british isles cruise

[lovecruisingandcoffee]

Where is best place to buy euros and British pounds when flying directly from US to London and going directly to ship. Is it convenient (and fair exchange rate) at Gatwick airport upon arrival?

[celebrity]

Hello! I purchased them from my bank before I left. 

[ldubs]

19 minutes ago, celebrity said:

Hello! I purchased them from my bank before I left. 

 

X2.  I get a small amount of whatever currency from my bank.  Basically to cover taxi's or immediate purchases.   Otherwise use the card or stop by an ATM.   

 

Airport exchange places generally have pretty high fees.  

[paul929207]

I get them at a bank ATM

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, lovecruisingandcoffee said:

Where is best place to buy euros and British pounds when flying directly from US to London and going directly to ship. Is it convenient (and fair exchange rate) at Gatwick airport upon arrival?

You will not get reasonable exchange rates at Gatwick Airport. As others have suggested, best getting from your local bank before departure.

[wowzz]

Realistically you could probably use a credit card virtually everywhere, so you really dont need cash at all these days. If you do decide you need some, just use an atm at the first port you sail to.

[Aplmac]

10 hours ago, lovecruisingandcoffee said:

Is it convenient (and fair exchange rate) at Gatwick airport upon arrival?

.

At the airport

is quite possibly the best place to get the worst exchange rate!

Been there, done that - at Gatwick!

 

GO to your local BANK. Just like everyone else is saying.

[John Bull]

Exchange rates at airports are worse than exchange rates on cruise ships.

 

Best exchange rate is by paying for things with your credit card, especially one with no forex fees, though if your card does have a fee for forex any minimum fee will make it poorer value for small purchases like a couple of beers.

(Aways, but always, decline any outlet's offer to charge your card in USD "for your convenience" cos it'll be at a lousy exchange rate - always, but always, have your card charged in local currency  & allow your card supplier to convert)

 

But you will need cash for the occasional place that doesn't accept plastic (some buses, taxis, market stalls, etc), so to avoid the need to immediately hunt for an ATM or exchange bureau, get some euros & pounds before you leave.

 

If you leave the UK and head for Euroland with left-over sterling, use that instead of USD at an exchange bureau for euros, to avoid a double-whammy of exchange commissions. Or use it for extra tips on the ship.

 

If you're only in the UK for airport to ship there's no need to get sterling, you'll get by with just plastic.

 

JB 

[BlueRiband]

My own comfort level regarding foreign currency is never to leave the US without enough local currency in my wallet to cover a meal and a taxi ride.  I personally would never count on an airport currency exchange booth.  Should my flight be delayed and arrive after most terminal business have closed for the day I would be stuck.  As others have suggested your bank would be able to get you GBPs and at a better rate than at an airport.

 

You can also get GBPs from British ATMs but do make sure that you notify your bank that you are traveling.  When you log into your account you will probably find a section where you can enter your country destination and travel dates.  We've read of situations where travelers could not use their debit cards at foreign ATMs because they failed to notify their bank.

[Bizmark'sMom]

I leave the US with enough currency purchased from my bank to cover the first day - cab fare, meal, maybe any toiletries I forgot to pack.  After that, I use ATMs if I need more cash.