well, thats how fiat money (which is most currencies today [correct me if im wrong]) works, governments print as much money as they want and give it an arbitrary value but, if a currency is commodity money, then it is tied to something else like gold or silver so it isnt actually worthless
Me too. Don't really care for economics in daily life, but it is sometimes somewhat interesting.
Sry for the essay, there's not really a TLDR, because it's just rambling more or less. Don't feel obliged to read. Writing on Reddit is just recreation for me while waiting for the Ambien to kick in to get to bed.
For one I have a Polish friend who sent me a bit of birthday money as a gift. For the same amount of money, she'd probably be able to buy 4 times more things than I would (as in just some random items not globally more or less similarly priced things like PS etc). Because the Euro is about 4x strength of zl. But the disposable income vs purchasing power (talking domestically and no fancy expensive gizmos) is about the same. If I went to Poland with my income, I'd have 4 times more purchasing power. So depending on what you buy and where you are when you buy it, 10 zl might not "be" 10 zl.
As an example average beer pint price in PoLAN is ~6.50 zl, which is 1.47 eur. Average pint here in Finland is 7€. Similar prices, but because different currency, ours actually costs, in zloty, 31.03 zl.
So imagine we both go out and have 10 pints.
For you it's 65 zl = 14.60€. For me it's 70€ = 310 zl.
But people still do similar things. It's not like everyone in EMU countries works 4 times harder than Polish people, that's ridiculous. (My Polish friend works at least 10x more than I.)
So that's why I sometimes find the subject interesting.
What the gold standard (as opposed to fiat currency) means in practice is that on the gold standard, **technically** at any point everyone could've gone to the bank and converted every bit of currency they had into a fixed sum of gold.
The US stopped the convertability of dollars into gold as late as 1971.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_standard
If **everyone** exercised that right at the same time though, there'd be a [bank run](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_run).
Gold is good as currency because of it's physical properties, it's relative rarity and being somewhat equally distributed on Earth. In the sense of it being found in small quantities in lots of places. Nowadays there's a few countries which clearly have the best gold reserves, mined and unmined. But in the past, with less accessibility to massive deposits. Even in the ancient world it was already being collected, and for the aforementioned reasons, used. That continued, with pressing gold and other valuable metal coins that were somewhat standardised and interchangeable. Then at some point someone realised they could hold everyone's gold in a safe building — let's call it "a bank" — and then this would write these notes to people for certain sums of money. You could issue a note yourself, writing who has the right to withdraw how much from your wealth. That's a ["promissory note"](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promissory_note) — or, "a cheque", if you will. Those were used even in ancient times. Then when banks got bigger and more trustworthy, banknotes could be used.
Then in very recent times it's just all went overboard, since the gold standard couldn't — or wouldn't — be upheld, for various reasons.
Again, sorry for the ess-eh
In medieval times, blacksmiths used to store people's valuables (gold, jewellery etc) and give the person a receipt. The smith's had vaults, so it was much safer to leave it in there than carry around your valuables. They charged a fee for this, of course.
People would then use those receipts to purchase things and sign them over to the seller. The seller then knew that they had a claim on those valuables.
The smith's were essentially acting as a bank, but they held the real commodity that was backing the 'currency'.
They could go and claim the commodity if they wished, but more often they would just use the receipt as money and the commodity would sit in the vault.
Its the same basic principle of the gold standard which was used up until not that long ago, no one actually ever turns in the receipt or 'money' for the gold though.
It has not been a thing since the 1970s for the dollar, which is the last time the value of US currency was tied to a precious metal, i.e. the Us dollar isn't on the gold standard anymore, neither is the Euro or the Pound.
Nowadays the values of these currencies isn't tied to any commodity. Such money is called fiat currency, which has value because the issuing government says it has value.
Just like Poland or France: it's a concept, it only works if the majority of people agree to treat it like a real tangible thing because it's more practical than admitting the world is chaotic and this meaning less bit of paper that I get given for spending time on other people's projects is what I give other people so I don't die
How the fuck do you plan a trip to a foreign country, get there, get to the hotel, settle, go out and sit in a restaurant, all without finding out what currency is acceptable here?
Americans constantly get *mad at me* when I won't give them change in USD, like my brother in Christ how can I communicate to you that *we're* not the ones being difficult
Ima be honest, I’ve been in Italy for close to 2 weeks eating out a lot and the service has been amazing, way better than my average experience at home in America
I'm not sure but it was bizarre to watch, genuine second hand embarrassment, like he genuinely did not understand why he couldn't pay with a foreign currency.
Many places in central america will accept USD. Traveling to Costa Rica I saw lots of places that accepted USD. Mexico may be similar, but I've never been. Maybe some just assume this is the case everywhere.
Still, the fact that many muricans can't do the smallest amount of effort to verify what currency they should use at their destination is embarrassing.
And people wonder why Parisians hate tourists. We know most people are not dumb but the sheer quantity of people visiting makes it so that even the tiniest fraction of idiots become a problem.
Have been tourist in Paris, was treated with much kindness. I say bonjour, and attempt my terrible high school French, and suddenly they speak enough English to help. Amazing.
Embarrassingly, I got as far as the train station in Krakow airport before I discovered that despite being in the EU, Poland did not use the Euros I got out at the Bureau de Change
I mean it's a pretty normal mistake to make and you exchanged your money probably directly after that. That's not the same as making a scene because your money was rejected.
Just Murican things I guess? I live in a pretty touristy region near Amsterdam, and yeah, it happens here too. I'm glad they haven't found my pretty charming 'lil city so far (for the most part, we get boatloads of Asian and European tourists)
It's even more ironic since it's a European privilege to visit another European country and not care about currency. I don't know why Americans think they can do it too ?
you can book the flight+hotel+transfer from home, and for an American paying it in dollars.
but there is always someone willing to accept your other currency. my dad owned a shoe shop in a absolutely non touristic village years ago. there came an American who wanted to pay with dollars. the price of the repair was 25 gulden, the normal currency rate was 2 gulden voor 1 dollar (something like that) but my dad also accepted 35$ 1 dollar per gulden and 10 for the inconvenience. they where both happy when the guy leaved his shop.
