Egypt currency query

erasmus666

I'm travelling on my own to Egypt for two weeks in May and would appreciate suggestions as to what currencies to take. I've got a few days in Cairo followed by a Nile cruise and then some further sightseeing in the Luxor area. The only holidays I've been on recently have been cruises to Europe where I took euros and kept in the cabin's safe what I didn't need that day. This is a totally different experience and I don't know what to do. Some people have said to only take Egyptian pounds, others have said that I should only take sterling. I don't want to take a credit card if possible as I don't any nasty surprises upon my return. However, the thought of carrying around a large amount in notes of what ever currency doesn't give me a good feeling. Your advice/comments/suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you. 

Westin

Personally I wouldn’t travel anywhere overseas WITHOUT a few credit cards.  Always a back up if things go wrong. I then split where I keep them, in the safe in my room or on my person.

Euros, Pound Sterling and Egyptian Pounds are probably all equal and valued at most places.  I have only taken small note denominations of GBP/EUR/USD in hard currency to Egypt before, using for tips and gratuities more than anything else.  I tend to pay when I can with a credit card that doesn’t have overseas fees.

eDicky

Personally I've no experience of Egypt but I would expect as a tourist that most expenses can be paid by card, and any cash required can be obtained from an ATM. So I wouldn't take any 'currency' apart from a few pounds and leftover euros for backup or tips. There's no shortage of fee-free 'travel' debit and credit cards available:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/

erasmus666

Many thanks for all of the advice. I've applied for a travel fee-free credit card from within this site and shall only take sufficient cash for tips etc. Kind regards

Ballard

erasmus666 said:

Many thanks for all of the advice. I've applied for a travel fee-free credit card from within this site and shall only take sufficient cash for tips etc. Kind regards

I'd suggest that you take at least two different cards so that you have a backup.