Euros to dollars

Kathy535
Kathy535 Posts: 464 Forumite
First Anniversary First Post Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
in Overseas holidays & travel planning
This might be a stupid question (it's a Friday night, been a long week). I took too many euros to Greece. I'm off to NYC soon, can I change euros to dollars in the U.K, and, if I can, is it worth doing or should I convert the euros into pounds, put them in my bank account and use my clarity credit card instead?

Thank you

Comments

  • phatbear
    phatbear Posts: 4,032 Forumite
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    Ive asked a couple of times at currency exchange places and both times i got the same answer.

    Its not worth doing it because they have to exchange the euros to pounds and then the pounds to dollars so the exchange company get two bites of the cherry.
    Live each day like its your last because one day you'll be right
  • dj1471
    dj1471 Posts: 1,968 Forumite
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    Since you have a fee-free overseas card just use that in an ATM in the US.

    Either keep your Euros for next time, sell them to a friend/colleague or (if you must) exchange them back to pounds.

    Exchanging cash will always cost more than using your Clarity card so is best avoided.
  • Kathy535
    Kathy535 Posts: 464 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Combo Breaker I've been Money Tipped!
    That's great, thank you both.
  • bigadaj
    bigadaj Posts: 11,531 Forumite
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    dj1471 wrote: »
    Since you have a fee-free overseas card just use that in an ATM in the US.

    Either keep your Euros for next time, sell them to a friend/colleague or (if you must) exchange them back to pounds.

    Exchanging cash will always cost more than using your Clarity card so is best avoided.

    Not always but in the vast majority of cases.
  • dj1471
    dj1471 Posts: 1,968 Forumite
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    edited 1 October 2017 at 2:25PM
    bigadaj wrote: »
    Not always but in the vast majority of cases.
    I knew some pedant would come along and point that out :D It's true in the OP's case, especially as they've already lost out by exchanging cash in the first place.

    The only time it potentially isn't the case is where large ATM fees are unavoidable (e.g. Thailand). However a few weeks ago I withdrew 10,000 THB with a fee of 220 THB, that works out as 2.2% - I think you'd struggle to get a better rate exchanging cash.
  • loskie
    loskie Posts: 1,761 Forumite
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    exchange them in nyc
  • bigadaj
    bigadaj Posts: 11,531 Forumite
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    dj1471 wrote: »
    I knew some pedant would come along and point that out :D It's true in the OP's case, especially as they've already lost out by exchanging cash in the first place.

    The only time it potentially isn't the case is where large ATM fees are unavoidable (e.g. Thailand). However a few weeks ago I withdrew 10,000 THB with a fee of 220 THB, that works out as 2.2% - I think you'd struggle to get a better rate exchanging cash.

    Not pedantic at all, a small but significant exception.

    We're currently in Bangkok, checking against spot rate then cash is available at around 1%, Thailand is an anomaly but one of the few cases where cash is cheaper.

    I also thought the other major exception was the us, with a dearth of no fee charging ATMs?
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