London

I'd go with Steve's suggestion, bring your debit card and get cash from an ATM as needed.

hi, it will depend on how much you plan on spending for tours and such. i can tell you though, food/meals can be expensive if you dont shop around. When youre walking around look at menus/prices and such. even in the small shops that have to-go foods do the same. if you want to eat nice and expensive there are places that are more than willing to accomodate you just like anywhere else in the world. i carried cash since i didnt want to deal with using my cc card at stores. almost all of the locals have the chip/n/pin card and almost everyone would use it like debit cards. Just swipe and add PIN. if you use a cc w/o chipnpin, then they have to print out the receipt for you to sign. also, if you need cash thare are ATMs everywhere. happy trails.

Bill, just bring your debit card and pick up your cash from ATMs when you get there. Much easier and much safer.

Bill, take no cash, a debit card, and a credit card. If your arrival is through Heathrow from SFO, use your credit card to get an oyster card and take the tube into London. Once in London, use your debit card to get less than 100GBP from an atm. I would probably make it around 40 or 60. Use a bill soon to get coins in change. Most of your cash usage will be 1 and 2 GBP coins.

When I go, I only carry between 50-100 pounds, and that's just because I'm paranoid about not finding a working ATM at the airport. (Never happened.) I just grab money from an ATM every few days. Saves worry about losing a big bankroll. Don't forget to tell the people who issued the card when and where you're going. Otherwise, they'll flag the first use of your card out of the country as fraud and disable it.

Bill, to clarify recommendation to use ATM downtown: it has been posted numerous times that the ATMs at Heathrow are not bank ATMs and carry heavier fees/poorer conversion rates than bank ATMs.

There's some confusion about the ATM's at the airport (and a few other places in London). After you enter the amount you want to withdraw, you are given a choice of being charged in US dollars at a terrible exchange rate or being charged in sterling. If you choose sterling, you get a fair rate and just whatever fees your bank charges. That's been my experience. Also, I had no trouble using my Capital One Mastercard for purchases all over London, pubs, restaurants, shops, theatre.

ATMs are all over the place. When looking for them, ATMs are called Cash Points in England. If you have a Bank of America ATM card, it is accepted with much lower, or no fees, at Barclay's Banks. It is also good at Deusche Bank (sp?) and BNP Paribus (mostly on the continent). Pick pockets are all over the place, they even warn you about them at the train stations, airports, etc. Don't carry cash and valuables in wallets, purses, etc. I got a small zippered "pouch" (about 7 inches by 3 inches) from RickSteves.com that has two loops for your belt and I just hooked it on my belt and slid it into my front pocket. Nice and safe.