Exchange Dollars into Pounds

I can't speak to that specific exchange rate, but generally I find the best rates are either (a) at your bank before you leave home; or (b) from a bank ATM (not a private ATM) in the country.

Get £s from an ATM in London

Even for small purchases, cards are accepted

Resist the urge to tip

I understand the urge to not spend unwisely, but %-wise whatever you pay at an ATM at Heathrow for X pounds to have in your wallet (that you will carry most of back and forth a number of times) is small compared to the cost your first meal in London (or Paris, or Rome). And don't ask about wine prices.

When are you going to use cash? You can use card for small purchases, market stalls, buskers, churches, pretty much everywhere. I travel to the UK 4-5 times a year and have had the same two £20 in my wallet for the past few years.

Tipping is not common and not normally expected. Most dining places have a service charge (again, payable by card).

If you really, really want cash, just withdraw from a cashpoint (ATM).

If by chance you are a Bank of America customer, they have foreign partners in a number of countries. In the UK, it's Barclays Bank. You can use their ATMs with no withdrawal fee from BoA or the partner bank. But there is a 3% currency exchange fee, so $1.39 per GBP if my math is right. If you aren't a BoA customer, check to see if your bank has any international affiliations.

The idea to try to find people who want to get rid of their foreign cash is a good one, because ATMs are going to give you large bills, and what you're really likely to need is smaller change (50p for the loo, sometimes!).

On the other hand, you're really not likely to need much cash, so you could change $50 or so in MD and don't worry about the extra few dollars the lousy exchange rate costs.

I've spent a lot of time in the UK, and I never had to use cash. You do not need to get money from an ATM. Your card will be accepted everywhere. For tips, you just add it to the bill. It's very simple, and you let them know what amount you want to add. Small purchases will always accept credit cards. Even church donation boxes now have the ability to accept Apple Pay and credit cards.

Worst case, if you need cash, just go to a bank ATM there. You'll get the best exchange rate. I definitely would not go to the post office or get your pounds in the U.S. before you go, or it will be quite pricey.

If you are more comfortable with cash on hand, find a bank ATM (CashPoint) near your hotel. Hopefully you have a card that doesn't charge fees.

Resist the urge to withdraw too much money. You will find most places prefer or only accept cards/Apple Pay/Google Wallet.

Dont think of it as exchanging - you are buying foreign currency with your dollars. And the price can be whatever the seller wants to set. Best prices are closer to the origin. The convenience is what you are paying for by getting it ahead of time, or at the airport. Like NickB said, it's not worth the worrying in the context of the cost of your whole trip. Any leftover cash, spend at the airport gift shop on the way home.

@ Jim

This is the USA Fed's daily exchange rate website used by financial institutions worldwide. https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/current/

A favourite of my mates and me
.
I cannot possibly comment but would suggest you check that rate again.

Regards Ron

“If you do not take all that money, somebody else is going to take it. You might as well do it yourselves.” Mr Donald J Trump July 2026

I use Barclays Bank ATMs in England if I need cash. My last two trip I haven’t used any cash.

I spend 3-4 months every year in the UK.

Except for my barber and the taxis in one Scottish town, I can't remember the last time I needed cash.

There was a restaurant in York about three years ago who's card machine broke. When it was time to pay, they could only accept cash. If you didn't have the cash, they told you where the nearest ATM machine was located and trusted you would come back.

You will not need cash to get from the airport to your hotel. Once settled, find the nearest bank atm and withdraw a small amount.

Make sure your passcode is 4 digits, your bank is notified, if necessary, of your trip, and if asked if you want to pay in dollars or pounds, always pick the local currency. The same is true when using your credit card.

In London, you'll find more places that don't accept cash any longer than those that only accept cash.

We were in London is 2022 for almost a week and never purchased British pounds. We paid for everything via credit card, including the loo. I can only imagine the ability to pay via credit card has only increased in the past 4 years.

