I have just posted [in the Safety and Crime Section] the main p#s of an LA Times article describing the 3% that your c/c will charge you when you charge expenses outside the US.

I am posting this reference here because lodging is generally the biggest expense, particularly when hotels ask you for a c/c number when you make your reservations. You may think that 3% is nothing but in a grand you are giving the c/c company 30 dls. Any refunds (like cancellations or taxes) will also carry s 3% charge.

The solution, which I use as often as I can, is to get money through an ATM directly from your bank. My bank charges one dollar for each transaction if it is done outside its network of branches. In Spain I simply go to a large national bank and get euros and pay the dollar later{for those who are shy, all the machines display an english menu)

Hope this helps you save enough for a few tapas and some brewskies.

Salud,

Juan

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-insider22jun22,1,1961427.story?coll=la-headlines-travel-manual