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Foreign Currency Services

Buying or selling foreign currencies is easy with BFSFCU!

 

 

Buying Foreign Currency

Order your foreign currency and have it delivered
directly to you or the IFC Branch.

 

 

How to place your order online:

  • Log in to Digital Banking
  • Click on Self Service 
  • Select Foreign Currency
  • Follow the steps to complete your order

 

How to place your order at a branch:

Visit any of our branches during business hours, and a branch representative will assist you with your order. 

Branch Locations 

 

Items for Consideration

  • Orders submitted before 3:00 PM ET will be received within 2 business days
  • Deliveries occur Monday – Friday (no weekends or holidays)
  • Each order is limited to a maximum of $5,000 USD equivalent
  • Packages are shipped via FedEx and require a signature from someone who is 21 years old


Selling Foreign Currency

Did you come back from a trip with extra cash? No problem! Visit our IFC Branch to sell your foreign currency.


IFC Branch

2100 K Street, NW
Washington DC 20037

 


icon Frequently Asked Questions

We offer close to 100 different currencies. To view all our selection of currencies, please log in to Digital Banking, select ‘Self Service’ under the drop-down menu, and then select ‘Foreign Currency’.

The current rates are available in Digital Banking. Please select Self Service, and under the drop-down menu, select Foreign Currency.

We do our best to accommodate all the requests we receive, but specific denominations are subject to availability.

Foreign Currency orders submitted before 3:00 PM EDT between Monday and Friday (non-holidays) will be shipped to you via FedEx and delivered within 2 business days. Orders will not be delivered on holidays, Saturdays, or Sundays.

For security reasons, orders are only delivered to the member who placed the order, so you must be present at the location where the currency is being delivered. Please note that at delivery time, we will request a proof of identification (government issued ID).

To receive your order, you need to be at least 21 years old.

When visiting the IFC branch to retrieve your order, you will need proof of identification (government issued ID).

Yes. There is a fee to have foreign currency shipped to you directly or to have it shipped to the IFC branch. However, if foreign currency is delivered to you the shipping fee is smaller. All fees and costs associated with ordering foreign currency are presented to you in Digital Banking prior to submitting an order.


icon Frequently Asked Questions About Using Your Debit Card Outside the United States

Members using BFSFCU debit cards outside the United States will want to be aware of additional fees for using ATMs in another country, as international transaction fees are often a percentage of the amount withdrawn. A foreign transaction fee (pass-through of surcharge from Visa®) applies when using a BFSFCU debit card at any merchant or retailer outside of the U.S. and is equal to 1% of the transaction. The foreign transaction fee also applies to online and in-person purchases made with your debit card.

BFSFCU credit card holders do not pay international transaction fees. Simply pay for purchases with your BFSFCU credit card to avoid international transaction fees. Please note that, when used at a non-network ATM overseas, the withdrawal is treated as a cash advance and interest will be charged.

The ATM owner is responsible for setting the exchange rate, which is typically consistent with the global exchange rate of the day. In many cases, you will be asked to choose whether your withdrawal should be billed in local currency or converted to USD by the ATM owner. Choosing the option for conversion by the ATM owner may result in a less favorable exchange rate as well as potential surcharges, while the option to be billed to your BFSFCU debit card in local currency may be more favorable, since it is settled at the Visa® controlled prevailing exchange rate.

Before you make your withdrawal, go online and search for the current global exchange rate to confirm whether the ATM you are looking to use is a good choice. And remember, if you use a BFSFCU credit card, we waive the 1% transaction fee!

The exchange rate is set by Visa®, and you can use their online tool to calculate it here based on a number of factors. The exchange rate can change daily, so we recommend checking on the date you may be using your card for the most accurate information.

In most cases, merchants will ask if the cardholder would like the merchant to convert the currency. This generally should be avoided as the merchant often adds additional fees to convert the transaction on the cardholder’s behalf. Additionally, all BFSFCU credit cards waive the 1% foreign transaction fee, but our debit card has a 1% fee associated with foreign transactions.

 

Not a Digital Banking user yet?

BFSFCU logo icon

To enroll in Digital Banking, you will need your member number, your date of birth, and a temporary PIN. To obtain your temporary PIN, please call (202) 212-6400.

 

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