I on the other hand always use local currency when I travel. I want my credit card info in the fewest possible places. I never use a cc at home so am extremely reluctant to use it overseas. Street musicians, church donation boxes, 75cent bottle of water, don't want to use my card. Flea markets, $1 postcards, street vendor snacks, I don't want a couple of hundred receipts to go through. I usually go 3x a year for a month, buy a transpo pass and off I go. Seems I may be in the minority but that's my 2 cents (cash)!

Well, Janet, we obviously don't travel in the same circles. My last stay in London everywhere wanted card or Apple Pay, even a 1£ post card. Many places only accepted card payment. The laundromat was the exception, cash only there.

To be fair you can usually use cash if you really want to - some places are card only, and certainly most places will be surprised when you use cash, but it is still possible in many shops/restaurants etc.

A few years back I was in a pub that displayed a sign "Card accepted, currency of the realm preferred". But I haven't seen anything like that for a while...

It's certainly true that visitors to the UK, particularly if they are staying in London and other major tourist centres, will not need any cash at all. But saying that cash is not used across the country is well wide of the mark. In my everyday transactions I mostly use credit cards but there are a number of places where I need to use cash, most of them not places where tourists are likely to be. I also know of a couple of places that take both but definitely prefer cash. And it seems the majority of Chinese takeaways, at least here in the north west, still want cash.

I visited London in September 2025 and June, 2026. I changed a small amount of dollars for pounds, and brought cash home. Just about every business I patronized was cashless.

If you feel more comfortable taking some British currency, other posts have provided good
advice.

Enjoy your trip!

Street musicians, church donation boxes, 75cent bottle of water, don't want to use my card.

Actually, I spent six weeks in the UK in 2024, and just about every single church I went to (and I went into a lot), allowed you to use your card or digital wallet in the collection box. The only ones that did not were two very tiny churches in North Yorkshire and Devon.

I also had to laugh at the comment about street musicians, because I have seen a lot of street musicians recently with phones that accept cards and digital wallets. It made me laugh the first time I saw it, but hey, why not?

I would just go to an ATM and take out 20 GBP when you arrive. You probably won’t need it but you can spend anything left at the end of your trip.

In my last three trips to the UK, here is where I have needed cash:
1) At one kiosk to buy a bottle of water (most places will take a card)
2) At a coin-operated laundromat (they made change for my 20 GBP note)
3) At a coffee shop when their network was down. They had a sign that they could only take cash due to a network problem and tons of locals walked in and were turned away because they had no cash on them. I could have walked to a different coffee shop, but was glad to have cash on me to get my coffee fix at my preferred place.

A couple of replies mentioned the loo. We will be tourists and walking around a lot. I expect to need the loo multiple times over 12 days. Will I need cash for that?

A stack of 1,000 $100 bills weighs 2.205 pounds.

A couple of replies mentioned the loo. We will be tourists and walking around a lot. I expect to need the loo multiple times over 12 days. Will I need cash for that?

Every loo I have used on multiple visits to London was tap-and-pay - no cash accepted.

While the UK is mostly cashless, there are a few times when cash is needed. I recall a food truck on Holy Island that was clearly cash only. My hungry self had to walk away from those fish and chips, but I decided to just go find an ATM (common advice here) and then go back. In this case, finding the ATM just wasn't that easy and I wasted valuable sightseeing time trying to find it. I ended up with a sandwich from a convenience store so I didn't exactly starve but it wasn't my first choice.

I would say it pays to have about 20 pounds in cash , just in case.

Yes, most of the pay toilets here use contactless payment now. However, you shouldn't encounter that many pay toilets here. There are lots of ways to find free ones- ones in railway stations are nearly always free, for example, or at the big free museums (tho you may have to wait in a security queue these days to enter the museum). You can also always go into a pub if you can't find any other options.