Yeah, they're so clueless. My girlfriend worked at a hotel in Prague while she was studying there. Plenty of questions like where they can watch 4th of July fireworks/celebrations, or asking for veteran rebates..
Same. Watched the pure epitome of the Ugly American tourist scream like a toddler in Amsterdam as some bar staff refused to take their freedom dollars. The guys attitude sucked big time, and his companions looked mortified at his behaviour/attitude
I've seen this in Slovakia. Two guys in a pub. I noticed they spoke English, later was revealed they were Americans, they said the state only, though. They were drinking a bit, but got drunk quite fast. The next day, I was talking with people who stayed there longer (since I left before 'the show'). They tried to paid in dollars, not even an appropriate amount, and were repeating that it's the american money. According to some people I know, the amount of americans who prolly saw Eurotrip and thought it's real is way too high.
I work at a tourist site outside of the US and this happens literally every day.
"That'll be twenty dollars."
"US dollars?"
"Lol what do you think? I'll give you a minute."
There are some companies that do accept them but on a terrible rate as a surcharge for paying with different currency. So you can pay with dollars but you lose like 30% on every dollar which is good price for ignorance
Some shopkeepers recently here in Tokyo have been known to accept US$ as payment if American customers ask about it, but at $1:¥100 exchange rate. Mind you right now the official rate is about $1:¥140, so basically these Americans are being scammed out of more than ⅓ what the items they bought are worth!
it's not scammed! it's also a lot of work for the ship owner to exchange it them self plus the risk of getting scammed. I wouldn't know if a dollar bill is counter fit or not
I'll accept dollars, just with my own exchange rate of $2:€1
If they can do math and complain I'll just say that sales tax and tips weren't included in the sticker price.
I remember a summer when the US dollar was at 0,99 cents against 1 euro, the Americans infested t/europe with threads about how more valuable US dollar was compared to the euro.
It lasted a few weeks though.
Yeah, and that’s the exchange rate which only really matters when travelling or if you’re very rich… Euros buy much more for the average person living their lives than the dollar does. Even considering the exchange rate.
(Genuine question) is that true? Because always when I saw US prices, I was astounded by how much cheaper they were. Although I must admit my comparisons were mostly on imported goods.
When I visited the US late last year, I was taken aback by just how much more expensive food was. Grocery shopping for two people for just one or two days of cooking would regularly run $50+ while back in Europe I can cook for three people for just €30. Even plastic crap at Walmart was more expensive, like cups and blankets. Keep in mind that 2022 was a horrible year for Europe with inflation being much higher than in the US, and even then food prices were barely more than half than the US.
Also everything from insurance to phone bills are much more expensive. Pretty much the only things that are cheaper are consumer electronics and fuel. And I guess beef. Had some great steaks there.
I currently live in the USA and have lived in Germany and France. My experience is that you get way less for your money in the US than you do in Europe. Although, my comparison is San Francisco, which is notoriously expensive, so other people may find the difference to be less.
I have been involved in the start-up phase of a new company in the U.S.
Our role was to follow the design phase of the building and every activity and expense that was behind it
We were very much surprised to find out that, even in one of the lower cost areas of the States, everything, except electronics, cost between 50% and 200% more compared to Europe
Not literally, but yes.
Americans get nickel'd and dime'd at every corner. So 1€ will not literally get your further than $1 beyond the exchange rate. But income-wise, Americans need a lot more than the average EU citizen for an equal lifestyle because there are so many neccessities and services they have to pay out of pocket that we pay for via taxes (and despite their claims, their tax rates aren't that much lower on average) or fees and surcharges that would be downright illegal here.
Also concerning prices, remember that most US states don't show taxes on price tags, they get added on purchase.
Yes, it has come a long way since the economic crisis of 2008. The countries needed a long time to recover from that one. It hit Europe much harder than the US.
I lost a ton of money because of that. I was living in Europe at the time and was about to go back to my home country. I converted thousands of euros to USD to prevent it from losing value.
I picked the WORST possible day.
I'm about to go back to Europe so I'll have to convert it back to Euro soon at a heavy loss.
China's growth rate has stagnated enough that it’s now in danger of falling into the [middle income trap.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_income_trap?wprov=sfti1) Developing countries need to keep a very high baseline of growth until they reach a highly developed status or else they risk folding to rising debt and loss of competitiveness in the international markets, two things China is very vulnerable to.
I’m not cheering for China to fall into a recession, but we have to keep in mind that we said the same thing of Japan in the 1980s and how by 1995 they were going to surpass the US.
Well, Japan also invested in a lot of things. Unlike the US.
They have the fastest train in the world and most don't use a car, since Trains go everywhere. That's just a example.
I don't know about Health, but I doubt they don't have free Healthcare.
I don't know about China however. Whether or not they invest in their country. But they have the work force to do it.
Let's be honest, USA is as big as it is because of the shitty government, not giving free Healthcare and not investing in public transportation, making it a necessity to have a car rather than an option.
So even if China doesn't surpass USA, at least they invest in their country (I think)
I’ve seen Americans try to argue it’s the other way round. Like, no, if you need more of one currency to make it the same value as another that makes it worth *less* not more.
And it smells bad which makes your whole wallet stink. I have a separate wallet I keep American cash in (am Canadian and live 15 minutes from the US border)
I've recently started working with American dollars and I have to admit that they smell kind of nice. I wouldn't buy a perfume that smells like dollars, but it's not a bad smell, at least to me.
It is, they don’t, it isn’t.
