Holiday Money - advice please..!!

wymondham

Hi All
We're off for our first foreign holiday in 10 years and are looking for best way to get our holiday money. I have a Barlcays connect card and a Halifax One credit card. I'm considering Marks & Spencer, or Travelex, but wary about doing this through the post with M&S and not sure if Travelex are at Stanstead, or how this works - having nightmares about turning up at 4am when we fly to find the shut/not even there!!!
Also trying to avoid charges on cards as this is see as a cash advance???
I'd be grateful of any help/ideas!!
cheers
rob

novice_money_saver_2

I believe Nationwide comes out best for overseas spending.

There's an article about this on the main site. I'm not good at posting links - maybe someone else can help!

stickytoffeepudding

I'd recommend the Post Office - no commision and you can order online and then pick it up in person (tho' I seem to remember that you can arrange delivery). We used them last year before a holiday to the states and were very satisfied.
HTH!

slowen

If it is Euro's your after the rate is a bit poor at the moment as most places are offering around 1.39 euros to the pound. I am going away at the end of June but I am going to wait until the rate improves to see if I can get a decent deal

pavlovs_dog

marks and spencers have been fab when we've used them, consistent good rates and great service

MarkyMarkD

It depends where you are going - it can often be cheaper to take a pile of sterling cash and change it overseas. Certainly would have been better value in Benidorm recently than taking Euros as we did.

Most of the airport Travelex places are open 24 hours, IIRC. But you WILL suffer the cash advance charge, which to some extent cancels out their better exchange rates.

"No commission" e.g. Post Office and some travel agents is largely a scam as the rates are not particularly good. Normally Post Office "no commission" rates are roughly the same as Travelex "no commission but cash advance charge unless you have a Switch card" rates. So for anyone with aforementioned Switch card*, Travelex online, collected at the airport, will almost always beat the PO's rates.

* Which I haven't - d'oh!

hammy_the_hammer

groundhog day ...groundhog day ...groundhog day ...groundhog day ...groundhog day ...

hammy_the_hammer

slowen wrote:

If it is Euro's your after the rate is a bit poor at the moment as most places are offering around 1.39 euros to the pound. I am going away at the end of June but I am going to wait until the rate improves to see if I can get a decent deal

of course it may go down as well !!!!!!!

wymondham

thanks for all your help. We are going end of May so no time to get a nationwide card, and we're off to Italy, so it's Euro's!
Doe Stansted have a Travelex, and are they open 24x7 ?
am i better purchasing with my credit card or debit card?

Cumbrian_Male

wymondham wrote:

thanks for all your help. We are going end of May so no time to get a nationwide card, and we're off to Italy, so it's Euro's!
Doe Stansted have a Travelex, and are they open 24x7 ?
am i better purchasing with my credit card or debit card?

Why do you assume you don't have time to open a Nationwide account. I did it in branch in January and had debit card cheque book credit card and pins through before my February 1/2 term holiday.:j

photome

I opened a nationwide account recently and I had the card within 7 days including a weekend. The flex account is your best option.

M and S are usually the best rate on the high street (with no commission)

Only use travelex at the airport if you have ordered online as their rate is poor at the airport