Regarding cash generally, it's extremely rare here that I need cash for anything. The only times in recent memory I can think of using cash is leaving a tip for hotel housekeeping and at the nail salon. You are starting to see more places now that only take card, altho those are still very much in the minority. I would withdraw something like £20-50 from a cash machine after you arrive to have just in case- you can always spend it at the end.

"I expect to need the loo multiple times over 12 days. Will I need cash for that?"

The number of pay toilets seems to have reduced over the years, and most of those that remain tend to take card. Bur I generally rely on department stores, museums, pubs (after purchase of fhe appropriate drink!) etc.

Probably the only time you would be forced to use a pay toilet is if you are stuck waiting at a rail station, and all of those are tap-to-pay. Other than that, you can avoid paying, simply pop into any pub get a pint, and use the toilet. Of course, that may be self defeating, as the pint may prompt another trip to the loo in an hour or two. Department stores are another good toilet option, a busy restaurant another (just wander in like you own the place and head to the toilets).

But to your question, NEVER take hard cash to exchange someplace, use an ATM, look around, lots of them advertise no use fee, of course your bank may charge a fee. I find, if I am only in the UK for a few days to a week, and certainly just in London, I avoid getting any GBP. If I am venturing further afield, renting a car, and an extended trip, then I try to have a small amount. I have run into parking lots requiring cash, laundry, and a few odd things. That said, I was in Belfast for a few days, and one of the highly rated breakfast places was cash only (a small chain actually), so I went elsewhere.

few years back I was in a pub that displayed a sign "Card accepted, currency of the realm preferred". But I haven't seen anything like that for a while...

A couple of weeks ago, at an outstanding ice cream shop in Wales (the Red Boat Parlor, in Beaumaris) they took credit cards, and the vast majority of customers I observed were paying with cards, but they displayed a prominent sign that said, “Cash is King … Payment by Cash Preferred.” The person I paid in cash went back to scooping cones, and the person who replaced her was impatient with me trying to put my change in a safe place with one hand before I left the register. The other hand was holding my cup of ice cream, and I wasn’t about to lose it or the change!

Wales mostly had card readers that offered me the “opportunity” to have the transaction rung up in Pounds, yet calculated either using Pounds (with a Union Jack flag image) or in U.S. Dollars (with a Stars and Stripes image), and as mentioned above, always pick the local currency, or you’ll get a poor exchange rate. One time, the person ringing me up automatically hit the Pounds, before I could even hit it for myself. She knew the system, and was looking out for her customers!

We did get £100 from an ATM, and are coming home with £40, to be used on an upcoming trip.

As time marches on, fewer and fewer places are cash only.

Taking credit cards opens you up to more business. It's easier accounting wise and it is done electronically. You don't have to go to the bank to make sure you have enough cash on hand or to depost cash so you have enough to pay your bills.

Younger folk are more apt to pay electronically either by card, phone, watch or even, now, a ring. If in a larger city, and one that gets tourists, then only taking cash will lose you a lot of business.

It's also now easier to take credit card as you no longer have to set up a special account through a bank. All you need to do is download an app. I've even seen street buskers with signs saying "credit cards accepted."

Later today, I'm getting my haircut. (I know that info must thrill people.) The person who cuts my hair only takes cash. I realize I only have 20 Pound notes. I asked my hotel if they could give me smaller notes. Nope. They don't have them. I asked at the bar. Same answer. At the restaurant. Same answer. While people can pay in cash, they don't.

Some people still prefer to use cash. That's what they are used to. Some people still don't like to use smartphones or apps. That's their right. But they are a dying breed.

“Cash is King … Payment by Cash Preferred.”

Cash is king where tax evasion and money laundering are the heirs apparent.

Not to make this thread about pay toilets, but I wanted to note that you can just use the toilet in a pub without buying anything (of course, buy something if you want!). A lot of pubs are even members of the Community Toilet Scheme which means they have officially signed on for people to use their toilets without buying anything. But even if they haven't, it's incredibly unlikely anyone is going to stop you. I wouldn't try this with a restaurant, but pub, definitely- I do this regularly and it's never been a problem.