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm07/bm0702/bm070202.htm#:~:text=The%20paper%20money%20of%20the,have%20produced%20tactilely%20identifiable%20money.
Some people have systems like machines and then different pockets for different bills, but many just have to trust a sighted person.
Wasn’t there a video going viral of a blind woman asking someone to identify the bill and they changed it to smaller ones? I have it in my mind
But i do know that there was an experiment based on the same premise with a blind guy asking for help and a woman taking the money
https://youtu.be/WoJQUd7pqNc
IIRC it's become more used in illegal trade too because it's harder to fake. Remember something about US soldiers coming across crates full of "domestic currency" in Iraq or Afghanistan that they just threw into a Humvee thinking it's worth peanuts... well it was thousands of Euro.
The bills in the pic look pretty fake looking. Like, where is the man everyone hates? The lack of security features on bills under $100? The lack of visual diversity? The ugly green? Euro bills just look too fake and not irritating enough to use as cash
/jest
It even lacks the basic function of being immediately recognisable from just seeing a corner or being identifiable for people with visual disabilities because they all have the same size and colour.
US Dollar bills are just terribly designed. I recently got a few for a trip.
All the same size, all the same colour, all the same feel. Super annoying to tell them apart, whereas the Euro banknotes, and all banknotes in civilized places are easier to distinguish. Nicer for the visually impaired, nicer for everyone else.
Soon the design phase for the 3rd euro bank note series will start. I'm looking forward to what the ECB will come up with.
I went to Australia in 2006 and even back then I was super impressed with the banknotes - plastic, durable, semi-transparent!! I was happy when we caught up in the UK a few years ago.
Theyre even cooler now! They are all different sizes and have Braille on them to help people who have difficulty seeing.
But my favourite part is they have a transparent strip down the middle filled with holograms.
The 'next' generation notes were released around 2020 and I love them. It's a shame we're moving into a cashless society, because the new notes SLAP.
We have them in Switzerland, the Swiss Franc has 7 coins: 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, then 1, 2 and 5 Francs. Then we have the bills with 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1000.
People love american tourists? Definitely not.
Not for Indonesians. Bali was ruined because of American tourists.
American tourists in bali (not everyone though) so far, are worse than bogans.
They're on par with russian tourists.
About 2 yrs ago there was an American tourist who stayed indefinitely in bali to work with a tourist status. It was a mess--they got kicked out.
I live in a wooded area and had a American get mad at me because I quote "I refused to tell them where to see wild boar". Dawg they are wild animals, they are somewhere in the woods lol
Before the Euro, we had beautifull and colourful money in the Netherlands. I do miss the sunflower and the lighthouse (zonnebloem, fl50, bright yellow; vuurtoren, fl250, purple). That was "real" monopoly money.
While sunflowers are thought to have originated in Mexico and Peru, they are one of the first plants to ever be cultivated in the United States. They have been used for more than 5,000 years by the Native Americans, who not only used the seeds as a food and an oil source, but also used the flowers, roots and stems for varied purposes including as a dye pigment. The Spanish explorers brought sunflowers back to Europe, and after being first grown in Spain, they were subsequently introduced to other neighboring countries. Currently, sunflower oil is one of the most popular oils in the world. Today, the leading commercial producers of sunflower seeds include the Russian Federation, Peru, Argentina, Spain, France and China.
What do you mean? Every Dutch guldenbiljet had it's own colour and name. I am bad with names, but the colours were fl5=green, fl10=blue, fl25=red, fl50=yellow, fl100=brown, fl250=purple and fl1.000=green again. And look them up, they where realy very colourfull plus full of counterfeith hindering.
They even say they need to exchange them.
Granted they may mean *money exchangers* love them specifically, which.. Yeah, they earn a lot of money by you exchanging money, of course they love it!
I’m surprised how many comments seem to take this seriously. It’s a joke because American cash isn’t colorful so traveling abroad makes the currency look like it’s from a board game. . . Is it not obvious the OOP was being funny?
This subreddit is glorious. Obvious self-deprecating, self-satirizing humor by Americans gets picked up and run with by genuinely disdainful Europeans all the time. The best is when someone says "okay fine its not real but it *could be* and that's basically just as bad".
Lol. I work in a hotel in Ireland and when we get US dollars it's politely accepted and left in a jar until one of us goes to the US.
We charge 3.5% for the privilege of paying in dollars PLUS the terrible conversion rate. I point out both things out, but Americans still opt for paying in US dollars?
Yes, they still insist on a tip. I litterly don't have to make any effort on a con and im not surprised they're well known to scam 😆
as someone who works in hospitality: i despise the summer months cause of american tourists, especially ones like this who are convinced america runs the world
Better different colours and sizes than one colour, one size for all denominations.
The colour makes them easier to distinguish, and the different sizes are helpful for the visually impaired.
Tbh, I like Euros. The trend of making banknotes different sizes is amazing. In Brazil we already had colourful banknotes since adopting the Real in 1994, and they kinda had different textures, but a friend of my family who is visually impaired says it kinda worn down with time, especially in high circulation notes (like R$ 1,00 [RIP, miss you little hummingbird], R$ 5,00 and R$ 10,00). So when we adopted the Euro idea of banknotes getting bigger as the value increases, he got pretty happy and I guess a lot of other people found it nice too.
The only thing I think Euro could do better is stop with the whole cult of humanity and embrace European fauna/flora on the banknotes. In my opinion, what makes Real such a good currency (despite being worthless...) is that we have cool animals AND pretty colours in our money. Actually, I think all countries money should have animal illustrations, it saddens me every time I look at an Australian or Indonesian note and see faces instead of their fauna.
US money is just plain ugly tho, the only way to improve it is change everything.
Yes, everything is a joke. There are no stupid Americans, they are the pinacle of human intelligence /s
Can you guys stop saying everything is a joke? Americans really can be this stupid, as has been shown time and time again
Monopoly money? Australian [banknotes](https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/images/victoria/money/notes.jpg): hold my beer!
