Crown Currency Exchange: Everything You Need to Know
Crown Currency is an Australian-owned and operated foreign exchange company with more than 50 stores across Australia, where you can buy and sell more than 80 currencies.
Read on to find out what the Crown Currency exchange rates are, how these rates match up against other companies, and how to buy and sell foreign currency with Crown.
Crown Currency Exchange Rates
Unlike most foreign exchange companies, Crown Currency does not display their exchange rates online. You will need to submit a form or call them to receive a quote.
Your best bet is to visit them in-store, where staff members can provide you with the exchange rate and the total cost of any currency you want to buy or sell.
If you find a better price elsewhere, they may be willing to match the exchange rate.
I visited a Crown Currency store in Melbourne to find out what the exchange rate was to buy £1000 in Great British Pounds. At the same time, I requested a quote for the student and seniors discounted exchange rate (more on that below).
Here’s a comparison of the rates I was given, along with the exchange rates of other major foreign exchange providers at the same time on the same day (7 July 2023).
| Company | Exchange rate (AUD to GBP) | Processing fee | Total for £1000 (in AUD) |
| Crown Currency standard rate | 0.4786 | None | $2,089.01 |
| Crown Currency student/senior rate | 0.4807 | None | $2,079.79 |
| S Money | 0.5210 | $55.66 | $1,974 |
| Travel Money Oz | 0.4938 | None | $2,025.11 |
| Travelex | 0.4990 | None | $2,004.01 |
Crown Currency Student and Seniors Rates
Crown Currency offers a discount exchange rate to students and seniors. It’s not a fixed discount and can vary between currencies.
If you request a quote online, you will need to specify that you are eligible to receive the discount. Even then, the exact nature of the discount is not disclosed when you receive the quote.
The discounted Crown Currency rate does not necessarily mean that you’re getting the best value — as you can see in the table below, it’s still worth shopping around.
Crown Currency Fees and Charges
Crown Currency does not add any fees, charges, or commissions to your currency exchange order. While this may sound like a great deal, each store inflates the exchange rate margin to make a profit.
You only need to compare the rates from Australia’s top foreign exchange companies in the table above to see that even without a service fee, you may end up getting far less value for money thanks to more unfavourable exchange rates.
There is also a payment processing fee of 1% if you choose to pay via EFTPOS with a debit or credit card.
How to Exchange Currencies with Crown Currency in Australia
Crown Currency takes a traditional approach to foreign currency exchange. You can’t order currency online — nor can you even compare rates. Their main focus is their store network across Australia.
Buying currency in-store
In-store, Crown Currency has more than 80 currencies to buy (although it’s best to call to check the availability of more obscure currencies ahead of your visit). You can also sell unused currency back to them. When you make an order, you can pay in cash or with an EFTPOS card.
Ordering currency online
If you want to order your currency online first, you have to fill out a form on their website to get a quote. Your request is sent to the store you selected on the form.
The store will send you an email containing the currency exchange quote, further instructions to complete the order, and bank account details to lock it in.
The quote is based on the rate of the day and is valid until 4 pm on the day you receive it. If you want to proceed, you will need to confirm the order via email or phone and then pay the full amount into the bank account listed.
It’s important to send the store a payment receipt so they can begin processing your order. Your foreign currency will then be ready for collection at your chosen store 1–2 days later.
Crown Currency Locations
Crown Currency has more than 50 stores operating throughout Australia, including in all major capital cities and all states and territories, except the NT.
Crown Currency opening hours
Opening hours vary between Crown Currency locations but most stores are open 7 days a week, with standard operating hours between 9 am and 5–5.30 pm. On Sundays, opening hours are generally 10–10.30 am until 4 pm.
It’s best to confirm opening hours before you go, either by visiting the website or checking on Google.
Crown Currency Exchange Reviews
Online reviews for the entire Crown Currency company are hard to come by. Instead, Crown Currency stores are reviewed on an individual basis, with huge discrepancies between stores.
For example, the Crown Currency at Sunnybank Plaza in Queensland is rated 4.5 stars on Google, with reviewers praising the staff and customer service.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Crown Currency store at Melbourne Midtown Plaza has a Google rating of 2.9 stars, with reviewers complaining about slow customer service and poor exchange rates.
What About Money Transfers and the Cash Passport?
Before the pandemic, Crown Currency also offered money transfers and sold Cash Passports. However, these services were discontinued in 2020 and have not been reinstated.
How to Contact Crown Currency
If you want to know more about Crown Currency or have any questions for the team, you can call them at 1300 392 426, where you will be sent through to the Northland Shopping Centre store. During their busier times, your call may be sent to voicemail.
As an alternative, you can submit a query by filling out a form on the Contact page of the website.
Who Owns Crown Currency Exchange?
In 2004, Henry Koster bought Kings Currency Exchange, a foreign exchange store in Surfers Paradise, Queensland. He started expanding, first opening more stores in Queensland before venturing interstate.
Today, Crown Currency has more than 50 stores in all Australian states, as well as the ACT. It remains 100% Australian-owned and operated, with Henry’s son Jim Stewart-Koster now the CEO of the business.
