cash or card??

thedogs

Going to USA shortly due to low dollar exchange rate will i be better of using my halifax clarity card for large purchases including the hotel bill.
yours gb

jackieblack

Probably.

If the exchange rate stays fairly level then you'll probably get a better rate of exchange paying with the Clarity than you would do changing money here before you go. (You'll certainly get a better rate than someone exchanging cash here on the same day)

BUT if, in the period between you leaving the UK and making a payment with your card, there is a big drop in the exchange rate then it's possible that the rate you get could be lower than you could have got exchanging cash here. However, unless you have a crystal ball, this cannot be predicted with any accuracy.

Paying with the Clarity will avoid the need to carry large amounts of cash however, so I would use that for most purchases, for the convenience, and just take a small amount of cash from an ATM for tipping/small incidental purchases