British Isles

Hello Beverly,
I was in England and Scotland last autumn, and I used English Sterling just about everywhere. I never ran into a problem having my currency rejected (although I've heard some comments of Scottish currency not being accepted in England). As for Traveler's checks, I'd skip them. I used them on a European trip a few years ago, and it was a headache, as many shops don't want them. You're better off using an ATM card to max out your daily limit ($250-400), stash it in your money belt and use it until you need more. The combo of a credit card and ATM is all that I take to Europe these days.

Darren

You're not likely to find anywhere to cash traveler's checks aside from a bank, where you'll likely pay big fees to cash them. In some cases, places might take them at less than face value (giving you 10 dollars worth of euros for a 20 check, for example). As Darren says, you're much better off getting cash from an ATM when you arrive. Make sure you mention to your bank (and your credit card) that you will be traveling during a certain period, and you won't have a problem.

Hi Beverly, in the British Isles their money Sterling known as Pound and Pence and sometimes you will still see Quid. One quid equals a one pound which is a coin, they also have a 2pound coin (one pound and 2 pound would be similiar to our l and 2 dollars) then they have 5, 10, 20, 50 pound notes (paper) they are called notes and not bills, pences are coins they have 1pence, 2pence, 5pence, 10pence, 20pence and 50pence coins. I would plan on using ATM's, but if you really want to take a few traveler checks go to AAA and get them in pounds. You could get a hundred pounds (I wouldn't take more then 100) in traveler checks and get them in 20pd each. If they are in British Pounds then you won't have trouble. I haven't used any for years, but our neighbor took 100 Pounds of traveler checks with them in November and didn't have any trouble at all. But if they are in American money you will have trouble using them. You can get money as soon as you land at the airport from an ATM. But if you don't feel comfortable arriving without any British money, then again your local AAA office could get you some British cash.

"Quid" is slang for one pound sterling...not an official unit of money. In any event....get a few pounds at a bank....then take the rest out thru ATMs to get the best value. As others have stated, travellers cheques are hard to cash, and you'll get a poor exchange rate for them.

Yes, I completely agree as I stated before using ATM's are best. But, if the traveler checks are in the currency of the country you are in then there are no exchange rate involved. A 20 British Pound traveler check would be accepted as 20Pounds. I know that Quid isn't an offical unit of money, but there are shop keepers that still says...that will be 2 Quid, etc.,.....

Beverly,

To add to the comments from the others, you'll require Pounds Sterling in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. If you're planning to travel to the Republic of Ireland ("the south"), Euros will be required. I've also heard that at times the Scottish or Northern Ireland Pounds may be refused in England, but I've never encountered that situation personally (yet!).

I normally take a small quantity of UK Pounds for travel (£50-100), to cover incidentals until I get settled. It's very easy to get additional cash from ATM's, but a few tips on that:

• Your funds must be in a chequing account with a four number PIN.

• It's a good idea to take a second ATM card on a different account (if possible), in case of problems with one of the cards. At least one credit card is advisable also.

• Be sure to notify your Bank that you'll be travelling overseas, so they don't "flag" your credit or debit cards and de-activate them!

• You might want to review your daily withdrawal limit with your Bank, to ensure there's enough "room" to allow for the currency exchange.

• If you try to withdraw cash and the ATM denies the transaction, try requesting a lower amount.

• Be sure to check with your Bank regarding the service charges & fees they apply to foreign ATM withdrawals. Paying the currency exchange is often "a pain", but the service charges can really add up! Some travellers feel it's better to make larger but fewer cash withdrawals, in order to minimize bank charges. Be sure to wear a Money Belt!

On the subject of Traveller's Cheques, I fully agree with Rick on that point - I've cashed my last Traveller's Cheque!

Good luck and happy travels!

Re Ken's reply: We traveled there in 2002- this was the first year that the euro was the official currency of the Republic of Ireland. We did travel to Northern Ireland and carried some of their "sterling pounds" into England. We did have some trouble with people not sure they wanted to accept them, but when we pointed out they were from Northern Ireland it was ok. Apparently, they will not accept old Republic of Ireland Sterling pounds and they wanted to be sure they were from Northern Ireland. The farther we get from the Euro start up, the less this will probably be a problem. As for travelers checks: can't recommend them. I used to always carry them with me and even have stories of how the "saved" us when we had problems with a debit card in 2002. However, they have really fallen out of favor in Europe and are more trouble than they are worth. You can always carry a couple of hundred dollars of checks with you and try not to use them. Then you just cash them back in when you get home. (My bank does not charge me a fee for them, so it doesn't cost me anything to do this.) Last trip I didn't even bother. I did, however, have my money in two different credit unions with 2 different debit cards. (see above about problems with a debit card)