When planning your vacation budget, familiarizing yourself with the currency of your location can keep your vacation within budget. While Euros are accepted some places, and even occasionally United States dollars, you'll mostly be handling British pounds.
Where to Exchange Money The pound, England's currency, has a greater value than the U.S. dollar. The fewer monetary exchanges you make, the less money you'll lose in conversion fees or fluctuating rates. For security reasons, don't carry around large sums of money.
You can generally get a better exchange rate away from the airports. Consider exchanging a starting sum of money or purchasing traveler's checks from a local bank or currency exchange office before you depart for the airport so you'll have some cash when you land in England.
Credit Card vs. Debit Card ATMS tend to give better exchange rates and have lower currency exchange fees than credit cards, but clarify this with your bank before setting out. Debit cards in the Cirrus® network can be used in any Cirrus ATM worldwide.
When asking your bank for their exchange fees, alert them that you'll be traveling. Some banks automatically holds on accounts suddenly making purchases abroad, which can leave you stranded without access to your money.
Your hotel may allow you to charge attraction or tour fees to your room. This can save you money, as you'll only need to pay one conversion fee instead of several.
Avoiding Fraud and Scams You can exchange currency at many small exchange offices throughout the country. If you're uncertain about the trustworthiness of an exchange outlet, avoid it and instead visit an English bank. Some American credit and debit cards also have banks and exchange offices in England.
Getting Used to Using Pounds English pounds are a mixture of paper money and coins. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the weight and appearance of the different coins and bills. This will help your transactions run smoothly--and prevent you for handing over the wrong coins, costing you unnecessary pounds.
With your British currency in hand as you travel to England, you'll be ready to take advantage of some traditional English foods.