Probably the only time you would be forced to use a pay toilet is if you are stuck waiting at a rail station, and all of those are tap-to-pay.

Not true. I would be very hard pressed to think of a pay toilet at any English or Welsh rail station. Certainly in London they are all free at terminal railway stations. You sometimes (like on Merseyside) find ones where you show your rail ticket to a remotely monitored camera to gain access, but they are still free.
In Scotland you sometimes still find pay toilets at stations- Glasgow Queen Street and Inverness are two, possibly still Aberdeen.

But at Queen Street there are free toilets in the nearby shopping mall (and at Glasgow Central station), likewise at Inverness and Aberdeen- use the free ones in the adjacent shopping malls.

The only thing I used cash for during several months in the UK over the past few years has been to tip my caddies on the golf course. Used tap to pay literally everywhere else.

I understand people preferring to use cash, but it's not an absolute necessity to have any, pretty much everywhere in the UK.

I live in England.

I have used very nearly zero coins or notes in the UK since 2019. Everything is tap my phone. I carry a couple of cards incase the Wallet doesn't work = but I never need them. I carry a £20 note but other than exchanging for it when the paper notes were withdrawn to be replaces by the polymer ones, I haven't touched it.

I was at a nearby canal recently and thought I would pay cash for a burger and cup of coffee to a boat cafe bakery person who I know but as I was reaching into my pocket she handed me her tap machine. Out came the phone - still have the same cash.

In the area where I live, on the border between the Midlands and the East everything is card.

Local chippie - phone

Barber - phone

Carwash - phone (app)

Church - phone

Vending machine at hospital - phone

Sorry to pile on

How about trying AAA if you’re a member, or know anyone who is. As a dual citizen I travels and fro frequently. I feel sure you could buy some from them, tho perhaps have to pre order.

jimgalvin832 on 08/18/26 02:30 PM
We are travelling from Maryland, USA to London, England. I understand that we may need GBPs for tips, small purchases where credit cards are not accepted etc. I understand that Heathrow is probably not a wise choice for currency exchange. I can get pounds in Maryland today at a 1.4578 exchange rate, which is crazy. So, should I get to London and then find a post office for the exchange?

It doesn’t matter. If it were me, I would carry maybe 25GBP for who knows what. If in the exchange rate you get clipped for $3 does that really matter against the cost of the trip to have the security and/or convenience of a little cash? If you got 100GBP and got clipped $10, no different.

Nigel, I am with you on this one. Whenever I did carry cash it just got wasted on things like the unhoused (homeless) or the guys that play violins on street corners or the donation boxes in the church I visited.

I usually get a few GBP at the ATM in Heathrow. Yes, there’s a small fee, but the exchange rate has always been surprisingly good. The total cost is less than ordering currency from my bank in the US, I have cash with me before I leave the airport, and I don’t have to worry about finding an ATM for the rest of the trip.

Do you recall what networks are on the ATM at Heathrow? And, how many pounds do you get for your visit/trip?

My personal opinion only (make if it what you will), but I would never use an ATM at Heathrow - they are mainly Travelex branded (rather than bank ATMs) and charge a fee. You don't need cash at the airport - there is literally nothing either at the airport or in terms of transport that requires it. London is full of bank ATMs (aka cashpoints) that are fee free (depending on your own bank). If you REALLY want cash, wait until you've arrived at your hotel go for a walk and withdraw £20 from your nearest ATM.

All that said, and without wanting to reprise the earlier discussion, you really are very unlikely to actually need cash. If I were you, I wouldn't withdraw any cash.

You do as you please but I agree with Simon. It will cost you more to get pounds at Heathrow than at a local bank.

I needed to get some pounds a few weeks ago. (Not for London but my next destination in the UK.) I didn't get them when I arrived at Heathrow but the next day at a bank near my hotel.

