Yes you should, buying US dollars from S Money will be cheaper than withdrawing money from an ATM overseas. It is also more convenient to have cash on you before you arrive, one less thing to do in the airport when you arrive. Finally it’s handy to have cash to tip, for smaller purchases or transport. At the end of the day, both cash and cards are good ways to take money to the USA.
The best travel card for the USA has excellent exchange rates (Wise Multi Currency), does not charge for international transactions (HSBC Global Everyday), does not charge for cash withdrawals at ATMs (Citibank Global Everyday) and you are able to use it within Australia as well. We suggest taking at least one credit card, like the BankWest Platinum Breeze and the ING One Low Rate credit card which both have very low interest rates and no ‘international transaction fees’.
No you can not use Australian dollars or US dollars in the UK. The currency in the UK is the British pound or ‘sterling’. There are 5 bank notes with different colours, they are £5, £10, £20, £50, and £100. There are 8 British coins, they are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2. The most frequently used are the £1 and £2 coins.
As a general rule, working out how much money to take to the UK depends on where you go and your type of travel. If you travel on a budget to the UK it can cost from £50 a day. If you travel in the middle range throughout the UK it can cost from £120 per day. Finally if you travel with luxury throughout the UK it can cost anywhere from £200 per day.
Yes you can get prepaid cards for the UK and Wise, HSBC and Citibank offer the most competitive cards in the market. Other older style prepaid cards like Australia Post, Cash Passport, Travel Money Oz and Travelex have lots of charges like load, unload, inactivity, ATM withdrawals and initial card fees.
Yes you can if they are Mastercard or Visa. Check with you bank as you may be charged fees including the international transaction fee (3-5%), ATM withdrawal fee by the bank in the UK and an ATM withdrawal fee by your own bank (up to $5).
Like all reputable money exchanges, we are registered with AUSTRAC and regulated by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).
S Money complies with the relevant laws pertaining to privacy, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism finance. This means you are required to provide I.D. when you place an order. It also means the order must be paid for by the same person ordering the currency and you must show your identification again when receiving your order.
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