October 13, 20232 yr Heading across the pond soon. What the Surly recommendation for English pounds? Get over there? Don't get any - use a card?
October 13, 20232 yr Heading across the pond soon. What the Surly recommendation for English pounds? Get over there? Don't get any - use a card?Don't get any. Using your credit/debit cards gets you the best daily rate.
October 13, 20232 yr Author 7 minutes ago, Orale said: 15 minutes ago, Asithappens said: Heading across the pond soon. What the Surly recommendation for English pounds? Get over there? Don't get any - use a card? Don't get any. Using your credit/debit cards gets you the best daily rate. Thanks, man. That was the answer I was hoping for.
October 13, 20232 yr you might need petty cash for tipping or hole in the wall spots that are cash only. if you bank with bank of america, you can use your atm card at any barclays location/machine and extract money with only a 3% international fee charged. the exchange rate is decent. sometimes you even come out on top b/c the exchange rate isn't real time. if you have more larger needs for cold hard cash the most fungible thing is taking one or two coins and selling them at a shop.
October 13, 20232 yr England is likely the most cashless country in the world. Even food carts have contactless payment kiosks.
October 13, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, The Ace of Aces said: England is likely the most cashless country in the world. Even food carts have contactless payment kiosks. We were there in May and ate at several cash only places. You want a Schwab bank card; no ATM or forex fees.
October 13, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, Asithappens said: What the Surly recommendation for English pounds? Theyre mostly fat, sloppy, and uncouth, but who am I to judge if a tourist needs to get his rocks off.
October 13, 20232 yr England is likely the most cashless country in the world. Even food carts have contactless payment kiosks. You can even tap the card at the paid toilets. No need for cash over there at all outside of tipping a guide on a tour.
October 13, 20232 yr If you travel enough, go open a Schwab checking account. Their debit card refunds international ATM fees. Then transfer some money to that account and withdraw in local country ATMs whenever you travel.
October 13, 20232 yr I typically get a very small amount of cash for the increasingly rare situations in which a card can't be used, e.g., certain vendors in open-air markets. The last time I was in Europe (a few years ago), I put damn near everything on a Capital One card simply because it didn't charge foreign currency transaction fees.
October 13, 20232 yr And I'm not sure if this is an issue in Britain or not, but if the ATM offers to convert the money for you, don't (i.e. withdraw in dollars and let the ATM change into pounds). Third party ATMs use a different, less generous, exchange rate than your bank is likely to do. I've heard it's an issue in Czechia and I've seen it in Germany.
October 13, 20232 yr 11 minutes ago, 27-25 said: And I'm not sure if this is an issue in Britain or not, but if the ATM offers to convert the money for you, don't (i.e. withdraw in dollars and let the ATM change into pounds). Third party ATMs use a different, less generous, exchange rate than your bank is likely to do. I've heard it's an issue in Czechia and I've seen it in Germany. It’s true almost anywhere you try to withdraw in a foreign currency. Always decline the conversion and accept your bank’s rate. Avoid like the plague EuroNet branded ATMs. Their fees are absurd and they park themselves in trafficked areas. Always find a local bank ATM instead. Despite the name EuroNet is also American owned so you’re getting fucked by Americans just like back home. Edited October 13, 20232 yr by 956 Worldwide
October 14, 20232 yr Unless you're with some rural farming co-op credit union, your US bank uses the Visa daily exchange rate.
October 15, 20232 yr Most places in London don't even take cash. I stupidly took 100 pounds out of an ATM shortly after landing there a few months ago. 80 pounds is still sitting in my wallet.
October 15, 20232 yr Most places in London don't even take cash. I stupidly took 100 pounds out of an ATM shortly after landing there a few months ago. 80 pounds is still sitting in my wallet.I had 150 extra pounds in my wallet after our last trip. I just stuck em in a Christmas card for the boy to take back with him, but I regularly end up with extra currency when we get home from foreign trips. I’ve got a knack for keeping it under 10 bucks worth or so. And if it’s euros, pounds, or pesos, we’ll use em soon enough.
