Euros / BP needed?

[raiderg68]

Hi CC,

 My wife & I will be on a 9 day cruise out of Dover with 2 stops in Ireland. I am looking for some thoughts/advice on whether I should get some Euros and/or British pounds to have on me for tipping or various expenses. I have read that Europe is pretty much cash free but was hoping for some advice on if there may still be a need for some bills. Thanks!

[robin13]

I bring a credit card but also bring British pounds as well.  I buy my foreign currency from my bank as I don't want to take the chance of my debit card being eaten (lol).

[klfrodo]

Here's what I'm doing.

I'm spending 8 days in London, an overnight trip to Paris, then the cruise will stop in ports that use Euro's. I'm bringing about 300 in BSP and 300 in Euro's. Yes, Most of the towns, cities, and villages will accept electronic transactions. Either chipped credit card or via a phone app such as Apple Pay.

If I happen to find I need more cash, I'll just find a bank and use the ATM/cash machine, whatever it's called in the country I'm visiting.

Then every couple of days, I'll use my secure wifi hotspot to log into my bank and make a payment to the cards I've used.

Since I bank at a credit union rather than an established "Bank", I can't get foreign currency through them. I use my Triple AAA office for a very minor surcharge with very competitive exchange rates.

Edited August 2, 2023 by klfrodo

[raiderg68]

Thank you for your advice & thoughts!

[Globaliser]

4 hours ago, raiderg68 said:

I have read that Europe is pretty much cash free but was hoping for some advice on if there may still be a need for some bills.

 

The only cash I have spent in the last four months is one £1 coin, which I had to put into the machine at the petrol station to check my car's tyre pressures. The only paper money I have in my wallet is one £10 note, and it has been there since before Easter.

 

It's practically impossible to overstate how cashless the UK is (if you are prepared to do cashless transactions). These days, nobody will bat an eyelid if you tap a credit card for a £0.10 transaction. There are many places that will not accept cash, but very few that will not take cards.

[Cotswold Eagle]

58 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

The only cash I have spent in the last four months is one £1 coin, which I had to put into the machine at the petrol station to check my car's tyre pressures.

I was at the Beaconsfield services on the M40 the other day, and noticed that the compressed air machines there now have contactless payment! 
 

OP (and others) I know the feeling of wanting some good old fashioned cash in hand, so have a little (and you will be able to spend it if you don’t want to take it home), but don’t overthink it. 
 

Incidentally, the internationally recognised code for pound sterling is GBP.  (I know the £ symbol can be tricky on American layout keyboards).  I was wondering about the relevance of boarding passes (BP) when I read this thread title and BSP defeated me for a while (British sterling pounds, maybe?) Or, you know, just say pounds 😀

Edited August 2, 2023 by Cotswold Eagle
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[markeb]

I just returned from the UK (land vacation). I took £80 in old obsolete pound notes, and went through the effort to exchange. At some point for no particular reason I spent cash. Once. Only. You do not need hundreds of pounds near tourist locations in the UK. You certainly do not need to go through the effort of ordering them from your US bank and carrying them to the UK. You can get £10-20 from an ATM and just expect to spend 90% of it on Cadbury at duty free at Heathrow. 
 

I haven’t been to Ireland, sadly, as my ancestors came from there, but I doubt it’s significantly different. 
 

The only place in Europe I’ve needed actual cash in the last ten years or so is the bier tents at Oktoberfest which so far refuse to go cashless. And rarely to get into a bathroom, although some of those take contactless payment. 

[Simon-t]

3 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

It's practically impossible to overstate how cashless the UK is (if you are prepared to do cashless transactions). These days, nobody will bat an eyelid if you tap a credit card for a £0.10 transaction. There are many places that will not accept cash, but very few that will not take cards.

This is definitely true. I genuinely can't remember the last time I used cash in the UK. 

[snowballs mom]

We are the exception that proves the rule. We needed cash in Southampton at Mike's Fish and Chips - they do not accept cards. Luckily we had stopped at a cashpoint earlier in the trip. I think I withdrew 50 GBP and had 5 left by the end of our trip.

[Harters]

I also can't really remember when I last used cash here. Certainly many weeks ago. But, when visiting a foreign country, I always like to have a small amount of local currency - just in case I come across somewhere that doesn't take cards for low value purchases. 

[gnome12]

6 hours ago, snowballs mom said:

We are the exception that proves the rule. We needed cash in Southampton at Mike's Fish and Chips - they do not accept cards. Luckily we had stopped at a cashpoint earlier in the trip. I think I withdrew 50 GBP and had 5 left by the end of our trip.

When was your visit? I was in London in 2019 (pre-Covid) and I think the only cash I used was for my London Walks tours. (Highly recommended by the way.) Even they are now accepting credit cards.

[Joanne G.]

I just returned from a cruise with port stops in the UK and Ireland.   I agree with the responses that cash is rarely needed as contactless cards are accepted nearly everywhere.   But since the OP mentioned tipping, I'll add that I did use cash to tip tour guides and drivers on my ship-sponsored excursions.  Whether or not you tip is your choice, but if you want to, cash was the only way to do so on my excursions.  

 

As @Cotswold Eaglesays above, I am one of those who feels comfortable having a certain amount of currency.   I have other overseas trips planned to GBP and euro countries, so I just keep what I don't spend for future use.   If I have a lot left over, I use some for the taxi from my post cruise hotel to the airport.  

 

 

 

 

[waterbug123]

While the vast majority of expenses can be paid by card, a few things we've found where a bit of cash comes in handy:

1. tour guide and driver tips

2. sometimes in public restrooms

3. bellman and doorman tips

 

Often it's 1€ and 2€ coins that are particularly useful, but if you get cash ahead of time it will be bills.  In that case, I suggest stopping in the airport to buy a bottle of water or an espresso.  You'll likely get some coins and/or small bills back as part of your change.