All modes of public transport from Heathrow into London accepts credit cards or Google/Apple Pay.

BTW, when it comes to tipping housekeepers.....some hotels are now switching to online tips. You scan a QR code found in the room and can leave a tip for your housekeeper.

My personal opinion only (make if it what you will), but I would never use an ATM at Heathrow - they are mainly Travelex branded ...

The Heathrow ATM contract is now with DC Payments but the drawbacks are the same. Indeed they now charge a £2.50 fee to British cardholders as well. There is a Notemachine ATM in the T2,3 underground station on TfL property that still doesn't.

BTW, when it comes to tipping housekeepers.....

Is that a thing? I must owe thousands in unpaid tips to UK hotel workers. Should I tip the people who collect my recycling, deliver my post, drive my train, scan my barcodes?

You scan a QR code found in the room and can leave a
tip for your housekeeper

Not recommended. Criminals have been known to replace them with their own codes to defraud people. How do you know the QR code is the right one?

It is a thing- we're members of a London club that levies a 10% (optional) gratuity on all charges, as well as a contribution to the staff Christmas fund. The staff have been around for years (even decades), and are absolutely fantastic, they remember our names, provide excellent service and generally make it feel like a home away from home, so I have no problem with this.

As for everything else in London (restaurants etc), I feel the service charge covers it.

To answer the OP's question, tipping is your call, but you likely won't need cash for it.

Should I tip the people who … scan my barcodes?

So, there would be QR codes to tip people who scan barcodes? How about barcodes for tipping people who scan QR codes? That is, as long as these are legitimate codes, and not scam codes left around by criminals. Maybe cash isn’t such a bad thing, if a tip is truly intended.

When we were in France last year, I went to some ATMs and a couple of different banks in Paris and Lyon. I felt like I wasted time trying to identify an ATM network that was partners with Capital One, which charges no fees. Regarding tipping, our London hotel is adding a standard service charge percent to our bill, so I think this means that tipping is not expected there, although not certain.

I wasted time trying to identify an ATM network that was partners with Capital One, which charges no fees.

Networks for ATMs are not, so far as I am aware, a thing in Europe. And Discover cards are not, either.

What are atm networks?

It boggles my mind that America makes banking so difficult for the retail consumer. I worked in the US early in my career, and there was, and continues to be, better banking infrastructure in Bangladesh or Rwanda than the US.

I now run a multinational business, and to this day there is only one country where vendors request to be paid by cheque. No guesses where.

Olivia, I think I answered my own question. LINK is the ATM network for UK residents. According to my quick research, bank branded ATMs, such as Barclays or HSBC, do not charge an ATM fee. Barclays accepts Visa, MC, Plus, Cirrus and Union Pay. I guess I will visit a Barclays or HSBC when I get to London (Kensington). I have a Capital One debit card.

jimgalvin832 -

Before you try that Capital One debit card outside the US, make sure its not connected to the Discover network. Many Cap 1 debit cards are being issued with association to Discover rather than VISA and MasterCard, which has been the standard before now.

Discover is next to useless outside the US. You are unlikely to find a cashpoint that accepts a Discover-related debit card.

Look for a VISA or MasterCard logo on your debit card. If you don't see either of those, look for some other card.

I bought 100 GBP from AAA (I'm a member) for $15. It's taken three trips to London to spend it. Mostly for tips and London Walks - sometimes their card readers don't work.

You do need to order them in advance from AAA.

Thanks, Tim. The back of my Cap One debit card has Discover, Diners Club and Pulse. I have Bank of America Visa and Citi Mastercard credit cards but no debit cards. So, it looks like my best option is to exchange dollars for pounds in the US before we leave on Monday.

According to Discover itself, the following ATM operators can be used:

• Asda
• Cardtronics
• Euronet
• Notemachine
• Sainsbury's

From personal experience my two nearest ATMs are Notemachine & Cardtronics and do display Discover logos, not that I have a card to test them.

