Buying US Dollars in Belfast

Cotta

Hi All,

Where is the best place to purchase US dollars in Belfast?

Thanks in advance.

JulieElizabeth

From what I can see Sainsburys are giving 1.29 to the pound for Nectar card holders

last time I went to New York I was getting nearly two dollars to the pound :eek:

ballyblack

Post Office online is 1.2857 this morning.

Order online collect in branch

RikM

Mastercard rate is 1.31, but you need the right card to avoid fees on the transaction. Normally the card rates are a ceiling though: you're not likely to find better than that.

Suplex_Backbreaker

Cotta wrote: »

Hi All,

Where is the best place to purchase US dollars in Belfast?

Thanks in advance.

Just a general tip - unless you know you are going to need the currency the very moment you arrive, it's better to buy in the destination country. Reason being that they have a lot of their native currency and probably very little of your currency .... hence will give a better price than exchanges in your native country which have a lot of your currency and relatively little of the currency of wherever you are going.

Also try to avoid changing at the airport as rates are worse there - exchange as little as possible and then find a bureau de change or a bank later.

Oh yeah, and when it comes to electronic means of exchange never accept the offer to be billed in pounds - go for the local currency as your credit card company almost certainly offers a better conversion rate.

worried_jim

RikM wrote: »

Mastercard rate is 1.31, but you need the right card to avoid fees on the transaction. Normally the card rates are a ceiling though: you're not likely to find better than that.

Easy to do, just get a Revolut, Monzo or Starling account. All free and all offer MC exchange rates. Starling has unlimited ATM withdrawals where as the other two are £200 pcm limits but all are unlimited transactions for shops etc.

I don't even take foreign cash when traveling now, just use the above (I have all three) and spend like a local when I arrive. Nice and simple.

RikM

Yes, I set up a Starling account, partly to take advantage of the foreign exchange side of things.