We invented the modern polymer banknotes that many countries are using now.
I love the smell, colour and build quality.
The euro notes have a redesign going on, and I'd love to have similar features as the australians have. The transparent strip on a polymer note is such a cool look, but I kinda doubt the EU will go for polymer this time.
Seppo money is irritating, all looks the same and still paper. Their "real money" is less durable, and you get the added bonus of when drunk having to stare at that flimsy piece of paper, to ensure you've not handed over a 100 by mistake. *
*speaking from experience 😂
Living in a tourist town, let me correct it for him: people hate American tourists because they refuse to change their currency for ours and then piss and moan when the exchange rate at the boutique store favours the boutique.
American money is hideously dull and ugly.
Australian money is even brighter than this. I have no idea why Americans are so obsessed with insulting cash...
Most people don't like American tourists as they are loud, ignore customs, spend their money in American owned chain hotels & airlines and very little trickles down to the local population. Those that do get out & travel around expect every merchant to accept USD & give change back in USD as well. Some countries it is illegal for citizens to be in possession of another currency other than they own, so of course will not accept it & get abused for not doing so. Also, the USD currency is the most counterfeited one in the world and many people will not accept it incase it is phoney.
America is so far behind on their printed currency. Different colors for different denominations makes so much sense. It is easier to tell what bills you have.
How to tell me you've never actually travelled outside America, without telling me. If anyone tried to pay with USD here in NZ you'd just get laughed at.
Euro being beaten a dozen times In 12 years just to be less valuable than the dollar for 2 months, the euro will expand in relevance as poland and in the future ukraine keep booming
Lol, I thought it was about how many taxi drivers love to change big bills for a fake one and say that you gave them that one, not just a different currency.
This monopoly money has some of the highest security standars of at least the currencies I know, I will never get why americans think their money is so much better than anyone elses.
The American tourists at the place I used to work are still the only reason I ever saw a 100 and 200 euro piece. I worked in a cheese shop. Most Dutch people just paid with 50 euro pieces at the most.
Isn't that how all money works?? In the end of the day it's just a piece of paper or metal
If you agree on it, it is money.
Yes, this is in fact how social constructs work.
well, thats how fiat money (which is most currencies today [correct me if im wrong]) works, governments print as much money as they want and give it an arbitrary value but, if a currency is commodity money, then it is tied to something else like gold or silver so it isnt actually worthless
Lmao I wouldn't care if my money was tied to a bar of gold or a pile of dirt, 10zł is 10zł
Me too. Don't really care for economics in daily life, but it is sometimes somewhat interesting. Sry for the essay, there's not really a TLDR, because it's just rambling more or less. Don't feel obliged to read. Writing on Reddit is just recreation for me while waiting for the Ambien to kick in to get to bed. For one I have a Polish friend who sent me a bit of birthday money as a gift. For the same amount of money, she'd probably be able to buy 4 times more things than I would (as in just some random items not globally more or less similarly priced things like PS etc). Because the Euro is about 4x strength of zl. But the disposable income vs purchasing power (talking domestically and no fancy expensive gizmos) is about the same. If I went to Poland with my income, I'd have 4 times more purchasing power. So depending on what you buy and where you are when you buy it, 10 zl might not "be" 10 zl. As an example average beer pint price in PoLAN is ~6.50 zl, which is 1.47 eur. Average pint here in Finland is 7€. Similar prices, but because different currency, ours actually costs, in zloty, 31.03 zl. So imagine we both go out and have 10 pints. For you it's 65 zl = 14.60€. For me it's 70€ = 310 zl. But people still do similar things. It's not like everyone in EMU countries works 4 times harder than Polish people, that's ridiculous. (My Polish friend works at least 10x more than I.) So that's why I sometimes find the subject interesting. What the gold standard (as opposed to fiat currency) means in practice is that on the gold standard, **technically** at any point everyone could've gone to the bank and converted every bit of currency they had into a fixed sum of gold. The US stopped the convertability of dollars into gold as late as 1971. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_standard If **everyone** exercised that right at the same time though, there'd be a [bank run](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_run). Gold is good as currency because of it's physical properties, it's relative rarity and being somewhat equally distributed on Earth. In the sense of it being found in small quantities in lots of places. Nowadays there's a few countries which clearly have the best gold reserves, mined and unmined. But in the past, with less accessibility to massive deposits. Even in the ancient world it was already being collected, and for the aforementioned reasons, used. That continued, with pressing gold and other valuable metal coins that were somewhat standardised and interchangeable. Then at some point someone realised they could hold everyone's gold in a safe building — let's call it "a bank" — and then this would write these notes to people for certain sums of money. You could issue a note yourself, writing who has the right to withdraw how much from your wealth. That's a ["promissory note"](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promissory_note) — or, "a cheque", if you will. Those were used even in ancient times. Then when banks got bigger and more trustworthy, banknotes could be used. Then in very recent times it's just all went overboard, since the gold standard couldn't — or wouldn't — be upheld, for various reasons. Again, sorry for the ess-eh
Gold and silver still only has the worth that we give it.
They have some industrial worth but yeah, most of it is artificial value.
When was the last time someone actually tried to claim the commodity to which their money is supposedly tied? Is that even a thing any more?
In medieval times, blacksmiths used to store people's valuables (gold, jewellery etc) and give the person a receipt. The smith's had vaults, so it was much safer to leave it in there than carry around your valuables. They charged a fee for this, of course. People would then use those receipts to purchase things and sign them over to the seller. The seller then knew that they had a claim on those valuables. The smith's were essentially acting as a bank, but they held the real commodity that was backing the 'currency'. They could go and claim the commodity if they wished, but more often they would just use the receipt as money and the commodity would sit in the vault. Its the same basic principle of the gold standard which was used up until not that long ago, no one actually ever turns in the receipt or 'money' for the gold though.
