Money/Money Exchange

Haven't been on a European cruise and have not exchanged money for a while. I know that most of our costs are charged to our credit card on the cruise. I will be primarily in the UK with excursions and with a side trip to Paris in June. I have a few questions. Is it a good idea to bring American dollars in cash in some amount? Is it better to take some cash and go to an exchange place or use an ATM to withdraw British pounds via a credit or debit card? Where do you get the best rate? I am assuming I might need a little money here and there during the side trips for souvenirs, tips, food, etc. so I don't want to be without any money. I have some old travelers checks never used. Can they still be used at hotels in London or elsewhere? Thx.

Many people in Europe will never even of heard of travellers' cheques. They fell out of favour years ago, so you would have real difficulty finding somewhers to change them. Don't bring dollars either. Just use ATMs but use a debit card, not a credit card. If you want to arrive with just a few pounds and euros for eg a taxi, get them from your own bank before you leave home.

Travellers chequers are only useful for a museum. Dollars are of limited value in Europe ,you will need Euros for France and Pounds Sterling for UK, some cash but most things can go on cc's or debit cards.

Where can I change American dollars for pounds and euros without using a credit or debit card in Europe?

 

 

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Where can I change American dollars for pounds and euros without using a credit or debit card in Europe?

 

 

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You probably would need to go to a bank

 

 

I would just get some before you leave home

 

If you plan to use your debit card be sure to let your bank know you will be travelling & make sure you have enough funds in your account

Where can I change American dollars for pounds and euros without using a credit or debit card in Europe?

 

 

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In the UK at larger banks, post offices, and exchange bureaux. There are exchange bureaux in most towns & cities, but outside touristy areas you may have to hunt / ask . In non-tourist areas they're often within a travel agent's office or a cash-converter (pawn) shop, or a large department shop or superstore.

The rate that you're offered will fluctuate wildly from source to source, exchange booths in tourist areas and travel places (airports, stations & such) will almost-certainly offer the poorest rates.

I find it fun to check out buying and selling rates at airport currency booths - they're pirates, the difference (ie the mark-up) is huge.:eek::eek::eek:

I don't know whether you can get better rates at home before you leave.

 

For purchases, credit cards are widely-used throughout western Europe. That's how you get the best rates - especially if like most frequent-travellers you have a card with no foreign transaction fee.

Debit card in an ATM is the best value for cash. If you find yourself obliged to use a credit card to draw cash from an ATM, pay the card off in full as soon as practicable rather than waiting for the due date - interest on cash withdrawals is charged from the moment you draw it.

 

As long as you're happy with your security carrying cash, there's no harm in carrying USD as a reserve. But you'll need to change it to spend it.

 

JB :)

I had seen on another thread that taxis in England take credit cards. Is that not always true?

Where can I change American dollars for pounds and euros without using a credit or debit card in Europe?

 

 

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You can do it at a change bureau or at some banks but you are generally going to get bad rates and make things unnecessarily complicated for yourself. If at home you use a debit card at a bank to withdraw cash, then why not do the same thing when overseas. You will simply be getting your cash in the local currency, with the best rates if you withdraw from a bank ATM. Depending on your bank you may or may not have fees to cover. I make a point to carry 2 fee free debit cards as well as a CC with no foriegn exchange fees. From a practical standpoint the days of monetary "exchange" done directly have long passed and it is much easier for you or me to do an ATM withdrawal and let the banks do the exchange in the background.

I had seen on another thread that taxis in England take credit cards. Is that not always true?

All "black" cabs in London do, but others may or may not. You should ask before you get in. If you open an Uber account they debit you automatically. ("black" cabs are not always black :))

 

To the OP: It's true that most of your costs will be charged on the ship, but experienced cruisers take some ones and fives for tips etc.

. "black" cabs are not always black :)

.

 

:D

 

Yep, I'm aware that some tourists still shun traditional London cabs that are maroon or gold or any other colour that isn't black. :rolleyes:

I do wonder whether cabbies who buy cabs of other colours do so for that reason - because they regard tourists as a pain in the a^^ ;)

 

Pre-WW2 London cabs came in a wide range of colours, but post-war new cabs were (almost) always black because that was the manufacturers' default colour, and any other colour came with a hefty premium. So they acquired the generic name "black cabs".

https://www.lvta.co.uk/history.htm

Although black has still been by far the most common colour, more cabbies chose other colours after the introduction of the iconic 4-door FX4 London cab in 1958.

