Funny Money

[andrewducker]

So, what with being off to Tenerife for a week, we needed some Euros.

The nearest bank to my work is an RBS at the top of the street, so I wandered along at lunchtime.

They have a system I've not seen before - you use a touch screen to tell a computer what it is you want, and it then gives you a ticket that puts you in the correct queue. You can then take a seat, and when someone is free who can deal with your issue then there's an announcement (vocal and on screens) telling you where to go. It seems to work pretty well.

Better than the actual process of getting some cash did, anyway. I don't bank with RBS, but I assumed that I'd be able to just use my Visa Debit card to pay them, and they'd then hand me some European wonga.

Sadly, this was not to be the case. It turns out that (a)accepting payment from a debit card is beyond the abilities of RBS, and (b) they only sell Euros (and presumably other currency) in presized bundles (€100, €250, etc.).

So rather than saying "£350 worth of your finest european currency please, here is my card." I had to go first get the cashier to do some maths to work out what the best fit was for £350 worth of euros, and then go and find a cash machine upstairs, take out £300 on my card (that being the maximum it allows per day), and £60 on our joint card (thank goodness for having a joint account!), take that cash downstairs, and hand it over so that she could hand me four envelopes (sealed, of course, and I didn't have the energy to open each of them and check - so I'll be very grumpy if they're wrong when I get home).

Presumably the cash will then be taken back upstairs and put back into the ATM so that someone else can do the same thing for _their_ holiday money.

Somehow, it doesn't feel quite as efficient as it could be.

Comments

[matgb]

People still go to banks to change money. It really is time charges fo roverseas use of ATMs &c were fixed, always a PITA when you don't know what you're getting, but much much easier.

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

Or just go to the post-office. They'll give you however many Euros your cash will buy and most any post-office, including the one round the corner from us on London Road, have Euros in-house (although not necessarily other currencies).

I had to go up to the post-office in the St James Centre when I went to get my Czech Crowns but that also has that touch-screen system which was great as there were two folks queuing for currency and about 20 for the main counters :)

Funnily enough, you can also pay by card at the counter.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I've always taken one of three methods to get foreign money.

#1: Hit a currency exchange. Like, an actual one that lets you swap anything for anything. They usually have no problem converting touristy amounts of cash.

#2: Exchange once I'm in the target country - either at a kiosk in the airport, or simply by hitting a back machine and taking a less favourable exchange rate in exchange for the convenience. Or just using my credit card and, again, sucking up the difference as a way of reminding me that Things In Other Countries Are Expensive And I Do Not Need Them All.

#3: Refusing to spend money for any reason under any circumstances because I refuse to prop up the theocratic regime of a backwards third-world currently-self-destructing hellhole. Get someone else to pay for everything, and then leave as soon as possible. (I only really do this one in the USA)

[mindwanders.livejournal.com]

We always get ours from M&S. Mostly because they are open after work (although not normally as late as the actual shop for some reason) and you can park at them.

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

I usually get foreign currency at the airport. If you pre-book it, rather than turn up at the desk, TraveleX usually offer the best rates available.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Buying in a post-office-wise, as long as you have ID, they let you buy vast amounts directly, as long as they have the currency in question :)

[lilaanne.livejournal.com]

A method I've found really really useful is a 'Travelcard' some bank accounts offer them for free or you can buy one for a nominal amount. They send you a VISA card and a PIN number and login details for a website (also provided is a telephone number) and you can then use your UK cards to put money on it.

When you arrive at your destination you can use it as a VISA card (proper - not debit) or withdraw money on it (charges depending on the bank you use).

They tend to expire after a year but usually it's free to renew. I use it know when I go to Euroland and Dollarland and I've never had huge charges or any issues using it at all anywhere.