Whether you're a resident embarking on an overseas trip or a visitor coming in from abroad, you’ll find plenty of options for exchanging currency in Chicago.

Traveling From Chicago

Are you escaping Chicago in the dead of winter to trade snow-clogged streets and icy winds for more temperate climes? Savvy international travelers have long known that you can usually find the best exchange rate by using a bank 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:debit card at an ATM to directly withdraw local currency. But what if you want to arr𝔉ive with some local currency in hand to get yo𒈔u through the first day (or night)?

In this case, getting the foreign bills at your own bank may be a good bet. Account-holders often receive free or discounted currency exchange services (assuming they carry the coin of your destination's realm on hand). The bank’s 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:conversion rate should be based on the current 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:market rate: Check online o🤡r with the day's newspaper financial page to compare. Some banks that don’t keep foreign currency on hand will order it for account-holders.

While you’re at your bank, do ask about its policies on 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:foreign transaction fees. Many banks charge at least a small fee for withdrawals from overseas ATMs, and it’s not uncommon for them to charge a percentage on the total amount withdrawn. Plan for about 1% to 3% of the transaction.

If your bank doesn’t ꦏhandle foreign currency—and many smaller institutions don’t—then a currency exchange operator is your next best option.

Traveling to Chicago

The first rule of international arrival, from an economic perspective, is to avoid the currency exchange at the airport. So as you step off the jetway into O’Hare’s Terminal 5 (overhauled in 2014 after a $26 million renovation), wheel your carry-on straight past the currency exchange stores and kiosks. After you clear customs, you should probably go straight to an in-airport bank or bank ATM. (Now you can immediately pay for that Chicago-🐟style deep-dish pizza with U.S. dollars.)

But what if you have a wad of cash moꦇney to turn into dollar bills? You might head to a local bank, which will generally offer a decent exchange rate.

If you’re not a U.S. resident, however, you may be charged steep transaction fees as a non-account-holder. In this scenario, your best bet may be a currency exchange in the city. Between steep overseas ATM fees and often unfavorable bank policies, you might prefer this option anyway.

Ultimately, currency exchanges in popular tourist cities work in competition with one another and thus may be more flexible, especially in comparison with a bank, on negotiating ei꧋ther a waived transaction fee or, if you’re lucky, a better exchange rate.

Once in Chicago: Currency Exchangers

If you’re a tourist, it’s likely you’ll be hitting the city’s famed Michigan Avenue—part of which makes up the Magnificent Mile—anyway. In the Shops at North Bridge, look for Curr🀅ency Exchange International, one of the city’s most reliable firms.

This exchange accepts coins and bills and guarantees to match, or even exceed, the rate offered by local banks on the same day and time. They are open every day and close at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., or 8 p.m. depending on the day. If you’re coming by train (known in Chicago as the “L,”🌠 short for elevated) take the Red Line to the Grant Avenue station.

If you’re staying north of Chicago’s Loop in trendy Lincoln Park, the Clark Diversey Currency Exchange might be your best bet. Garnering has excellent reviews for its consistently friendly and knowledgeable customer service, and it also offers CTA transit cards. Clark Diversey is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve done your pre-tr꧃ip research, you have a good grasp of the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and your home country’s currency. Upon arrival, you can double-check the rate by picking up a newsstand copy of the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun-Times (both available at O’Hare newsstands) or look up the current market rate on your smartphone. However you plan to change your coin, you’ll want ꧙to have an accurate sense of the rates before the transaction occurs.