Discuss Mailing List: Re: More on Cash and Taxis in Poland

[Fritz Neubauer (fritz.neubauer]

Dear Dan,
I do not think that the following sentence is correct:

 "Differences in exchange rates between Kantors and bank-owned ATMS 
(Bankomats) are usually negligible."

Because the rate you get, when you change bank notes at a changing booth 
(which these Kantor places seem to be) is always much worse than the 
rate you get when you use electronic transfers. But also, the rate you 
get through credit cards is the same electronic rate, but usually the 
credit card people charge a lot for withdrawing cash. The best solution 
is to withdraw money from your bank account through an ATM (like the 
Pekao one shown) if your card allows that - the European Union bank 
cards will work, but I do not know about American bank cards, because 
European bank cards work through chips, and American credit cards used 
to work by sliding the card through some apparatus. this probably will 
not work, You better ask your bank about that. I any case, it is always 
wise to carry some amount of local currency on you, when you land in a 
country with a different currency, e. g. for the taxi ride from the 
airport or the railway station, yes, there are reasonable trains and for 
the first time, I will be able to take the train to the Conference, 
since our town is on the direct railway line from Paris to Moscow (via 
Berlin and Warsaw), isn't that a treat?

Fritz Neubauer, North Germany