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Asithappens

By Asithappens
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Asithappens

Asithappens 974

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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. 

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gsoda3

gsoda3 3187

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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.

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Carl Spackler

Carl Spackler 3455

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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.

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27-25

27-25 2030

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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.

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956 Worldwide

956 Worldwide 33957

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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 by 956 Worldwide
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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 103148

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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.
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Jimbaround

Jimbaround 971

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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 by Jimbaround
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Wiler77

Wiler77 1539

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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.

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locodos

locodos 5147

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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 

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 103148

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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.

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rage-a-holic

rage-a-holic 4237

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10 hours ago, midtown said:

As much as I try I always end up with extra currency. I just take it back next visit PXL_20231016_155520794.jpg

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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