sandellie4 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 We plan to travel with two of our h-s daughters to London, and I have only just figured out how much money it's going to cost to get, well, money, in pounds, that is. I tried to exchange for some at my bank and discovered that they charge the usual 3% conversion fee PLUS an additional $13. Our debit card will also be expensive, charging the 3% and also $5 for each time we need to get money from an ATM in London. The credit cards might work, especially AMEX, which charges only 2%, but we'll need some cash in pounds to get from the airport to the hotel, right? Any suggestions on the best way to minimize the gouging?? Thanks, as always! Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Before we left for Britain, I ordered a packet of money as well as travelers cheques in pounds. Many people do not bother with the latter, because of debit cards and credit cards. We knew, though, that we would be going to small towns and often doing B&B in people's homes where credit cards are not accepted but travelers cheques were. AAA made it very convenient. The money was delivered to my home by Fed Ex--I signed for it. The cheques (in British pounds) were purchased at my local office. Now if you use your credit cards, you will be charged varying rates, depending on what the exchange is that day. To my knowledge, I was not charged any additional fees--at least I don't remember! London is horribly expensive for Americans right now. So enjoy your big British breakfast to fuel up for the day! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DollyM Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 How long will you be in London? I think the best and simplest solution is to just use the ATM once or maybe twice. Plan ahead and take out enough money to last you and just pay the service fee once. Also, if you want the name of the very cheap and very clean hotel my DS and I used last September (walking distance from Paddington Station, safe and reliable with huge English breakfast in a sweet little tea room, but the low rumble from the trains coming into Paddington) let me know - I'd have to go look it up. We took full advantage of the breakfast, ate our big meal out around 3-4pm and got sweets and snacks at the convenience stores inside the train station on our route back home at night - worked pretty well but he was 14 and I don't know how old your girls are. I don't think that would work as well with younger kids who need a more reliable schedule. We took lots of photos and bought almost zero souvenirs. Things really are scandalously expensive. Plan you days so you can stay as long as you like at venues that have a entrance ticket. Then stay as long as possible at the free ones, too. ;o) Take a backpack to hold apples and granola bars for quick-snack lunch on the go. If your kids are small, pack a sleeve of paper cups so you can share drinks or a water bottle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturalmom Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Many museums & galleries are free (Natural History Museum, Science Museum, British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern). Not all sites are (Tower of London is quite expensive - though it's worth it if you can manage it). Be sure you consider the free choices as well as the pricey ones! Make sure the traveller's cheques are in pounds if you get them - if you try to change dollar cheques, you'll be paying extra fees. Also get some water bottles that you can refill. The further you move from the touristy section of London, the less expensive some things become - like drinks and snacks. If you're even a little ways out, pay attention to the prices, and buy accordingly. You can also get sandwiches and things at stores around the center. Boots (a drugstore), Sainsbury's (grocery) or W.H. Smiths (bookstore in most train stations) all carry sandwiches and drinks which are cheapter than eating out. But nothings REALLY cheap. I am so jealous. We lived in London (dh is from there) and I miss it terribly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmegan Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Many museums in London are free, so that's good! My family used to stay at a very cheap hotel that had a little kitchenette in every room. We'd save a lot of money this way, by going to the grocery store to get juice and breakfast foods, and sometimes we'd eat dinner too. I will try to find the name of it if you'd like? Food can be pretty expensive. Pizza Express is a very good family-friendly chain that won't break the bank. Also look into pubs local to where you are staying: not the touristy ones but the "real" ones. If they have a beer garden, they're family-friendly and the food can be very good and cheap. There are some guidebooks out there about Gastropubs, you might want to see if there are any near you. These places are NOT like American bars. My favorite lunch place is a chain called Pret A Manger, which has ready-made sandwiches. (Interestingly enough, I am an anti-chain snob in general... there are just some really good ones in London!) My #1, never-fail, trust-me-on-this advice for people who go to London: get the the Tower of London when it opens. 10 minutes before, so you can sprint in when the gates open. Run STRAIGHT to the back corner, where the crown jewels are. They will let you go through twice so you can really get a good look because there won't be many people there. Then go back to the entrance and pay extra for the Beefeater tour. When you're done with that, look at the line to see the jewels, which is now almost 2 hours long, and send a little psychic "thank you" my way ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakingScrapbooks Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Oh, I hope you really enjoy your trip! I'm applying to be a travel agent again (and have been to London), so I have a little extra advice for you! :) Check into getting a London Pass. This can save you on entry fees into alot of great attactions! PM me if you need more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandellie4 Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 Wow, what great information! Thank you! Sandy :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in TX Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 My #1, never-fail, trust-me-on-this advice for people who go to London: get the the Tower of London when it opens. 10 minutes before, so you can sprint in when the gates open. Run STRAIGHT to the back corner, where the crown jewels are. They will let you go through twice so you can really get a good look because there won't be many people there. Then go back to the entrance and pay extra for the Beefeater tour. When you're done with that, look at the line to see the jewels, which is now almost 2 hours long, and send a little psychic "thank you" my way ;) But this is good advice - go see the jewels first (no line), and then pop back to the front gate to get in line for a tour. The Beefeaters add so much to the event. Also, you can sign up (several weeks before you leave) for the Ceremony of the Keys. This is the "locking up the Tower for the night" ceremony they do late in the evening. It is worth going back for, to see all the hullabaloo they have been doing for years. But you have to have a reservation, have to have paid for it ahead of time, and they send you your tickets in the mail. Worth it though. Before we left the states, we were able to buy two for one tickets for the train from the airport to the center of town (Saved $40 - 50 there). Because we bought them ahead of time (online), they were cheaper. Plus with those train tickets, they had a special going at many places around. We got two for one tickets at Tower of London (just by showing train receipt) and at the Churchill Museum and War Rooms. We found this deal by frequenting TripAdvisor.com. Sign up over there right now, and you will get lots of info from people who live in London or who have recently visited. They saved us loads of money by suggesting these things. Have fun -- I envy you. We loved our time there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in TX Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 We used our ATM card at the airport. There are several ATMs there, near where you pick up ground transportation. None of the banks overseas (in Rome, Athens, or London) charged us fees for getting money from the ATMs. Our home bank did, but it was just a dollar each time. There is a limit to how much you can get in one day, so figure out how much that is roughly in pounds and make sure you ASK for that much each time (to maximize your cash per fee charge). If you mistakenly ask for too much, the bank will say you have insufficient funds (which is scary!) So if you figure out that you can have 173 pounds per 24 hour period, ask for 165 pounds every time you stop. We also had trouble once with getting money on Friday and then trying to get more money on Sunday. Our bank considered that all the same day, and therefore didn't want to give us more money. Another thing to watch for - if you use credit cards, make sure your bill is charged to you in pounds. We had a hotel charge us in dollars, which allowed them to set the exchange rate (high because they could), then our credit card company added the additional fee for changing the money, etc. This is a common scam for businesses who deal with a lot of tourists. You have to educate yourself to catch it, because a bill in dollars looks perfectly normal to you! Another trick - at least in Rome and Greece - if you pay cash for hotel bills, etc. many places will give you a discount (10-15 % sometimes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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