Buy before you travel

We always suggest you buy before you travel.
It is surprising how many people get off the plane abroad and head straight for the nearest foreign exchange desk.
Many of these now are also located in the baggage reclaim hall. They have a bit of a captive audience.
You arrive at the airport. Do not have change or cash and then you start to think about the taxi to your hotel. Tips for hotel staff. Need to get a bottle of water. All theae things go through your head. You are waiting for your suitcase so head over to change some money.
The rates will rarely be good and you would been much better getting at the UK airport before you left if you had left it until the last minute.

Airport mark-up more than 25%

Airport

This was the headline in the Express the today.  It talks about something we’ve said time and time again that you should:

  • Always compare rates before you buy
  • Always buy in advance and never leave it until you get to the airport
  • Always plan ahead and if you know you will need currency buy sooner rather than later
The Express investigation found that the rates varied significantly between airports; the mark-up was sometimes greater than 25% and that finally the most shocking part that MoneyCorp at Southampton airport was offering £1/US$1 – compared with the best online rates at the time of $1.24.