Where's the best place to exchange £ to Euro?

hotblu · 25 August 2007 at 1:02AM

Hey,

I am going to Portugal next week and wondered if anyone new the best place to convert £ to Euro. When I last checked the rates where...

Post Office = 1.404
Travelex = 1.428
HSBC = 1.411

Also, I heard that if you convert a large amount in one go you get a better rate... is this true or is someone winding me up?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

Hotblu

bonehead50 · 25 August 2007 at 8:50AM

Marks & Spencer's

susank · 25 August 2007 at 9:44AM

Personally I chose Travelex after watching the rates for a week and they were collected at the airport. If you live in London check Martins front page for cheaper deals where you collect them

dmg24 · 25 August 2007 at 9:55AM

Hi Hotblu,

According to Martin's Travel Money Maximiser, the best rate is currently at Thomas Exchange Global. Don't know where Bonehead got M&S from, there are a fair few ahead of them at the moment!

If you order your currency online, Travelex have a price match guarantee. Therefore, you can order your currency from them, then email them and tell them of Thomas Exchange Global's rate, and they will send you a cheque for the difference!

However, with Travelex do remember that if you do not book in advance, the rates at the airport are not nearly as competitive.

budgetflyer · 25 August 2007 at 10:29AM

my guide tells you how to get up to £50 cashback from travelex.

TBeckett100 · 25 August 2007 at 10:35AM

high street wise M&S is one of the best, I have a chargecard with them I use when i go on holidays, helps spread the cost a little

hotblu · 25 August 2007 at 10:44AM

Hello,

Thanks for all the replys, going to look into all the suggestions. Appreciate it.

Hotblu

dmg24 · 25 August 2007 at 1:21PM

TBeckett100 wrote: »

high street wise M&S is one of the best, I have a chargecard with them I use when i go on holidays, helps spread the cost a little

But the OP did not ask who 'one of the best' are. If so, we could have done her a nice Top Ten!

Crabman · 25 August 2007 at 2:20PM

[strike] Using a Nationwide card gives £1 : $2.01 [/strike]

Or in the correct currency :doh: :wall: £1 : €1.47 (rate with nationwide debit card)

Thanks for pointing that out MarkyMarkD

Read the article for details: Spending Overseas: The cheapest way to pay

MarkyMarkD · 25 August 2007 at 4:54PM

We're talking about Euros, Crabman, so I don't think $2.01 will be very helpful.

dmg24 - Travelex is all very well, but most credit/debit card holders will get charged a cash advance fee. Switch (Maestro) cardholders are OK and some Visa debit cards, but not the majority. I've stopped using them for this reason.

Martin's Travel Money Maximiser is also flawed for this reason - as I've said ages ago on the relevant thread.

Thomas Exchange Global is also pretty useless to anyone who doesn't frequent the West End of London, as they only have branches there.

In fact, the best buy on Martin's Travel Money Maximiser which actually allows you to collect all over the country, and doesn't have the debit/credit card fee problem, is Marks & Spencers.

davidlizard · 26 August 2007 at 10:09AM

When we went to Greece a couple of months back, we found (of those convenient to us including online) M&S and Travelex were giving just about the best rate of E1.42/£.

However, when we were getting money out of cashpoints out there, we were getting E1.49/£. M&S/Travelex were still E1.42.

So unless I am missing something, I would be better off getting just enough M&S/Travelex euros to last a few hours, then hit a cashpoint when I arrive. Of course, one must be certain that there are reliable available cashpoints.

Where's the best place to exchange £ to Euro?

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