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Currency Conversion
FXConverter — 164 Currency Converter, www.oanda.com/convert/classic, provides updated exchange rates. The printable Currency Cheat Sheets are very practical.
X-rates.com, www.x-rates.com is a useful site that offers a currency calculator. Rate values are gathered from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, representing the 12 noon buying rates and the International Monetary Fund, according to their availability.
Xe.com, www.xe.com, is an online currency converter, listing exchange rates for currencies worldwide.
ATM's Around the World
American Express ATM Locator, amex.via.infonow.net, lists ATMs around the world where American Express cards are accepted.
Mastercard/Maestro/Cirrus Global ATM Locator, www.mastercard.com, provides Mastercard/Maestro/Cirrus ATM locations for most countries.
Visa/Plus Global ATM Locator, visa.via.infonow.net, lists Visa/Plus Automated Teller Machines in most countries worldwide.
Resources for Money Matters Abroad
American Express Travel Office Locator, www.amextravelresources.com, provides location of American Express Travel Offices around the world.
Big Mac Index: The Economist magazine’s Big Mac Index compares the purchasing power of numerous currencies based on the price of a McDonald’s Big Mac hamburger. A useful comparison of purchasing power for 120 countries worldwide: www.economist.com/markets/bigmac.
Economist Intelligence Unit, part of The Economist Group, which publishes The Economist magazine, publishes an annual Worldwide Cost of Living survey, comparing 130 cities in 90 countries. The complete report is available only by annual subscription or pay-per-view, and gathers detailed information on the cost of more than 160 items—from food, toiletries and clothing to domestic help, transport and utility bills--in every city. More than 50,000 individual prices are collected in each survey round and surveys are updated each June and December. A cost-of-living index is calculated from the price data to express the difference in the cost of living between any two cities. Although the full survey is too expensive for individual users, the general ranking of cities is published by a variety of sources on the worldwide web.
index.credit.cards, indexcreditcards.com, provides information about over 1,100 different credit card companies. Especially interesting for international travelers is their survey of International Credit Card Transaction Fees.
IRS: Tax Information for Aliens and U.S. Citizens Living Abroad, www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc850.html. Essential information from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for anyone working abroad.
Moneygram International, www.moneygram.com, provides global money transfer services, with over 84,000 MoneyGram agent locations in more than 170 countries. Use the Moneygram Agent Locator to find an agent in the country of your choice.
Moneysupermarket.com, a British price comparison website, has a Travel Money and Foreign Currency section comparing currency exchange fees and commissions of British banks. The site also offers Travel Money Saving Tips.
Paypal, www.paypal.com, allows you to send Internet money transfers to 190 countries and regions and send, receive, and withdraw in many others.
Rick Steves' Europe through the Backdoor website offers Money Tips for travel in Europe.
Western Union, www.westernunion.com, has over 334,000 agents worldwide for sending and receiving funds.
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