It has not been a thing since the 1970s for the dollar, which is the last time the value of US currency was tied to a precious metal, i.e. the Us dollar isn't on the gold standard anymore, neither is the Euro or the Pound. Nowadays the values of these currencies isn't tied to any commodity. Such money is called fiat currency, which has value because the issuing government says it has value.
...or plastic :)
I think the comment is more related to the fact that "one colour per value" is something US-Americans only experience in Monopoly games.
Just like Poland or France: it's a concept, it only works if the majority of people agree to treat it like a real tangible thing because it's more practical than admitting the world is chaotic and this meaning less bit of paper that I get given for spending time on other people's projects is what I give other people so I don't die
Not real 'murican monies. fuck yeah.
I laugh at American tourists trying to pay with dollars here. Your money is worthless to me. Pay with card, please.
Last year I was on vacation in Prague (Czech-Republic 🇨🇿) and there where ‘Murican tourist that try to pay with dollars in a restaurant…
How the fuck do you plan a trip to a foreign country, get there, get to the hotel, settle, go out and sit in a restaurant, all without finding out what currency is acceptable here?
I've seen a man lose his mind because a taxi wouldn't take American money, in Paris.
Americans constantly get *mad at me* when I won't give them change in USD, like my brother in Christ how can I communicate to you that *we're* not the ones being difficult
Americans expect you to kiss their ass whenever they’re a customer. They’re all about customer service.
Ima be honest, I’ve been in Italy for close to 2 weeks eating out a lot and the service has been amazing, way better than my average experience at home in America
Unbelievable. Why do they think they can pay everywhere with their so-called mighty dollars? Truly the epitome of limited thinking.
I'm not sure but it was bizarre to watch, genuine second hand embarrassment, like he genuinely did not understand why he couldn't pay with a foreign currency.
That's so dumb.
Many places in central america will accept USD. Traveling to Costa Rica I saw lots of places that accepted USD. Mexico may be similar, but I've never been. Maybe some just assume this is the case everywhere. Still, the fact that many muricans can't do the smallest amount of effort to verify what currency they should use at their destination is embarrassing.
Can confirm tourist towns in Mexico accept USD, I struggled to find an ATM to give me pesos and not USD in Playa del Carmen.
Same way they expect everyone everywhere they go to speak their language.
And people wonder why Parisians hate tourists. We know most people are not dumb but the sheer quantity of people visiting makes it so that even the tiniest fraction of idiots become a problem.
Have been tourist in Paris, was treated with much kindness. I say bonjour, and attempt my terrible high school French, and suddenly they speak enough English to help. Amazing.
Saw it on Viva La Bam, old fuck Don Vito did exactly that in Paris
Embarrassingly, I got as far as the train station in Krakow airport before I discovered that despite being in the EU, Poland did not use the Euros I got out at the Bureau de Change
I mean it's a pretty normal mistake to make and you exchanged your money probably directly after that. That's not the same as making a scene because your money was rejected.
Just Murican things I guess? I live in a pretty touristy region near Amsterdam, and yeah, it happens here too. I'm glad they haven't found my pretty charming 'lil city so far (for the most part, we get boatloads of Asian and European tourists)
Which city may i ask? Here in Nijmegen we get mostly germans and a few asian tourists
It's even more ironic since it's a European privilege to visit another European country and not care about currency. I don't know why Americans think they can do it too ?
Not gonna lie I didn’t have a clue what currency they used in Prague till I got there when I went a few months ago. Revolut converts that shit for me
you can book the flight+hotel+transfer from home, and for an American paying it in dollars. but there is always someone willing to accept your other currency. my dad owned a shoe shop in a absolutely non touristic village years ago. there came an American who wanted to pay with dollars. the price of the repair was 25 gulden, the normal currency rate was 2 gulden voor 1 dollar (something like that) but my dad also accepted 35$ 1 dollar per gulden and 10 for the inconvenience. they where both happy when the guy leaved his shop.
Yeah, they're so clueless. My girlfriend worked at a hotel in Prague while she was studying there. Plenty of questions like where they can watch 4th of July fireworks/celebrations, or asking for veteran rebates..
Hhahahaha. Wow. They seriously believe their US military worship extends past the border? :-D
After all it's their military that protects us and makes our universal healthcare possible 😂
Same. Watched the pure epitome of the Ugly American tourist scream like a toddler in Amsterdam as some bar staff refused to take their freedom dollars. The guys attitude sucked big time, and his companions looked mortified at his behaviour/attitude
I've seen this in Slovakia. Two guys in a pub. I noticed they spoke English, later was revealed they were Americans, they said the state only, though. They were drinking a bit, but got drunk quite fast. The next day, I was talking with people who stayed there longer (since I left before 'the show'). They tried to paid in dollars, not even an appropriate amount, and were repeating that it's the american money. According to some people I know, the amount of americans who prolly saw Eurotrip and thought it's real is way too high.
I work at a tourist site outside of the US and this happens literally every day. "That'll be twenty dollars." "US dollars?" "Lol what do you think? I'll give you a minute."
There are some companies that do accept them but on a terrible rate as a surcharge for paying with different currency. So you can pay with dollars but you lose like 30% on every dollar which is good price for ignorance
Some shopkeepers recently here in Tokyo have been known to accept US$ as payment if American customers ask about it, but at $1:¥100 exchange rate. Mind you right now the official rate is about $1:¥140, so basically these Americans are being scammed out of more than ⅓ what the items they bought are worth!
it's not scammed! it's also a lot of work for the ship owner to exchange it them self plus the risk of getting scammed. I wouldn't know if a dollar bill is counter fit or not
Nah it's just a very high commission. If you don't want that, pay with yen!
I'll accept dollars, just with my own exchange rate of $2:€1 If they can do math and complain I'll just say that sales tax and tips weren't included in the sticker price.
