Traveling to a foreign country with a study abroad program can be stressful, and in the hopes of relieving some of the stress, Wells Fargo offers a foreign currency exchange service.
"It's a time and money saver for our customers," said Cindi Rinke, store manager for the bank's campus branch.
She encourages travelers to exchange money before heading to a foreign country.
"Exchange rates in those countries could be higher than in the United States," she said.
Wells Fargo also encourages exchanges before leaving for immediate purchases upon arrival.
Monica Keep, a sophomore fisheries and wildlife major, said that having the foreign money on hand was helpful during her travels.
Keep used the service twice, once while traveling to Australia and again while touring Europe.
"I used it the day we got in," she said.
Wells Fargo is currently the only local bank to offer the foreign currency exchange service. Exchanges can be done online, over the phone or at a designated location.
"We do keep six different currencies on hand at our 12th and O location," Rinke said. They include the Canadian dollar, the British pound, the euro, the Mexican peso, the Japanese yen and the Australian dollar. They can be exchanged at the time of request. "Otherwise, we need about two days to get those currencies," Rinke said.
Keep has exchanged money with Wells Fargo before.
"I took so much American money, and I asked how much money I could get in Australian dollars. They gave me what they had in bills and the rest in coins."
In addition to the six, there are 70 currencies Wells Fargo does exchanges with, and they can be found online.
"That would include currencies to such countries as Egypt, Nepal and Vietnam," said Angie Kaipust, spokeswoman for Wells Fargo in Nebraska.
Money tips are also available on the Web site, including the availability of ATMs in a specific foreign country and how frequently credit cards are accepted.
For Wells Fargo customers, there is no limit to the amount of money that can be exchanged. For noncustomers, the maximum amount is $3,000, Rinke said.
The amount of money one currency is worth in U.S. dollars changes on a daily basis.
"The exchange rate is online, and you can check our Web site. Or you can go into a branch and see the exchange rate for that day," Kaipust said.
There is a wide variety of people taking advantage of this service.
"It's the students who will be studying abroad and the international students before they return home and business men and women and families," Rinke said. "All sorts of travel groups."
nicolestaton@dailynebraskan.com
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