Travel money tips

0% commission¹ and competitive rates. Order your foreign currency and Travellers Cheques online² and have them delivered to you, or pick up in branch. Buy a euro, US dollar or sterling Travel Money Card online or in branch

Travelling abroad? These tips will help get you sorted.

order in advance for a better travel money rate
if you got your foreign currency at the Post Office®, sell back leftover notes without paying any commission at any Post Office® branch by showing your receipt
the Travel Money Card (TMC) is a safe and easy-to-use alternative to cash

Top 7 travel money tips

Travelling abroad? These tips will help you get sorted with your foreign currency and find the best travel money rates.

you can get a better travel money rate by ordering in advance and not waiting until you get to the airport
if you got your foreign currency at the Post Office®, and you are not travelling again you can sell back leftover notes without paying any commission at any Post Office® branch by showing your receipt
it’s a good idea to have small- and medium-denomination notes rather than large
a Travel Money Card (TMC) is a safe and easy-to-use alternative to cash

know how much cash to take. Carrying too much money can be a safety issue, but travelling with too little may also be a problem if you have difficulties accessing your UK account. Before ordering your currency, check whether cashpoints are widely available at your destination and whether your hotel or rental car agency accepts credit cards.
consider alternatives to cash. You’ll always need some cash on your travels, but for greater peace of mind you can also use the Post Office® Travel Money Card (TMC). Simply load the card with up to £2,500 and then use it at any cashpoint (fee applies), shop or restaurant that accepts VISA Electron. Unlike cash, if your card’s lost or stolen you can cancel the card and order a replacement 24 hours a day. Also as the card isn’t linked to your bank account, it reduces the risk of fraud¹.
Order your Travel Money Card online now.
stay away from big notes. In some countries, taxis or smaller shops might not have enough change to handle large-denomination notes, or may not accept them for security reasons. Be sure to get plenty of smaller notes for food, drink and taxis while you’re on holiday.
keep small notes at hand for tips. Having small notes before your trip will make it easier to tip taxi drivers or hotel porters when you arrive. Check your guide book or ask your holiday rep how much to tip.
check that your bank card works abroad. Some banks put an automatic international security stop on cards to prevent fraud. Contact your bank before you go on holiday to check.
book your travel money in advance. It pays to be early, since you won’t get the best deal at airport or station foreign exchange counters. Post Office® offers competitive rates on over 70 currencies. You can order online and collect from any Post Office® branch or have it delivered to your home. Order 0% commission currency now. There is free delivery for branch collection and orders over £500 for home delivery Mon - Fri (minimum online order is £350)³.
consider a range of travel money. You might want to consider not putting all your travel money eggs in one basket. For instance, if you take just travellers cheques, converting them to cash might not always be as convenient as having cash in your pocket. Likewise going loaded with rolls of notes and nothing else means you could come unstuck should your travel money go on a holiday of its own! You might consider taking enough cash to keep you going for a few days at a time backed up by travellers cheques and a Post Office® Travel Money Card too. A Travel Money Card is one of the easiest and safest ways to take money abroad¹.

Once you come home...

Here are a few ideas for taking care of any leftover travel money:

sell back any notes you do not need for a future holiday. If you bought your foreign currency at the Post Office®, just show your receipt and we’ll buy back all your leftover travel money commission-free (notes only)
store leftover coins. If there’s a chance you’ll be going back to the same country the coins will come in handy for things like luggage trolley or payphones at the airport. Just put any leftovers in an envelope labelled with the country name and they’ll be ready to go for your next trip. Also many Post Office® branches have collection boxes if you'd like to donate leftover coins to Barnados.

Where next?

Get a great rate on travel money by ordering foreign currency from the Post Office®:

order travel money online² up to five working days in advance
call us at 08458 500 900. Lines are open 8:00am-5:30pm Mon- Fri. Calls may be recorded, monitored and used for training and compliance purposes.