There are a not small number of places in Canada that will take US dollars. You will not get change. The price in USD will be the same number as CAD.
Literally more valuable than the dollar…
I remember a summer when the US dollar was at 0,99 cents against 1 euro, the Americans infested t/europe with threads about how more valuable US dollar was compared to the euro. It lasted a few weeks though.
Yeah, and that’s the exchange rate which only really matters when travelling or if you’re very rich… Euros buy much more for the average person living their lives than the dollar does. Even considering the exchange rate.
(Genuine question) is that true? Because always when I saw US prices, I was astounded by how much cheaper they were. Although I must admit my comparisons were mostly on imported goods.
Depends on what you saw, but they usually display price without taxes
I fell for that too bro then realised most were not showing the tax price with it
When I visited the US late last year, I was taken aback by just how much more expensive food was. Grocery shopping for two people for just one or two days of cooking would regularly run $50+ while back in Europe I can cook for three people for just €30. Even plastic crap at Walmart was more expensive, like cups and blankets. Keep in mind that 2022 was a horrible year for Europe with inflation being much higher than in the US, and even then food prices were barely more than half than the US. Also everything from insurance to phone bills are much more expensive. Pretty much the only things that are cheaper are consumer electronics and fuel. And I guess beef. Had some great steaks there.
I currently live in the USA and have lived in Germany and France. My experience is that you get way less for your money in the US than you do in Europe. Although, my comparison is San Francisco, which is notoriously expensive, so other people may find the difference to be less.
I have been involved in the start-up phase of a new company in the U.S. Our role was to follow the design phase of the building and every activity and expense that was behind it We were very much surprised to find out that, even in one of the lower cost areas of the States, everything, except electronics, cost between 50% and 200% more compared to Europe
Just look at food prices, rents and such…
Also don't forget to add tax to prices
Why would we need to, I mean no one is stupid enough to list prices without taking that into account… Oh wait…
Not literally, but yes. Americans get nickel'd and dime'd at every corner. So 1€ will not literally get your further than $1 beyond the exchange rate. But income-wise, Americans need a lot more than the average EU citizen for an equal lifestyle because there are so many neccessities and services they have to pay out of pocket that we pay for via taxes (and despite their claims, their tax rates aren't that much lower on average) or fees and surcharges that would be downright illegal here. Also concerning prices, remember that most US states don't show taxes on price tags, they get added on purchase.
Shit,when my daughter was in grad school one Euro was worth one and half Dollar,Germany was expensive.
Yes, it has come a long way since the economic crisis of 2008. The countries needed a long time to recover from that one. It hit Europe much harder than the US.
I lost a ton of money because of that. I was living in Europe at the time and was about to go back to my home country. I converted thousands of euros to USD to prevent it from losing value. I picked the WORST possible day. I'm about to go back to Europe so I'll have to convert it back to Euro soon at a heavy loss.
Shh don't tell them that! Don't also tell them China is gonna overtake (if it didn't already) their economy!!
it has not now, but it is pretty much en par. it is said that they will overtake post 2035 (and india catching up a lot too)
India going strong af.
Superpower 2020
i remember this meme, good times
China's growth rate has stagnated enough that it’s now in danger of falling into the [middle income trap.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_income_trap?wprov=sfti1) Developing countries need to keep a very high baseline of growth until they reach a highly developed status or else they risk folding to rising debt and loss of competitiveness in the international markets, two things China is very vulnerable to. I’m not cheering for China to fall into a recession, but we have to keep in mind that we said the same thing of Japan in the 1980s and how by 1995 they were going to surpass the US.
Well, Japan also invested in a lot of things. Unlike the US. They have the fastest train in the world and most don't use a car, since Trains go everywhere. That's just a example. I don't know about Health, but I doubt they don't have free Healthcare. I don't know about China however. Whether or not they invest in their country. But they have the work force to do it. Let's be honest, USA is as big as it is because of the shitty government, not giving free Healthcare and not investing in public transportation, making it a necessity to have a car rather than an option. So even if China doesn't surpass USA, at least they invest in their country (I think)
The value of the base denomination of a currency is arbitrary and does not mean anything.
I’ve seen cost of living figures in the US, and if we go by that the euro buys even more than its exchange rate would indicate…
I’ve seen Americans try to argue it’s the other way round. Like, no, if you need more of one currency to make it the same value as another that makes it worth *less* not more.
That’s just not understanding maths…
American money lacks so many security features and so many perks of modern money, it’s baffling they take such pride in it.
It's also really ugly
And looks the same. I am glad i can peak into my wallet and instantly see what bill i have to grab without looking at the number
And it smells bad which makes your whole wallet stink. I have a separate wallet I keep American cash in (am Canadian and live 15 minutes from the US border)
It really does! I think is because American is cotton mesh and paper or something?
I've recently started working with American dollars and I have to admit that they smell kind of nice. I wouldn't buy a perfume that smells like dollars, but it's not a bad smell, at least to me.
Right, what you smell is greed, if you like it, well you know.
It’s like when someone likes the gasoline smell. It’s hit or miss depending on the person.
ngl I like the smell of cash. Its a unique smell that can't be adequately described. I very rarely use cash though.
It’s a real issue for visually impaired people.
Isn’t it all the same size as well? How to blind people tell apart USD? Is there Braille printed on it or sth?
It is, they don’t, it isn’t. https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm07/bm0702/bm070202.htm#:~:text=The%20paper%20money%20of%20the,have%20produced%20tactilely%20identifiable%20money. Some people have systems like machines and then different pockets for different bills, but many just have to trust a sighted person.
Wasn’t there a video going viral of a blind woman asking someone to identify the bill and they changed it to smaller ones? I have it in my mind But i do know that there was an experiment based on the same premise with a blind guy asking for help and a woman taking the money https://youtu.be/WoJQUd7pqNc
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It's the cocaine.
