We will be visiting London in September and then traveling on to several countries in Europe. Do we need to exchange to local currency (Pounds and Euros) or would it be best to charge on credit cards and let the credit card companies handle the exchange? Finally, what power conversion kits should we obtain to recharge our phones and such?
Thanks,
Karl
It's possible to visit England and just use cards and not cash, but I would personally recommend obtaining a small amount of cash for the very occasional time you might need it.
For other European countries I would take advice from their forums. Whilst I suspect that cards are very widely accepted these days there may well be more need to get some cash.
In either situation I would just plan to take a small amount of cash from an ATM after arrival.
Thank you for your quick response. I assume that you mean cash in local currency.
Karl
As much as I have always loved cash when traveling as a way to budget my "walking around money" I found when I was in London last fall some places, like restaurants, wouldn't even take cash. They wanted you to tap and pay with your credit card. So, I guess I will have to go with the flow and use my credit card more, but I will still grab a few euros at an atm soon after arrival when I am in Paris in September. For power conversion, most phones and other electronics already handle both US and European powers, but you will need the 2 prong plug. They are sold on this website and some hotels even provide them, but they are small and easy to carry so I always travel with 1
It is my understanding that most of Europe runs on 220, so a voltage adapter seems to be in order. Am I correct?
Thanks
Yes, you will need adapters, and 2 kinds, the UK has a different plug shape than the continent.
Just so you know, lots of these types of questions are answered here on the site:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips
Of course you will need cash in the currency of the country you are in, I'm at a loss to think how you could do otherwise.
Personally I use card everywhere - I have a particular one that allows you to add credit in currencies of your choice, meaning no transaction fees. Always worth trying to ensure none of those! A little cash might ben needed for small transactions.
And Europe/UK have different plug types and voltages - do be careful with any items as even with all the correct conversion items people still report their precious items being fried, especially with 240 volts in the UK.
You will likely only need a plug adapter. What kind of electronics are you taking? Most phones, tablets, laptops are built for 110-240 so all you need to do is have an adapter to plug them in to the socket.
IF you are taking something like a Blow dryer or curling iron, that's when you might have problems. Some of these you can buy that will be able to switch between voltage.
Tell us more about your electronics and you can get better advice.
In general, you will NOT need a voltage converter.
As to cash, the last trip for 5.5 weeks I used cash only at the little ice cream kiosks at the English seaside. Everywhere else I tapped my CC OR used Applepay. I even used ApplePay to access the toilets in the Amsterdam Centraal station. I had change but I did it because I could, lol.
DON'T take Dollars to change in to local currency. Get it out of an ATM. You'll need to notify your bank that you are traveling. Check your CCs as you may or may not have to notify them of your plans. Currently both my CCs I take on trips do not require travel notifications.
Call me a Luddite if you will, but I always have local currency in hand. From time to time technology does not work. I can think of seven or eight times when it failed, and I was glad to have local funds to pay the bill. Then too, there are small purchases that one really just needs to pay for in cash.
With regard to conversion kits, there are two things to consider. A converter will change the voltage from 220 to 110. But many, if not most, appliances (including phone chargers) are made to accept either voltage. An adapter is a device the allows american style plugs to fit into european wall sockets.
Based on the questions the OP is asking, I think it's important to add that cash should be obtained from a bank-owned ATM. There are now many machines labeled ATM that are run by foreign currency firms, with very unfavorable terms. In addition, cash should be withdrawn using a debit card.
Useful info here on the RS web site: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/cash-machine-atm-tips
For credit, is best to use a card with zero foreign transaction fees.
I would also add that when you get your money from a bank ATM, if the machine eats your card you can usually get it back with little problem. But at a stand alone ATM that could be a problem.
In London, you will probably need very little cash. On my last trip, the only thing I bought with cash was a bottle of water from a kiosk … and that was outside of London. On future trips, I will probably just keep 20 GBP on hand.
For other countries, it will vary.
Yes to local currency. You won't need a lot, but it's useful. You'll want to spend some cash once in awhile to have change for little things like pay toilets.
You need different adapters for UK and continental Europe https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/ . UK uses type G; Europe uses type C/E/or F. Or you can get a "universal adapter". You can find many on "that ubiquitous shopping site". I have one of the many blocky looking adapters that have adjustable US/UK/Europe/Australia prongs, a universal plug in outlet, and several USB ports. Plus you can prop your phone on the adapter as it charges. Enjoy your trip!
