Thanks to banks, buying holiday cash costs more

This is disgraceful –
Happily I have accounts with two of the good banks as well as three of the bad ones!
I shall move money from bad ones to good before using good ones to buy foreign currency !
Or would the banks prefer that I use a cheque !!!!
That’ll cook their goose.

Each time they pull a stunt like this they lose more of my goodwill.
Perhaps we should each ask the banks who’ve introduced these charges to remind us when, and how openly ( ie honestly? ), if at all, they informed us of the change.

Watch out for the exchange rates. Even the good guys might not be that good. On my last trip abroad, I used cash obtained at the best rate I could find at a high street ‘money shop’. I know that some folks might not want to carry too much cash around but it was the most financially efficient way that I could do it. I’m just sick of handing over my money to the bank. The bank exchange rates were a joke and the cost of using the cards abroad expensive.

Fed up of the banks charging for travel cheques and foreign currency bought and sold,my husband bought a body money belt which he wears even in bed.We now only take enough curency to do us for a day as we can exchange our sterling at a much better rate than we get back home We have saved a great amount over the years instead of the greedy bankers pocketing our hard earned cash.

i would like clarification on one of the finer points of this informative discussion – with regards to the ‘good guys’, does the no charge for debit card foreign currency purchases apply only when you are purchasing currency from that particular provider or is one allowed to purchase from any provider in the UK without incurring charges? The reason I ask is that I have noticed exchange rates of the bigger banks/institutions are much lower than that quoted by many online providers which then negates any savings made on tranaction charges.

I was warned by the cashier in Sainsbury’s yesterday that my bank might charge me for using my debit card for foreign currency. So I went outside and drew cash from the hole-in-the-wall. As it turns out, I’m with one of the banks that doesn’t charge.

Can’t believe it! Just been charged £35.00 for a £350.00 transaction, that’s 10%, from Sterling to Israeli Shekels, by my local POST OFFICE! Just been back to query it….don’t want to know. No wonder less people use the PO now…….I’ve just quit them too.

does anybody know the reason why they charge for using debit cards for buying euros?!?! I bought some euros the other day and was unaware that i would receive any charges at all. If i’d of know i would’ve drawn the money out and paid with cash. Why do they charge?? if i spent £250 on shoes they wouldnt charge me but just because i spent it on euros i receive a charge? why? really dont understand.

I’m sorry to put you down but the Halifax/Bank of Scotland DO charge for any transactions from another institution, I have just been charged £4.50 today for buying my currency from ICEPLC, would have been cheaper going to my local Cheque Centre had I actually known about this fraudulent bank charge, what a cheek they have.
I’m now in the process of closing my account and moving to another company as I’m sick to the teeth with the Bank of Scotland.

The Co-operative Travel does not charge any commision or extra charges to purchase travel money!

Re the Coop Bank charging 2% if you buy your currency using a Coop debit card…. the Coop bank has assured me today that this charge does not apply if you buy your currency from a UK based bank, for eg., over the counter, or ordered on line, at M&S or Sainsbury’s, etc. It applies if you get your currency from them or a non-UK based provider. As they point out it’s no different than making any other purchase in the UK with a debit card. I think Which? should reassure themselves of this and make it clear in their literature.

Modern day ‘fagins’