'How do you spend abroad?' poll discussion

opan

i have used (bestforeignexchange dot com) and they offer the best rates ive seen..same day reserve online and collect service with convenient locations in central london...and they claim u will not find better exchange rates in london :T

p.s. i got this message when i entered the proper address: 'Sorry as a new user you are not allowed to post with links. This is done to stop spammers clogging up the site. Please edit your message below to continue'

ohmy

We are going to Egypt in a couple of weeks when we went there last time we took some money we had changed in the uk and our card although it was a debit and we got charged the worst was being held ransom by the dropping exchange rate.
This year we are going back to the same place and there is a bank next door. We have decided to change a little here to see us through then take Sterling with us and change it there. They seem to be offering a lot better rates.

(sorry it wont let me post the web address as I am a new user.

harryhound

Who charged you on your debit card?

When I was in Ecuador (where they have given up on using local money and just use the USD) some ATM's charged a dollar per withdrawal, some 50 cents, some were free and some refused to issue any money at all. It is all part of the game in the third world.

The Nationwide debit card presumably charged me the VISA rate plus the 1% visa handling fee??

diesel1950

I get my money in Travellers Cheques before I go.I found a great site(Crown Currency) great exchange rates,really helpful telephone staff.:j

Ilovemoney

I travel to the Canaries and take UK cash with me. Local exchange offices usually offer a better rate than at home and its commission free.

rogermunns

We live in France. Our pensions are paid into our Nationwide account and when we need to top up our French bank account we just take the money from an ATM.
There is no fee and the exchange rate we get is practically spot. e.g. Last week, when https://www.xe.com was showing €1.212 =£1 we actually got €1.188 for each £.

UltraViolet68

I was going to order £600 worth of USD today using my bank. However I was surprised when it would only get me $842

Lucky MSE email came in, just checked the link (thanks Martin!) and there are lots of options that give me closer to $890 for my money!!

grhread

Got to agree, with attar_uk, offering only one choice to vote for is a bit pointless, I just take a pocket full of sterling, but if I run out or make a large purchase then out come the cards, just like at home!

To be fair, although they get a bad press, I've always found Barclaycards exchange rates pretty reasonable.

dzug1

grhread wrote: »

Got to agree, with attar_uk, offering only one choice to vote for is a bit pointless, I just take a pocket full of sterling, but if I run out or make a large purchase then out come the cards, just like at home!

To be fair, although they get a bad press, I've always found Barclaycards exchange rates pretty reasonable.

The question was about the bulk of your money - not how many different methods you use. So one choice was fair.

Surprising how few follow the advice here though

MothballsWallet

Not long back from Russia, where I used my Nationwide FlexAccount card to withdraw cash from ATMs for general spending and my Nationwide normal Visa card to pay for my hotel room; it's not just the Gold card, folks, Martin's confirmed that - I thought he was only talking about the Gold card when he was featured on Watchdog from Cardiff Airport, but he's told me that that was just the prop the production team handed him at the time, which just goes to show that even Auntie Beeb employs idiots below the management level