Financial palnning - Budget Tips

The best way to exchange money is with an ATM card or a Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card. Most ATM cards work in Belgium (although some do not). Recommendation: get a checking account and a debit card from Visa, and make sure you have plenty of money in your checking account. You will have a small service charge (say, $2.00) from your bank each time you use your debit card. If you use a Visa or MasterCard credit card, you will be charged some hefty finance fees. If your ATM card works, you can use that. Be aware there will also be a small service charge for using an ATM card.

You should plan you expenses ahead of time and take out money that should be enough for one or two weeks. Thus, you can avoid paying ATM and bank commission too often.

However, you should be careful how you deposit your money at any time. Please be aware that pickpocket thefts are very common in Europe. When you travel, you should not leave your money in the hotel room. When you go out, do not take too much money with you and be careful with the new people you meet.

Keep in mind that airports, train stations and most Exchange businesses have higher rates. If you want to bring some cash with you, remember that many places will not cash $100 bills. So bring smaller bills such as $50 and $20. You can check the Student Guide for several good exchange shops in Antwerp.

A safety, but more expensive way of managing your money is to use traveler's checks. There is a service charge each time you exchange them, and you generally get a poor exchange rate.



	Budget Tips Advice for managing your account The best way to exchange money is with an ATM card or a Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card. Most ATM cards work in Belgium (although some do not). Recommendation: get a checking account and a debit card from Visa, and make sure you have plenty of money in your checking account. You will have a small service charge (say, $2.00) from your bank each time you use your debit card. If you use a Visa or MasterCard credit card, you will be charged some hefty finance fees. If your ATM card works, you can use that. Be aware there will also be a small service charge for using an ATM card. You should plan you expenses ahead of time and take out money that should be enough for one or two weeks. Thus, you can avoid paying ATM and bank commission too often. However, you should be careful how you deposit your money at any time. Please be aware that pickpocket thefts are very common in Europe. When you travel, you should not leave your money in the hotel room. When you go out, do not take too much money with you and be careful with the new people you meet. Keep in mind that airports, train stations and most Exchange businesses have higher rates. If you want to bring some cash with you, remember that many places will not cash $100 bills. So bring smaller bills such as $50 and $20. You can check the Student Guide for several good exchange shops in Antwerp. A safety, but more expensive way of managing your money is to use traveler's checks. There is a service charge each time you exchange them, and you generally get a poor exchange rate.		Below, there are several money conversion websites that could help you plan and manage your budget. These rates are only orientative since you will find that banks usually have different rates and charge commission fees. Universal Currency Converter ® http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi Yahoo Currency Converter http://finance.yahoo.com/currency?u CNN Money Currency Converter http://money.cnn.com/markets/currencies/ X-Rates http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html XE.com http://www.xe.com/ucc/full.shtml

Budget Tips

Advice for managing your account