A weaker euro buys fewer units of a particular foreign currency. If a hotel, meal, ticket or product keeps the same price in that currency, you need more euros to pay for it. The effect depends on the destination currency and your travel dates—and the rate and fees applied by your card, ATM or exchange provider can change the final cost.
What does a weaker euro mean for spending abroad?
Exchange rates compare two currencies. If the euro weakens against the currency you need, each euro exchanges for fewer units of that currency. So a purchase priced at 100 units still costs 100 units locally, but converting that amount into euros now takes more euros, all else equal. If the euro strengthens against that currency, the converted euro cost falls, assuming the local price and other costs do not change.
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There is no single exchange rate for “abroad”: the euro can move differently against each currency. The European Central Bank’s nominal effective exchange rate is a weighted indicator against a basket of trading partners, not a quote for a specific destination. For travel budgeting, check the currency used at your destination and the dates relevant to your payments. The ECB explains its effective exchange-rate measure.
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Think of the exchange rate as the number of foreign-currency units one euro buys. When that number falls, a fixed foreign-currency price converts into a higher euro amount. This describes the conversion effect; it does not mean that local prices stay fixed. Hotels, restaurants and retailers can change their prices independently of exchange rates.
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For a dated reference, the ECB’s page for 6 October 2026 listed the following reference rates, with the euro as the base currency:
| Currency | ECB reference rate on 6 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| US dollar (USD) | €1 = US$1.1269 |
| Japanese yen (JPY) | €1 = ¥178.15 |
| British pound (GBP) | €1 = £0.84880 |
| Swiss franc (CHF) | €1 = CHF 0.9359 |
These are a snapshot for that date, not evidence that the euro had weakened against each currency. The ECB says the reference rates are for information and that “Using the rates for transaction purposes is strongly discouraged.” Your payment provider sets the transaction rate, which may differ from the reference rate and may include charges. See the ECB reference rates and its rate-use caveat.
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Why a card or cash payment may cost more than the reference conversion
The exchange rate is only one part of what you pay. A card provider may charge a foreign-transaction fee or a currency-conversion fee; an ATM owner may charge separately. Cash exchange providers can also use different rates for buying and selling currency and may charge a commission. Banco de España notes that providers do not have to use the ECB reference rate for a transaction. Banco de España explains foreign-currency rates and charges.
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- Check your card’s foreign-currency and foreign-transaction terms before travelling.
- When paying or withdrawing cash, look for a conversion offered by the merchant or ATM as well as the card-provider rate.
- Compare any displayed markup with your provider’s terms, and include both your bank’s and the ATM owner’s fees when estimating a withdrawal.
- For cash exchange, compare the rate you receive and any commission; do not assume the quoted rate is the only cost.
Choose local or home-currency billing carefully
A card terminal or ATM may offer to convert the amount into your home currency. That makes the amount immediately visible, but the conversion can add a markup and cost more. Your Europe says that paying in local currency is often cheapest and that you can reject the home-currency conversion. A provider offering that conversion should disclose its cost as a percentage markup over the latest ECB reference rate. Read the EU guidance on pricing and payments.
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What a weaker euro means for flights, tickets and other purchases
If a flight or travel service is priced in another currency, currency conversion can raise its euro cost when the euro weakens against that currency. For tickets sold in the EU, mandatory taxes, fees and charges must be included in the total price from the start of the booking process. Optional supplements, such as travel insurance, must be clearly identified and offered on an opt-in basis. Those price-display rules help you compare the displayed totals, but they do not prevent exchange-rate changes from affecting a ticket priced in foreign currency. Your Europe describes EU price-display requirements.
For physical goods, the tax treatment depends on where and how you buy. When you buy goods in another EU country for personal or family use, you generally pay VAT once, in the country of purchase, and can bring them home without a customs declaration; this does not cover goods for resale. An online order shipped from outside the EU is different: VAT, customs duties and excise duties may apply, with the amount and collection arrangements depending on the goods and circumstances. A weaker euro can increase the converted price before any such charges are added. See Your Europe’s VAT guidance.
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Non-EU residents visiting the EU may qualify for a VAT refund on eligible goods if they present the goods and refund documents to customs within three months. The process is not harmonised across the EU, and countries can have different procedures and eligibility conditions; not every visitor or purchase qualifies. Your Europe sets out the EU VAT-refund guidance.
How to budget without assuming every trip will cost more
- Identify the currency. Check which currency the destination, merchant or booking service will charge—not just the country where it is based.
- Check the relevant dates. Exchange rates move, so a rate available when you plan may differ from the rate used when a payment is processed.
- Use a reference rate as a benchmark, not a promise. Compare it with the rate and fees your card, ATM or cash-exchange provider actually applies.
- Compare the complete price. Include provider fees, ATM-owner charges, conversion markups and any applicable taxes or import charges. For flights and travel services, separate mandatory charges from optional extras.
- Recheck before paying. If a terminal or ATM offers home-currency conversion, compare the displayed markup with your provider’s terms and decide whether to accept it.
Without a specified destination, currency, travel date, local-price basket and payment-card terms, there is no reliable way to calculate a particular trip’s increase or rank destinations by cost. A weaker euro can make foreign-currency spending more expensive when measured in euros, but the effect is specific to the currency and transaction.
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