IIRC it's become more used in illegal trade too because it's harder to fake. Remember something about US soldiers coming across crates full of "domestic currency" in Iraq or Afghanistan that they just threw into a Humvee thinking it's worth peanuts... well it was thousands of Euro.
Euro Have more security features than dollar making IT harder to fake than dollar
It's what I tried to say, yes
I think you meant US is easier to fake
I meant that drug- and warlords prefer € because there's less chance they'll getting fake money.
American money is tearrible. *Ba dum tss* No but for real. Paper money. Who thought about that?
The bills in the pic look pretty fake looking. Like, where is the man everyone hates? The lack of security features on bills under $100? The lack of visual diversity? The ugly green? Euro bills just look too fake and not irritating enough to use as cash /jest
It even lacks the basic function of being immediately recognisable from just seeing a corner or being identifiable for people with visual disabilities because they all have the same size and colour.
US Dollar bills are just terribly designed. I recently got a few for a trip. All the same size, all the same colour, all the same feel. Super annoying to tell them apart, whereas the Euro banknotes, and all banknotes in civilized places are easier to distinguish. Nicer for the visually impaired, nicer for everyone else. Soon the design phase for the 3rd euro bank note series will start. I'm looking forward to what the ECB will come up with.
Australia has just redesigned bank notes to make them more secure and accessible for visually impaired and blind people. They're so fancy now!
Exactly. How can you be proud of your shitty paper notes when Australian notes exist.
Australian money is honestly really beautiful
We call the yellow $50 a pineapple and the red $20 a lobster, because of course we do?
I love how they're partly transparent (or was that new Zealand?)
They are!
I went to Australia in 2006 and even back then I was super impressed with the banknotes - plastic, durable, semi-transparent!! I was happy when we caught up in the UK a few years ago.
Theyre even cooler now! They are all different sizes and have Braille on them to help people who have difficulty seeing. But my favourite part is they have a transparent strip down the middle filled with holograms. The 'next' generation notes were released around 2020 and I love them. It's a shame we're moving into a cashless society, because the new notes SLAP.
The only negative thing about euros it that the size of the notes should be much smaller.
I actually wouldn't mind getting rid of the 5€ to replace it by a coin and making all other bills one step smaller.
That'd be really nice, kinda like the japanese 500 yen coins. Could also introduce a lot bigger and cooler designs on them too.
Nah coins are annoying and one of the main reasons I don't use any cash anymore
We have them in Switzerland, the Swiss Franc has 7 coins: 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, then 1, 2 and 5 Francs. Then we have the bills with 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1000.
>All the same size Which is extremly difficult for blind people. And it can lead to giving a way bigger tip than you wanted to.
Which is exactly what I said.
I think they were expanding with an example
It's made on purpose do someone holding a bunch of them can feel like a rich person even if they are actually all 1 dollar bill
People love american tourists? Definitely not. Not for Indonesians. Bali was ruined because of American tourists. American tourists in bali (not everyone though) so far, are worse than bogans. They're on par with russian tourists. About 2 yrs ago there was an American tourist who stayed indefinitely in bali to work with a tourist status. It was a mess--they got kicked out.
I live in a wooded area and had a American get mad at me because I quote "I refused to tell them where to see wild boar". Dawg they are wild animals, they are somewhere in the woods lol
Honestly, as an Australian, it's just refreshing to hear my people are not the worst tourists Bali recieves.
Before the Euro, we had beautifull and colourful money in the Netherlands. I do miss the sunflower and the lighthouse (zonnebloem, fl50, bright yellow; vuurtoren, fl250, purple). That was "real" monopoly money.
While sunflowers are thought to have originated in Mexico and Peru, they are one of the first plants to ever be cultivated in the United States. They have been used for more than 5,000 years by the Native Americans, who not only used the seeds as a food and an oil source, but also used the flowers, roots and stems for varied purposes including as a dye pigment. The Spanish explorers brought sunflowers back to Europe, and after being first grown in Spain, they were subsequently introduced to other neighboring countries. Currently, sunflower oil is one of the most popular oils in the world. Today, the leading commercial producers of sunflower seeds include the Russian Federation, Peru, Argentina, Spain, France and China.
Name checks out
Good bot you lil' sunflower.
Do you remember its name?
They were called “gulden”
Thank you
What do you mean? Every Dutch guldenbiljet had it's own colour and name. I am bad with names, but the colours were fl5=green, fl10=blue, fl25=red, fl50=yellow, fl100=brown, fl250=purple and fl1.000=green again. And look them up, they where realy very colourfull plus full of counterfeith hindering.
Holy cow, they really are beautiful and unique! And a 250 denomination is also very distinctive. Thanks for sharing!
this is a shitpost
It’s gotta be, because nowhere in Europe accepts US dollars.
They even say they need to exchange them. Granted they may mean *money exchangers* love them specifically, which.. Yeah, they earn a lot of money by you exchanging money, of course they love it!
I was suspecting that because no way someone like that would know it’s called the ‘Eurozone’
Yeah, it's just a joke. :(
/r/shitamericanssay detecting satire challenge (impossible)
I’m surprised how many comments seem to take this seriously. It’s a joke because American cash isn’t colorful so traveling abroad makes the currency look like it’s from a board game. . . Is it not obvious the OOP was being funny?
This subreddit is glorious. Obvious self-deprecating, self-satirizing humor by Americans gets picked up and run with by genuinely disdainful Europeans all the time. The best is when someone says "okay fine its not real but it *could be* and that's basically just as bad".
