If you are going away on holiday then you will need to organise your travel money. Like most people you will want to get the best value for your money, which means you want to find above average exchange rates if at all possible. There are a number of ways of buying foreign currency, some of them more cost effective than others. Should you use a credit card, buy cash or travellers cheques, or would you get a better rate with a prepaid currency card?
Using a Credit Card
If you don’t want to be walking around with several hundred pounds worth of dollars or euros in your luggage, then you may decide to use your credit card to obtain the currency that you need while you are abroad. The benefit of a credit card is that it allows you take advantage of whatever the exchange rate is on a given day. While credit cards do have some advantages, they may not get you the best exchange rate once you calculate in what it costs you to borrow money on a credit card. Not all credit cards carry the same level of charges, but this can still be an expensive way of buying currency, which is not what you want if you are looking for above average exchange rates. Some credit card companies levy extra charges every time you use an ATM machine when you are abroad.
Cash or Traveller’s Cheques?
A lot of people still tend to buy foreign currency through their travel agent or through the post office. Most travel agents and post offices will charge a small commission on your currency and you won’t necessarily get the best exchange rates from them. Some people like to feel actual foreign money in their pockets when they go away because it makes the experience seem more real. Other people prefer to take a small amount of cash for incidental expenses when they first arrive, and then take the rest of their money in traveller’s cheques. Traveller’s cheques are not one of the best ways to get a decent exchange rate, but you do have the security of knowing that if they are lost or stolen, you can have them replaced.
Prepaid Card
Increasingly travellers are turning to prepaid currency cards as the cheapest way to buy their travel money. Prepaid cards offer a better exchange rate than either banks or the post office and can be a lot more cost effective than traveller’s cheques. The prepaid chip and pin card can be ordered online, you can order your currency at the same time. Prepaid cards have much lower charges than most credit cards and because they are designed for a specific purpose, you will get above average exchange rates on foreign currency. The cards are reusable, and when you want to go away again you just load up the card and you are good to go.
Order your FairFX card today for much better value holiday money on your next trip.
Wednesday 05 May 2010, 12:09pm
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