But the colour is irrelevant - they are all bound by the same stringent vehicle and driver regulations.

 

These famous "London cabs" (correct title is hackney carriages) are the only ones which can be hailed in the street. It's cheaper but less convenient to phone for a private-hire taxi, they're subject to less-stringent regulation. So for instance hail a hackney cab for a short hop in town, but book a private-hire car for the airport - same advice anywhere in the UK.

 

Purpose-built hackney carriages are only required in London. Elsewhere in the UK they can be a wide range of makes and models. Regulation varies from region to region but all are metered, have a taxi sign on the roof & taxi licence plate on the back, and the driver's ID clearly displayed inside.

 

For visitors who know London well & who think I should have used a capital "H" for hackney - it has nothing to do with the London borough of Hackney, it comes from the French word hacquenee, a general-purpose horse

 

JB :)

All "black" cabs in London do ...

Occasionally, you will find a cabbie who will tell you when you hail him that unfortunately his card machine has gone offline. However, I suspect that market forces will do for this type of misbehaviour, as we move ever closer to being a cashless society.

 

Purpose-built hackney carriages are only required in London. Elsewhere in the UK they can be a wide range of makes and models. Regulation varies from region to region but all are metered, have a taxi sign on the roof & taxi licence plate on the back, and the driver's ID clearly displayed inside.

 

For visitors who know London well & who think I should have used a capital "H" for hackney - it has nothing to do with the London borough of Hackney, it comes from the French word hacquenee, a general-purpose horse

Having said all that, it is common to find the same types of vehicle used as taxis elsewhere in the country - and, indeed, occasionally overseas. This is because the vehicles are pretty well designed for the job that they do (the manufacturer having been recently spurred on to pull its socks up when some competition appeared on the market), and so taxi drivers elsewhere often think it worth their while to spend the extra money on a London cab.

 

So far as etymology is concerned, there is also some fun to be had in researching the words "taxi" and "cab", and the compound "taxicab". Something to do with a taximetred cabriolet - using those words in historical senses.

I have been to the UK and Europe on cruises, and always figure out how much actual foreign currency I will definitely need for private tours and other known expenses that will require cash, and then add about half again as much for non-specific expenses (ie. tips, food, souvenirs).

I then go to my bank and ask them to order the currency/currencies that I need. The exchange rate may not be quite as good as what it might be from an ATM in the countries I will be in, and they do charge a flat service fee, but I am more comfortable taking the currency with me instead of hunting an ATM in a city I've not been in before.

It's part of my personal need to have all of my ducks in a row before I leave home.

 

I also always notify my credit card companies and debit card providers of my travel plans, to reduce the chance that my cards might be rejected.

 

I set up a separate checking account, with a debit card, with my bank that I use when traveling. It is not linked in any way to my primary checking account, thus protecting the primary account from possible fraudulent activity.

I was on a ship excursion and we stopped for lunch. A couple went to a restaurant and found out the restaurant did not take credit card or US$. He had to go to the post office to exchange US$ to £ and return to the restauart to pay for his meal.

The exchange rate in Edinburgh today was $1.39 at one of the pawn-brokers / money exchange centres mentioned by JB.

Travellers chequers are only useful for a museum. Dollars are of limited value in Europe ,you will need Euros for France and Pounds Sterling for UK, some cash but most things can go on cc's or debit cards.

 

They're definitely "antiques"!

 

We always took them on cruises because they were easy to exchange at Passenger Services, and we got them for no fee at our bank. Two years ago we decided to cash some that we still had at the bank where we got them. No one in the bank including the manger had ever seen them before, and it took many phone calls and more than an hour before we got them cashed in. It was funny seeing all of the employees coming over to see what they looked like.

For anyone wishing to use an exchange bureau in central London, I have always found Thomas Exchange Global have the best rates of exchange. They have various branches listed on their website.