These do cover a fair percentage of ATMs, mostly in or outside shops but I guess looking for them could take up valuable time.

There is a Notemachine in the underground station for Heathrow T2&3 though.

How do you know the QR code is the right one?

When you scan it, a page comes up with the name and photo of the housekeeper. In my current hotel, I know most of the housekeepers and it was correct.

QR codes are becoming the thing in a lot of hotels.

Scan the QR code for the hotel directory.

Scan a QR code to order food.

How do criminals get access to hotel rooms? Do they ask for keys at reception stating they want to place phony QR codes,

What are atm networks?

ATM networks link different banks atm's so it will be easy for the consumer to get money. It allows someone with an account at one bank to withdraw money from a cash machine from a different bank. Most British banks are linked to one of the networks but they may not advertise it. The main two are Cirrus and Plus Network.

It boggles my mind that America makes banking so difficult for the retail consumer. I worked in the US early in my career, and there was, and continues to be, better banking infrastructure in Bangladesh or Rwanda than the US.

So you're basing your experience from decades ago to today?

It's very easy for the retail consumer to purchase things in the US or abroad. In fact, banking is so easy now in the US, that unless you need cash, you don't even have to leave your home to do most things with banks. I haven't set foot in a bank in years. I write one check a year and that's to a relative who still does things the way he did 50 years ago.

I now run a multinational business, and to this day there is only one country where vendors request to be paid by cheque. No guesses where.

It's not the banks, it the vendors. And they must be pretty old. Every bank I know would much prefer electronic transfer of funds versus checks. EBT is done by computers. Checks still have to be done by a person. It cost the bank more to process a check than an electronic transfer. But some retailers don't want to change.

How do you know the QR code is the right one?

You don’t, until you have clicked on it and then who really knows? Which is why they are so useful for fraudsters.
It is a common technique to steal from people who are trying to pay in car parks.

Using a QR to access a hotel food menu it is obvious when you are taken to the right webpage. How do you know what the ‘correct’ webpage looks like to tip housekeeping?
I’m not saying it is a huge risk, it’s more the principle of the thing. Don’t click on random QR codes unless you are absolutely sure they are directing you to where you think they are directing you. And be even more careful if money is involved.

If I am being really honest having a hotel ‘provide’ QR codes to tip their staff would annoy me anyway. Just pay your staff a decent wage! And as for a hotel charging an automatic 10% service charge on a booking. A guaranteed reason for me to never stay there!

I have two Visa and three Mastercard credit cards that I will be using on our trip to London. These cards do not have a PIN. Should I set one up for each of these cards? Will it be a problem if I do not? If I do set up a PIN, does that mean I will have to enter a PIN every time I have to make a tap-to-pay purchase?

Should I set one up for each of these cards?

It would be a good idea

Will it be a problem if I do not?

Probably not

If I do set up a PIN, does that mean I will have to enter a PIN every time I have to make a tap-to-pay purchase?

No

I have two Visa and three Mastercard credit cards that I will be using on our trip to London.

Five cards may be at least two cards too many. Are all of them exempt from foreign transaction fees?

My mistake. Just one Mastercard and yes, they are exempt from foreign transaction fees. Thank you.

For those who don't have PINs associated with their credit cards: don't worry; they're not needed.

In the past three years, I've spent 14 months in Europe, including about five months in the UK. Zero times have I been asked for a PIN.

We use some cash every time we are in the UK, usually in small out of the way places. Like Paul, car parks (card reader did not work) and a laundry needed cash.

One last dumb question. In the UK, do they have currency exchange locations (like in the US where they are ubiquitous) where I could exchange dollars for pounds, if I had the need?

Yes we do, although I’m not sure I would go as far as saying they are ubiquitous.
Just google ‘currency exchange’ or ‘bureau de change’ with your location and you will find where the nearest ones are.