cerbera
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 04:37 PM |
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Travellers Cheques
Going to Lanzagrote in a couple of weeks and was wondering whether to take euro or sterling travellers cheques.
Does anybody know which would give me the better exchange rate?
Ta!
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hobbsy
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 04:41 PM |
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I'd do neither and use a Nationwide debit card in a cashpoint. Or even any bank card will probably give you a better rate just don't do
loads of small transactions.
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Simon W
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 04:44 PM |
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Yeh, must admit, though the day of the travellers cheque was dead. You go to pretty much any cashpoint and get your money there and then, you may pay
a penny or two per pound on slightly worse exchange rate but not much more.
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graememk
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 04:49 PM |
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again i use a cash point at the bank not a shop.
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nitram38
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 05:10 PM |
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Call me old fashioned, but I never use cards abroad. Not only can you get charged by your bank, the cash point can add a charge plus you tend to get
less on the exchange rate.
They tend to be a back up for me.
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james h
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 05:25 PM |
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I used traveller's checks when i went to India last summer - more useful there i suspect, as you dont want to carry large amounts of cash on
you, and because there are fewer cash machines.
But i think you are probably better off using a card, much less pain when you want the money in a jiffy.
Just my opinion though! 
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oliwb
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 06:15 PM |
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The nationwide one is great but a little bizarre. Your only allowed something like 6 transactions a day on it in foreign countries after which they
stop it. This OK as long as you remember/plan or don't run into any difficulties but could be an issue. As to travellers cheques always take
whatever currency the country uses. We are lucky in that you can get t/cheques here comission free. Unfortunately if you try to cash something that
isn't in they're own currency you are often charged commission on it - which would easily outweigh any fluctuations in exchange
rates.....and believe me I do know what I'm talking about as this what I do every day! Oli.
If your not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room!
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mark chandler
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 06:45 PM |
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If you are going to use your card then phone them and let them know.
Some cards become automatically frozen if used abroad, the bank senses unusable activity and suspends the card.
Regards Mark
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cerbera
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| posted on 6/7/07 at 06:59 PM |
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Thanks for the tips guys 
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Jasper
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| posted on 7/7/07 at 04:15 PM |
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Cash - cash - cash....
Always the best rate, find yourself a local independant money changer, even the staff at my local Barclays use the chap I go to as his rates are so
good.
Watched the BBC travel journo on the news the other day and he said exactly the same things - he always just takes cash - then there's no worry
of crap exchange rates and commission charges on your card, or worries of not being able to change your TC's..... just get yourself a money belt
if your worried about carrying it.
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 8/7/07 at 08:41 PM |
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We're off to Tunisia next week but I've read that you can't get currency in the UK because Tunisia doesn't allow their
currency outside of its sovereignty, so whats the best advice in this situation?
I guess the options is to either withdraw from cash machines once we've arrived (if they are readily available), or take sterling travellers
cheques and change them once over there as needed.
Luckily we're staying all inclusive so won't need a lot of cash, but even so I don't want to get stung with a crap exchange rate
back to UK currency simply because you HAVE to change it back before leaving, so little and often would be better than having to withdraw a big sum at
once.
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JoelP
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| posted on 8/7/07 at 08:46 PM |
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http://www.moneysupermarket.com/travel-money/
some cards are better than others. Saw something on telly recently but cant remember the card they recommended.
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