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Finances in Barcelona
Monday, 30 November 2009 17:02
If you are planning on visiting Barcelona, like any other foreign country you need to give a little bit of thought to your finances. Obviously the currency is Euros in Spain and as you get charged commission when you withdraw cash abroad or change currency you will probably have large sums on money in your possesion at any one time .
Depending on how long you are going for you can look into buying travellers cheques, to aoiv having so much money on your person. If you are staying in a holiday apartment in Barcelona, a hotel or even a hostel you should be able to get access to a safe and this is something you should find out before you arrive as it is very important.
Similarly make sure you have a number of bank cards with your fall back being a credit card in case you have a problem with withdrawing money, you do not want to be left with no means of getting cash. You will be able to pay with your card if it is a vaguely well recognised one like visa, maestro or Amex. You do not get charged to pay on card but you will still be subjected to the exchange rate which is not great.
Barcelona seems to have so many atm machines on every street, if you are in the centre you will be hard pushed not to see at least 4 at any one time. Some banks charge more than others to withdraw money on a foreign card, but it is roughly 3%of whatever you withdraw on top of the exchange rate. Again if you are going to withdraw large sums of money at once to make the transactions worthwhile be sure to keep in on your person at all time until you can deposit it in a safe.
There is a lot of petty crime in Barcelona, everyone is advised to hold onto their bag at all times and always have it in sight. But even better is to just keep cash in your trouser front pockets provided they are tight, at least then you should be well aware of someone trying to steal your money. Thieves are know to cut your straps of you bag and run away with the whole thing, so always be aware whos behind you and whether your bag is in reach. Having said that there is not an increased risk of being hurt, it is only pick pocketing and stealing which are rife.
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