Q – We have have heard that people who travel out of the United States should carry clean, or fresh money. A friend of mine in Concord, says she literally irons her larger bills before going to Europe so they look more legitimate. This just sounds crazy to us. What’s the truth?
A – This is far less an issue in Europe than it is in Japan, China, and other parts of Asia. It isn’t that a rumpled twenty is not worth twenty dollars, it is more an issue of pride and cleanliness. Money that has been handled by many people is germ-ridden and it is never, ever cleaned. In fact, dollar bills are generally the most toxic thing you will touch all day unless you work in the septic business or the state legislature.
The real issue is that paper bills that are soiled, tattered-looking, or just dirty, cannot be given as change to other customers in many parts of Asia. So they do not like to accept it. If you are running off to Europe for a week or two, we wouldn’t worry about it. But for longer trips, particularly those to the Middle East or Asia, we do advise our clients to request “new bills” from your bank when taking out cash for a trip abroad. Your bank will be happy to comply and, shockingly, they have not yet figured out a way to charge for this extra service.
