When is the best time to buy foreign currency?
Video: With an election looming, a hung parliament could hit sterling
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.You could save a tenner for every £100 you spend abroad by being smart, advises Bob Atkinson of TravelSupermarket.
“Plan what you’re going to do and how you’re going to spend overseas,” he says. He points out that the cheapest way to pay abroad is actually to use plastic. But not any plastic. “Look for credit and debit cards which are designed for usage overseas. The market-leading deals – such as the Halifax Clarity credit card and Norwich & Peterborough debit card - have no hidden currency loading fees or transaction fees.” So if you spent, say, 600 euros on one of these cards you’d actually spend about £470, based on today’s rate, he says.
“Compare that to the worst option, which is to rock up at an airport and actually buy euros without preordering. Do that and you’d end up spending about £515 on today’s rates at somewhere like Heathrow,” Mr Atkinson says. “That’s a difference of around 10% which means it’s effectively like throwing away £10 for every £100 you spend on holiday.”
With an election looming, he warns that the strong possibility of a hung parliament will hit sterling.
Watch our video to find out his suggestions of the best way to buy ahead of your holiday and why you need to be careful when buying pre-pay cards.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments