Money in Scotland, Ireland, and England

There's only a couple currencies you'll have to deal with - the Pound Sterling £ in the UK (including Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland) and the Euro € in the Republic of Ireland.

You'll hear many different suggestions on how/when to handle getting ahold of some currency. In my case, I prefer waiting until in-country before hitting up a bank-owned ATM and pulling out some local currency. I tend to take out only enough for small purchases over the course of my trip, preferring to use a credit card for more substantive purchases (sit-down meals, hotel, etc). Mind you, I also have debit/credit cards that fit well with that approach - no foreign transaction fees, reimbursement for ATM fees, and the like. I've never felt the need to get foreign currency here before my trip, though others like stepping off the plane with some local currency.

So as not to get stuck with tons of currency that'll do me no good one I go from one country to the next, or losing out on yet another currency exchange, I underestimate how much I'll need in cash. On the occasion I end up with some extra money, I'll often just apply it to my hotel bill when I check out from the last hotel in that country (when it comes time to check-out, I'll ask them to take the cash off my hands and the rest goes on the card).

The types of debit/credit cards you have can influence what works best for you - big foreign ATM and transaction fees for ya might make underestimating cash needs less appealing since it could involve multiple ATM visits and such.

Northern Ireland is not in Great Britain – the clue is in the name of the country - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The currency in the UK is the pound sterling.

Four banks in Northern Ireland and three banks in Scotland issue their own sterling notes. Due to unfamiliarity merchants in other parts of the UK may be reluctant to accept notes issued by the Scottish or Northern Irish banks, though it is all the same currency - the pound. Bank of England notes are common throughout the UK.

The currency in Ireland is the Euro.

“Four banks in Northern Ireland and three banks in Scotland issue their own sterling notes. Due to unfamiliarity merchants in other parts of the UK may be reluctant to accept notes issued by the Scottish or Northern Irish banks, though it is all the same currency - the pound.”

We ran into this in Northern Ireland earlier this year. We had Bank of England notes but when getting change we were sometimes given notes from the other banks (which are good but less familiar in England itself) so we just asked for change in Bank of England notes which was no problem. We had never seen so many different notes in one country!

There are two schools of thought about getting money here before you go, and zillions of posts restating the two positions over and over and over again.

1) Get $100-200 worth of the European currency here, before you go. This way, you don't have to hassle with it upon arrival. What if the airport ATM isn't working, or there's a long line?
2) Wait until your arrival airport to get local currency. You'll get a better rate, you don't have to carry foreign currency with you, and these days, you can usually charge most things, so you may not need cash right way anyway.

Your choice.

You definitely don't need to get both pounds and euros before you go. If you do want to have some cash on hand upon arrival, just get the first currency you'll need. And you don't need more than $100-200 worth of foreign currency; once there, you'll be using ATM's for cash, and credit cards to charge things.

If you know anyone who's been traveling and may have some leftover pounds or euros, see if you can buy these from them. This way, you get the best rate of all.

For more money tips, read all the links on Rick's money page, and you'll be an expert: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money