The answer is that Bank B is the winner. Bank A will charge its minimum fee of 3 francs, since the commission of 0.8 francs (1 percent of 50 x 1.6) is Jess than its minimum fee. Bank B will charge 1.65 francs (2 percent of 50 x 1.65) since 1.65 is greater than its minimum fee. So for USD 50, Bank B is better. Be careful, though. To change USD 500, Bank A is better, and will only charge 8 francs, while Bank B will charge 16.5 francs. For large amounts, Bank A wins by a mile.

I’ll bet 95 percent of you just had your eyes glaze over. Seems like those miserable word problems you thought you left behind in high school doesn’t it?
Who needs this on vacation? You arrive at a train station tired, hot, and sweaty, and you’ve got to deal with this nonsense, and when you do, you still have the feeling that you’ve been taken. So remember the following;

- Banks, the larger the better, are almost always the best places to change money. They may not be in the train station with flashing rate boards, but they will have the lowest fees and the best rates. It is worth your while leaving the train station to find one, especially for changing large amounts. (Holland is a notable exception to this rule, where all medium- ro large-sized train stations have change booths that charge the same as any bank.)