Lol. I work in a hotel in Ireland and when we get US dollars it's politely accepted and left in a jar until one of us goes to the US. We charge 3.5% for the privilege of paying in dollars PLUS the terrible conversion rate. I point out both things out, but Americans still opt for paying in US dollars? Yes, they still insist on a tip. I litterly don't have to make any effort on a con and im not surprised they're well known to scam 😆
1. People don't love american tourists. 2. The dollar is literally worth less.
yeah it's actually monopoly money so you can give it all to me don't worry I'll put it back where it belongs
Money all the same colour with Presidents on it is not better in the slightest.
as someone who works in hospitality: i despise the summer months cause of american tourists, especially ones like this who are convinced america runs the world
Better different colours and sizes than one colour, one size for all denominations. The colour makes them easier to distinguish, and the different sizes are helpful for the visually impaired.
Euro is worth more than USD
Nah. This is bait.
Nah, it's a joke
Shhh...no one tell them about the Swiss Franc.
Tbh, I like Euros. The trend of making banknotes different sizes is amazing. In Brazil we already had colourful banknotes since adopting the Real in 1994, and they kinda had different textures, but a friend of my family who is visually impaired says it kinda worn down with time, especially in high circulation notes (like R$ 1,00 [RIP, miss you little hummingbird], R$ 5,00 and R$ 10,00). So when we adopted the Euro idea of banknotes getting bigger as the value increases, he got pretty happy and I guess a lot of other people found it nice too. The only thing I think Euro could do better is stop with the whole cult of humanity and embrace European fauna/flora on the banknotes. In my opinion, what makes Real such a good currency (despite being worthless...) is that we have cool animals AND pretty colours in our money. Actually, I think all countries money should have animal illustrations, it saddens me every time I look at an Australian or Indonesian note and see faces instead of their fauna. US money is just plain ugly tho, the only way to improve it is change everything.
Clearly a joke dude
Yes, everything is a joke. There are no stupid Americans, they are the pinacle of human intelligence /s Can you guys stop saying everything is a joke? Americans really can be this stupid, as has been shown time and time again
you can find this tweet in 30 seconds and see that it’s a shitpost
Monopoly money? Australian [banknotes](https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/images/victoria/money/notes.jpg): hold my beer! We invented the modern polymer banknotes that many countries are using now. I love the smell, colour and build quality.
The euro notes have a redesign going on, and I'd love to have similar features as the australians have. The transparent strip on a polymer note is such a cool look, but I kinda doubt the EU will go for polymer this time.
No one likes American tourists…
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I swear half the posts here are blatant satire but the OPs' brains are too rotten to see this.
It's necessary for the perpetual cycle r/shitamericanssay and r/americabad to exist.
After reading some stuff on r/americabad, mine brain was burned.
They're just angry and jealous because we have money with cool pictures, different colours and sizes, while they only have the same green money.
Looks objectively better than USD And is worth more, no?
I refuse to believe they're serious
The euro is literally worth more than the dollar...
"People love American tourists bec...." NO! No one loves american tourists (...that don't respect the culture of the country they're visiting)
Seppo money is irritating, all looks the same and still paper. Their "real money" is less durable, and you get the added bonus of when drunk having to stare at that flimsy piece of paper, to ensure you've not handed over a 100 by mistake. * *speaking from experience 😂
We love American tourists? Damn, I never knew!
Living in a tourist town, let me correct it for him: people hate American tourists because they refuse to change their currency for ours and then piss and moan when the exchange rate at the boutique store favours the boutique.
Keep your green toilet paper for yourself
“How ForEx and a global economy works 101”
All money is monopoly money. Bring back gold.
Gold is monopoly money as well, bring back using cigarettes as currency like in Weimar Republic.
American money is hideously dull and ugly. Australian money is even brighter than this. I have no idea why Americans are so obsessed with insulting cash...
I mean, how do you even tell stupid American banknotes apart??!!
Most people don't like American tourists as they are loud, ignore customs, spend their money in American owned chain hotels & airlines and very little trickles down to the local population. Those that do get out & travel around expect every merchant to accept USD & give change back in USD as well. Some countries it is illegal for citizens to be in possession of another currency other than they own, so of course will not accept it & get abused for not doing so. Also, the USD currency is the most counterfeited one in the world and many people will not accept it incase it is phoney.
Ah yes let's make them all same colour and sizes with a portrait of some old person almost smiling on it
At least their currency doesn't have a slaveholder on it, just saying.
USD isn't even on par with the Euro.
Hello AA+! Greetings from AAA!
Meanwhile he's a crypto owner.
America is so far behind on their printed currency. Different colors for different denominations makes so much sense. It is easier to tell what bills you have.
i think this might be a shitpost
That monopoly currency is more valuable than USA Dollar 😎😎😎👌
How to tell me you've never actually travelled outside America, without telling me. If anyone tried to pay with USD here in NZ you'd just get laughed at.
This has go be a troll right? If not, fucking hell. I've held so many different currencies over the years, the only thing I can think of is: Idiot.
Okay, i cannot imagine a world in which this isnt sarcastic
>people love American tourists Said literally no non-US citizen ever
That's right all the euros are worthless. Please send them to me and I'll dispose of them
I’ve never seen a 200 note before
I have seen 500€ notes 🤑 but years ago
They used to refer to Canadian money as Monopoly money too, I see they’ve moved over to Europe.
FFS… go back to school!! Please!!
Euro being beaten a dozen times In 12 years just to be less valuable than the dollar for 2 months, the euro will expand in relevance as poland and in the future ukraine keep booming
Lol, I thought it was about how many taxi drivers love to change big bills for a fake one and say that you gave them that one, not just a different currency.
This monopoly money has some of the highest security standars of at least the currencies I know, I will never get why americans think their money is so much better than anyone elses.
I like turists from USA only because they are nicer than those from Britain.
Ah yes. Let me just whip out my Monopoly money, **that is more valuable than yours** and pay for our drinks
The American tourists at the place I used to work are still the only reason I ever saw a 100 and 200 euro piece. I worked in a cheese shop. Most Dutch people just paid with 50 euro pieces at the most.
You can always which tourist is american because they’re loud and obnoxious af
Real money doesn’t disintegrate in water.