Change money for the next trip to London.

Before every trip to London you have to ask yourself how best to change your money. Here you will find important tips!

The British are persistently refusing to introduce the euro and since the Brexit will be implemented in the foreseeable future, it should probably remain permanent.

The currency in London is the British Pound (GBP, £).

Even if you only need a small amount of cash nowadays thanks to credit and debit cards, it makes sense to always have a few pounds of cash in your pocket.

I only carry 100 pounds and pay the rest with my card. If cash is left over at the end, I just keep it for the next time.

London Money Exchange – What’s the best solution?

First of all, there is no such thing as the perfect solution. It’s always a mixture of cost and effort. Would you like it to be as simple as possible, or would you prefer it to be particularly inexpensive?

Changing money in Germany – expensive, but stress-free.

Who likes it quite simply, simply goes to his house bank and orders British pounds there. After a few days at the latest you can pick up the money at the branch. Larger branches of course also have foreign currencies available immediately. You can have the money conveniently debited from your account. Of course, this is also the most expensive option, as you will get an extremely bad exchange rate.

Change money at the airport or in London.

Instead of exchanging euros at the bank at home, you can also exchange them at one of the exchange offices at the airport. Directly after the customs control you have the possibility to do this e.g. in London Stansted.

Usually the exchange in a foreign exchange office is somewhat cheaper than in Germany. The average exchange fee is about 2.5%. This is often cheaper than in Germany, but still expensive. Read more here www.valuuttamuunnin.eu for more updates.

Conclusion: relatively simple, but also expensive.

Withdrawing money at the machine – the almost perfect solution.

The best and therefore my recommendation is to withdraw the money directly at the machine on site. I always do this immediately at the airport, but in principle you can do it at any ATM in London.

Regarding the fees, there are some differences between the banks. If you use your EC card, each bank charges different fees. These are often around 5€ the same is true for many credit cards (Visa or Mastercard).

I always use the Advanzia Bank* golden credit card. This is completely free, you don’t pay any fees and you get a fair exchange rate. In order to avoid the interest for the cash collection (normal credit card payment is interest-free for one month!), you can either deposit a small amount on your card directly before the trip or you should pay the amount immediately after your return. This will keep costs to a minimum.

Money exchange while travelling: What cruise holidaymakers should know.

Since 1 January 2002, at the latest, we as inhabitants of the European Union have been a bit spoiled when it comes to currency exchange: a holiday in Spain or Italy or a trip to France, Luxembourg or Austria – that works without any annoying change of money. But those who go on holiday outside the euro zone will sooner or later ask themselves the question: “Where is the best place to change money? It is also interesting for cruise holidaymakers to know whether currency exchange is also possible on board. We will get to the bottom of the questions in this article and tell you how to avoid bad exchange rates and high fees when changing money.

Money exchange on board the Mein Schiff fleet.

On board the feel-good fleet it is possible to exchange small quantities (up to 100 euros) of the respective national currency at the reception. This is located on the two oldest ships on deck 5 as well as on all newbuildings on deck 3 and is open 24 hours a day.

However, currency exchange is not possible in all countries within the framework of legal regulations. TUI Cruises customers are required to inform themselves at the reception desk in good time. In addition, you should note that the settlement is subject to charges and only possible against cash. According to the TUI Cruises Facebook team, the following currencies are available on board depending on the destination:

US dollars
Norwegian kroner
Swedish krona
Danish kroner
British Pound

Money exchange ashore

As a rule, holidaymakers in the destination country receive the more favourable exchange rate locally. If you need larger amounts of cash, you should therefore visit an authorised exchange office on the spot.

Money exchange at home

Banks in Germany can procure many currencies. However, financial expert Sylvia Schönke of Verbraucherzentrale Brandenburg advises against this: “…the fees for it are hefty. But the exchange rate is usually cheaper if I exchange my money locally.”

Withdraw money with credit or EC card

Cash withdrawals with credit cards at ATMs are a secure alternative. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. In addition, you can completely do without cash in many countries: In the Caribbean or Northern Europe, it is common to pay even very small amounts with a credit card. In many countries, you can also use your EC card to withdraw cash in the appropriate currency.