Exchange rate advice required please!

Hi,

We are visiting Las Vegas for the first time in August and wondered if any one can recommend whether its better to exchange my sterling in the UK for Dollars or wait till I get to Las Vegas to exchange?

Any advice would me most appreciated.

Many Thanks

Neil

Exchange rate advice required please!

The casinos will change your £ into $. All you need to do is go to one of the cashier places in a casino. My husband just did that a few weeks ago, he got about $600 US at Heathrow before we left and then would cash in about £200-£300 at a time at the casinos. He was always in one of the mid to upper level casinos, not the Excals or CC or IP type places. The casinos didn%26#39;t charge a commission. I%26#39;ve always read that if you want to change money before going that M%26amp;S always gave one of the very best rates.

Exchange rate advice required please!

If your question is to where you can get the best rates then I would advise changing to dollars in the UK at either the Post Office or MS.

You should also look at getting a Nationwide Flexaccount DC as they do not charge a fee for foreign transactions and offer an hourly exchange rate. They do not charge a fee to get money out from an ATM in America whilst most high street banks charge c£2.50.

If you are not that bothered by saving 5p in the £ and convenience is your main concern then change up in your hotel.

If you change your money in the UK make sure you get lots of small notes as you will need them for tips etc... as soon as you land.

Have fun

Thanks for your advice. We just returned from Turkey and the exchange rate was better out there than here so just wondered if Las Vegas was the same?

Neil,

It generally works out cheaper to withdraw from cash points rather than exchange money here (especially with one of the better UK accounts such as Nationwide as it doesn%26#39;t charge you at all).

The following link explains the reasons far better than I could.

moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-mo…

I leave in 7 days and all I%26#39;ll have with me is a debit card with the majority of my funds on, and a couple of credit cards for backup.

On the other hand I see the benefit of having cash in your hand, in this case this tool is invaluable.

http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/

Mark

Hi

We have always changed our money before we leave - as someone has already said you will need some cash for tips %26amp; taxi.

TravelSupermarket is a good place to check who is offering the exchange best rates. Personally I find http://www.thomasexchangeglobal.co.uk/ very competative - today they are offering 1.93, as opposed to M%26amp;S and the Post Office who are only offering 1.89.

With regard to withdrawing money from a cash machine - someone posted earlier this year that there is a cash machine in Casino Royale that doesn%26#39;t charge for withdrawals which is great if you need extra funds.

Have a lovely holiday!

When it comes to tips/taxi%26#39;s, I%26#39;d be shocked (and in big trouble!) if there%26#39;s no cash machines at the airport in LV.

Mark

Thanks to you all for your help.

We do have a nationwide account as trip advisor recommended this when we went to Thailand last year. We will take a mixture of both cards and cash and see how we get on. Always got a credit card if i go mad at the casinos!! First time to Las Vegas so really looking forward to it and busy reading all the advice on the forum so should be prepared for our visit. Can%26#39;t wait!!

Although Thomasexchangeglobal seem to have best rates they do charge you for posting out your money £5 by post or £12.50 if transferred to your account.

M%26amp;S send you cash out by post free if £500 or over or you can collect free at their shops.

I always change my sterling to dollars before I leave, that way it limits my budget to what I have in dollars. In general I also use M%26amp;S who generally have good rates, but a wander around the nearest city centre usually occurs to check out whats on offer that day.

Heaven only knows what would happen if I used my debit card to withdraw money....it would be the workhouse for me on my return!

Ive been thinking about using Travelex and getting one of their %26#39;pre-paid debit cards%26#39; where you add money to it before you go, lock your exchange rate and use this for purchases like you would a normal debit/credit card...today there exchange rate is £1=$1.9. Anyone ever used this before?