for sending money abroad can be very different to the mid-market (wholesale) rate which you see reported online and in the News.

You should especially compare your own bank's exchange rates to those available from Money Transfer specialists to see how much you can save - we make that calculation easy in the below table.

Get a better deal for foreign transfers to the Eurozone

When sending money to the Eurozone it’s important to compare your bank’s rates & fees with those we have negotiated with our partner money transfer providers. To get a better deal you should follow these 4 simple steps :

1. Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
2. You specify the local or euro amount you want to transfer
3. Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
4. Once your funds are received by the provider the converted EUR amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in the Eurozone.

Use the above Send to euro calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more euro deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!