Buying foreign currency

[sean0801]

Am off to Poland in a coupla weeks and am after advice on the best place to purchase some Zloty. I usually go to the post office, but they are selling at 4.21 to the £ and the exchange rate is 4.45, so does the YD massive have any better options for me?

If anyone can save me a shed load of dosh i might be tempted to bring them back a nice bottle of Cherry vodka

[Steve Sub]

1 Pound = 4.3377 Zloties at Travelex United Kingdom - Travel Money Online - Foreign Exchange
Order online, pick up at airport. Job done
Steve

[Horndog]

I usually find that M&S have some of the best rates arround.

If there isnt one near, Phone and ask the rate - then go to the nearest Travel Agent whom will usually rate match

Marc

[PeeBee]

On the streets in Warsaw always worked for me, doubled my money.

[Martin Owen]

You should find it's cheaper to use your cash point (debit) card in an ATM machine there.
You will get the best exchange rate as the banks always give you better than any where else IMO, the only drawback is you have to pay around 1.5% handling fee (minimum of £2, maximum £4.50 IIRC) so providing you want a couple of hundred quid out at a time its not too sad.

I should save around £20 on my currency by doing it this way compared to what the Post Office (who were the best, non on-line) offered me.

The above quoted bank charges are with Lloyds TSB

[SilvaFish]

Originally Posted by Martin Owen

You should find it's cheaper to use your cash point (debit) card in an ATM machine there.
You will get the best exchange rate as the banks always give you better than any where else IMO, the only drawback is you have to pay around 1.5% handling fee (minimum of £2, maximum £4.50 IIRC) so providing you want a couple of hundred quid out at a time its not too sad.

I should save around £20 on my currency by doing it this way compared to what the Post Office (who were the best, non on-line) offered me.

The above quoted bank charges are with Lloyds TSB

Get yourself down to Nationwide, open an account and there are no charges for foreign ATM use.

[Martin Owen]

Originally Posted by SilvaFish

Get yourself down to Nationwide, open an account and there are no charges for foreign ATM use.

I had seen that, but i am unsure of the amount of ATM's that will accept the Nationwide card? so i personally have just got a Post Office credit card for use abroad as they don't charge anything for foreign purchases .

Looking @ XE.com - The World's Favorite Currency and Foreign Exchange Site
there is 4.5 Zlotych to the pound, so the post office exchange rate is effectively costing you £5.50 per £100 you exchange (based on a bank giving you 4.5 Zlotych per pound tho'!)

[SilvaFish]

Originally Posted by Martin Owen

I had seen that, but i am unsure of the amount of ATM's that will accept the Nationwide card? so i personally have just got a Post Office credit card for use abroad as they don't charge anything for foreign purchases .

Looking @ XE.com - The World's Favorite Currency and Foreign Exchange Site
there is 4.5 Zlotych to the pound, so the post office exchange rate is effectively costing you £5.50 per £100 you exchange (based on a bank giving you 4.5 Zlotych per pound tho'!)

They are Visa debit, so just about anywhere takes them.

Ex-husband has an account, so guess who's money I spent whilst we were abroad? (that's correct - mine! after I 'pre-pay' into account!)

[Arfie]

Yep, I use Nationwide in the ATM wherever I go I tend to get much better rates and no commission or fees.

A mate works for the Post Office, royal mail, parcel force or whatever the hell they call his dept now and he always takes cash that he gets from them, so when we first arrive he normally pays for everything in monopoly money until I can get to an ATM Win - win for me

As Silvafish said it is a visa debit card, so pretty much every ATM takes it.

Arfie

[Martin Owen]

Originally Posted by SilvaFish

They are Visa debit, so just about anywhere takes them.

Ah thats worth knowing for future reference thanks.

The main reason i got the PO card was because i prefer the convenience of not carrying a load of cash about, plus every purchase is insured!

last year we paid for a meal (on Valentines day) that cost just under £100 but the the credit card company refused payment which was a bonus