As the world opens up again and travel becomes a hot topic I wonder how many you you have begin thinking about Holiday Money Hacks
Confused about holiday money?
I am never quite sure what to do about holiday money. I feel it is really handy to have local currency but is it safe? Would I be better just having my card to hand to pay for things and which, if stolen, I could just immediately stop. It always puzzles me as to the best course of action. A quick survey of what my friends do bought back a myriad of diverse results too.
I needed to look into this a bit more.
There is a great article over at HSBC that covers What is travel money? and some great tips and hacks to help you manage your travel money in the best way. It is well worth a read.
I also found the following infographic super useful as it clearly covered everything you need to know about holiday money.
All you need to know about holiday money
Money saving holiday money hacks
I had absolutely no idea that you pay no fees when you use your debit card but you pay 3% if using your credit card when buying holiday money.
Did you know this?
This could make a rather a large difference and free up more spending for your actual holiday.
Sometimes I have dithered about what to do in regard to holiday for so long I have ended up at the airport panicking and then decided at the last minute to get some holiday money there.
Again this is a bad choice as according to the article I linked to above on travel money. Some airport counters charge a service fee for selling you currency that is way over the odds of buying it elsewhere and that can add up to as much as 10% of the total money exchange e.g £30 for every £300 exchanged.
Ouch!
It is obviously much smarter to decide beforehand what money you want and need and of course there are a variety of places to get currency from. It can even be couriered over the night before and it would be far cheaper than buying it last-minute in a complete flap like me.
So what is the best option for travel money?
I have travelled with and without cash and in my reckoning you really do need local money. You need to pay taxis, tip bar staff, pay for the bus, the ice cream and generally get by and cash works everywhere and with everyone. Not everywhere is set up to take your cards.
Next time I will absolutely NOT make a last minute airport purchase and I absolutely WILL use my debit card to buy the money. I reckon implementing these two hacks alone will save me a good chunk when buying my travel money.
I hope my mistakes in the past mean you won’t make them in the future. Spend a little time getting educated about holiday money – it could save you a lot!
Off to book my trip!