October 16, 20232 yr I usually take out a $100 US equivalent from a local ATM for random tips and such. I always use a local ATM and agree to never let the ATM do the conversion for you. When I am checking out of my hotel to leave I just take any left over cash and ask them to apply it to my hotel bill and charge the rest. It worked out great when I won a bunch of AUS $s gambling when I was in Brisbane. Edited October 16, 20232 yr by Jimbaround
October 16, 20232 yr 31 minutes ago, Jimbaround said: When I am checking out of my hotel to leave I just take any left over cash and ask them to apply it to my hotel bill and charge the rest. Goddamn....that's a good idea. Posrep.
October 16, 20232 yr 34 minutes ago, Jimbaround said: When I am checking out of my hotel to leave I just take any left over cash and ask them to apply it to my hotel bill and charge the rest. JFC. That's a great idea. I have a problem having ZERO cash on me, so I'll take out a few bucks and it lasts my multiple trips. But for countries I don't visit a lot, that's a great tip.
October 16, 20232 yr Get some Scotish notes and watch everyone in London lose their shit when you try to pay with a RBS note Agreed with all above about cashless. I looked like a moron trying to pay with cash while everyone paid with card
October 16, 20232 yr 3 minutes ago, midtown said: Get some Scotish notes and watch everyone in London lose their shit when you try to pay with a RBS note Agreed with all above about cashless. I looked like a moron trying to pay with cash while everyone paid with card I had no idea that Scotland had its own version of the Pound. I used an atm in the Hebrides and when I pulled the cash from the machine I thought that I had purchased some tourist bucks or the like. Stepped back to make sure I was at a bank, yup. Weird. 1 hour ago, Jimbaround said: I usually take out a $100 US equivalent from a local ATM for random tips and such. I always use a local ATM and agree to never let the ATM do the conversion for you. When I am checking out of my hotel to leave I just take any left over cash and ask them to apply it to my hotel bill and charge the rest. It worked out great when I won a bunch of AUS $s gambling when I was in Brisbane. Good idea, but I have rarely have more than $20 in foreign currency at the end of a trip, but If I ever have more I'm using your tip. Love the weird coins, odd colored and sized bills. When I get back to the house I unpack and place all the loose change and bills in a pile on a shelf. If I'm going to a country I've been to before, I dig through the pile before I leave and have some local currency when I land. It's kinda fun digging through the pile and remembering past trips and thinking about when you'll go next. Hell you already have some cash laying around, can't let that go to waste. Turkish Lyra, Greek Drachmae ... RIP
October 16, 20232 yr As much as I try I always end up with extra currency. I just take it back next visit
October 16, 20232 yr 4 hours ago, midtown said: As much as I try I always end up with extra currency. I just take it back next visit Hey, what's the funky green bill second from the top in the column to the right? That looks crazy rare . . .
October 16, 20232 yr 4 hours ago, midtown said: Get some Scotish notes and watch everyone in London lose their shit when you try to pay with a RBS note Agreed with all above about cashless. I looked like a moron trying to pay with cash while everyone paid with card Meh. They don't care, dinero es dinero. I had RBS pounds last time I was in London, nobody batted an eye. Of course, I only used them for tipping strippers, so maybe that had something to do with it.
October 16, 20232 yr I usually just give it away if I'm in Canada or Mexico since I'll just end up forgetting what I did with it on a previous trip anyway. People do look at you odd when you ask them if they want $20 at a mall in Langley BC.
October 17, 20232 yr England is likely the most cashless country in the world. Even food carts have contactless payment kiosks. China says hi
October 17, 20232 yr 10 hours ago, midtown said: As much as I try I always end up with extra currency. I just take it back next visit That only works if the shithead country you're visiting didn't retire those bills. I brought $100+ worth of 5 year old bills on our May trip and none were honored in London, Prague and Zurich.
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