 

Since we typically travel to Europe 1-2 times per year, we just keep whatever leftover currency we have for the next trip.

[sleepingcat]

11 hours ago, snowballs mom said:

We are the exception that proves the rule. We needed cash in Southampton at Mike's Fish and Chips - they do not accept cards. Luckily we had stopped at a cashpoint earlier in the trip. I think I withdrew 50 GBP and had 5 left by the end of our trip.

The kinds of local small businesses that sell for example the best ever crab sandwich, fish and chips, pick your own strawberries, street markets, roadside vendors, may well want, or at least prefer, cash. So here in coastal south Devon I always have a bit of cash with me so that I can support these people and take advantage of something unexpected that I come across. Some places you still need coins for parking, though the machines increasingly take credit card payments, but I wonder about overseas credit cards (??), so if you are hiring a car you might want pounds or euros. 

 

We ve also had a few bad experiences in France where  some machines do not like our British credit and debit cards.

And I agree about tipping. last week a group of us went by coach to the lost gardens of Heligan in Cornwall and someone passed a hat round to collect pound coins for a tip for our driver (if you ve seen the roads in Cornwall you will know that it was well deserved, they are mainly fit for a horse and cart. Ireland is similar). 

 

[raiderg68]

Great info from all. Thank you!

[snowballs mom]

8 hours ago, gnome12 said:

When was your visit? I was in London in 2019 (pre-Covid) and I think the only cash I used was for my London Walks tours. (Highly recommended by the way.) Even they are now accepting credit cards.

We visited November 2022, so post-COVID. I was a little surprised since I had read that England was pretty much cashless now, but luckily I had enough with me to cover the check.

[Hezu]

On 8/3/2023 at 4:01 AM, markeb said:

The only place in Europe I’ve needed actual cash in the last ten years or so is the bier tents at Oktoberfest which so far refuse to go cashless. And rarely to get into a bathroom, although some of those take contactless payment. 

Actually, I think in Germany there are still quite a few other establisments that do not accept card payments or if they do, it is only the local cards that most foreign tourists do not have.

[carlmm]

5 hours ago, Hezu said:

Actually, I think in Germany there are still quite a few other establisments that do not accept card payments

As a German I confirm: Totally true.

Also during recent cruises/vacations: a museum in France, a sandwich in Italy, a specific souvenier in Spain, ice cream in the Netherlands, just to name a few.

[Globaliser]

 

1 hour ago, carlmm said:

6 hours ago, Hezu said:

Actually, I think in Germany there are still quite a few other establisments that do not accept card payments or if they do, it is only the local cards that most foreign tourists do not have.

As a German I confirm: Totally true.

 

Interestingly, the Financial Times had a recent article about how Germany "has become ground zero for ATM attackers who have exploited a fragmented banking system and a decentralised police force — and Germans’ marked preference for cash over cards or digital payments" - see Bombs, car chases and ‘free money’: Dutch gangs blow up German cash machines (if you can get access to the FT).

[Paula_MacFan]

We're going to London next month for 4 days and then boarding a ship from Southampton visiting 8 countries.  I plan to take some pounds and euros just in case.  We have chip enabled credit cards but my fear is they get flagged for some potential fraudulent or out of territory activity and may not be usable.  I've contacted my banks to let them know we're traveling but most said 'we don't need that information, you'll be fine'.  They say that, but one time in Washington DC our card was flagged as potential fraud for out of area usage at a grocery store, so we had to use another one.  If it can happen here in the US, I know it can happen overseas.  I'd rather be safe than sorry 🙂 

[ontheweb]

We are in our hotel near Heathrow after a day in London. We took pounds and wish we had not. Never really needed them, and a few times it would have been easier without them. We will end up with a few coins left over from our original 100 pounds.

[Reef Knot]

  Even street buskers take contactless payments! 

[waterbug123]

On 8/6/2023 at 3:07 AM, Reef Knot said:

  Even street buskers take contactless payments! 

Again though, if you are doing any tours on which you'll be tipping a guide and/or a driver, or want to tip a hotel bellman, a bit of cash if easiest.

[Sekhmet]

Hope some of you might find the following interesting/relevant.  I've mentioned on the boards before that I am a volunteer on a Heritage Steam railway, and one of my roles is Buffet Car Steward, serving drinks (hot & cold, alcoholic & soft) and snacks to our passengers.

 

Until fairly recently, the signal for card machines wasn't strong or reliable enough across most of the rural parts of our line, so cash was the only choice.  The signal now is good enough, so card payments were introduced, and the cash option withdrawn i.e. cards only.  However, that quickly led to a number of complaints from some customers, and to lost sales, so the cash payment option was reinstated.

 

Since then, some analysis has taken place to try and work out if we've got it right for our passengers.  So far, letting the customer choose how to pay has resulted in about two thirds paying by card, one third paying with cash.  As was said earlier, even small value transactions by card are not uncommon, but the average value of a card sale on our trains has been around £6.50 ($8.30).   

Edited August 9, 2023 by Sekhmet

[ontheweb]

On 8/6/2023 at 1:09 AM, ontheweb said:

We are in our hotel near Heathrow after a day in London. We took pounds and wish we had not. Never really needed them, and a few times it would have been easier without them. We will end up with a few coins left over from our original 100 pounds.

We did manage to spend all our pounds, but we could have done it with just credit cards. But we came home with over half our Euros. Most places would not take them, and the one where we spend the most Euros would have preferred a credit card payment.