Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory Forums

Ash333 wrote:

stew1974 wrote:nationwide flex account does not charge for withdrawels from atm's abroad. also exchanges at offshore not local rates, meant to be the best way to get money abroad if british.

confirmed - you get the visa interbank rate, currently
"Currencies fluctuate every day. The rate shown is effective for
transactions submitted to Visa on January 10, 2009.

1 British Pound = 1.11 Euro" - from http://www.corporate.visa.com/pd/consum ... R&rate=0.0


compared with 1.0874 at the post office - http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/f ... d=19300210



To all the people posting that M&S or the Post Office are the cheapest, shut up. It worse to post incorrect information than none at all.

Open a Nationwide account. If for whatever reason this isnt an option then use the MoneySavingExpert Travel Money Maximiser tool ( http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/)

Sorry Ash, but you are being extremely disrespectful telling people to shut up.

I challenge you to walk around the high street and find a cheaper exchange rate than the post office and Marks and Spencers. I know you CAN'T do it. I have been to everyone of the exchanges and those two are nearly always the same rate, but they are always the cheapest.

Now you may wish to buy your money online, but not everyone does, and in fact a lot of people can't, so the Post Office and Marks and Spencer ARE the cheapest.

Using a bank card is not exchanging cash, and that is the subject of this thread, but I have already posted that you get above the current exchange rate when using the cards, or did you not read that?

I would tell you to shut up, but I have more respect for people than that.

Lets just go over the facts again...

High Street - Post Office or Marks & Spencer - Best rate
Online - I don't buy online so don't give a crap

So you see I am right

ok mate, maybe i should have been a little more polite, and I apologise for telling people to shit up, but the post office and m&s are not the cheapest on the high street in london, Thomas Exchange Global on the Strand is.

Why would you not be happy to buy currency online if you use this site? you obviously have an internet connection and are computer literate.
I thought the guy was looking for the best rate, not the best rate walking around a random high street.... and as has been widely discussed on this forum and others, retail stores DO NOT offer the best rates.

Ash333 wrote: Why would you not be happy to buy currency online if you use this site? you obviously have an internet connection and are computer literate.
I thought the guy was looking for the best rate, not the best rate walking around a random high street.... and as has been widely discussed on this forum and others, retail stores DO NOT offer the best rates.

I am not happy not knowing where my money is, ie with the postman, plus I get the best exchange rate by withdrawing cash anyway. Previously I used High Street shops to change cash, because my trips were always planned so I would take off a couple of days after payday, or the day after, so I had no time to wait for the money to arrive anyway.

But I wasn't especially referring to me, there are many people out there who will not shop online at all, even though they have internet and cards. I don't earn enough money to change any up ahead of time, that is for booking the flights. 7 trips in one year does not allow much time and space for being organised

Interesting you have a place cheaper, there are none cheaper in MK where I live, and I have been in every shop in a day to check.

stew1974 wrote:nationwide flex account does not charge for withdrawels from atm's abroad. also exchanges at offshore not local rates, meant to be the best way to get money abroad if british.

ive doen this for years, even on my year long travelling, I get a pretty good exchange rate for withdrawing from atm's and even better if paying on card so im happy

SoulRider wrote:

Ash333 wrote: Why would you not be happy to buy currency online if you use this site? you obviously have an internet connection and are computer literate.
I thought the guy was looking for the best rate, not the best rate walking around a random high street.... and as has been widely discussed on this forum and others, retail stores DO NOT offer the best rates.

I am not happy not knowing where my money is, ie with the postman, plus I get the best exchange rate by withdrawing cash anyway. Previously I used High Street shops to change cash, because my trips were always planned so I would take off a couple of days after payday, or the day after, so I had no time to wait for the money to arrive anyway.

But I wasn't especially referring to me, there are many people out there who will not shop online at all, even though they have internet and cards. I don't earn enough money to change any up ahead of time, that is for booking the flights. 7 trips in one year does not allow much time and space for being organised

Interesting you have a place cheaper, there are none cheaper in MK where I live, and I have been in every shop in a day to check.

You've said your views, I've said mine. You are paying your bank £1.50 every time you withdraw cash abroad. I don't pay a penny for the privilege, as I use nationwide. The original poster was complaining of the shitty exchange rate, and I was trying to give him/anyone reading a few more euros to spend for the same amount of sterling. coming up with people not wanting to shop online, well, they're not gonna get the best rate available if they refuse to use the fastest growing marketplace in europe. this is the 21st century, and it is obviously cheaper for a company to do everything digitally than to employ staff to do it manually, and they are able to pass these savings on to the consumer. why would you buy currency on the high street? do you buy flights from travel agents still, or direct from the airline?

Soulrider, dont get offended. It is your views I disagree with, not you as a person. Your posts are mainly informative and helpful, and from your trip reports etc you seem like a nice guy... but you do seem to be wasting a few quid.. peace

Ash333 wrote:

SoulRider wrote: I am not happy not knowing where my money is, ie with the postman, plus I get the best exchange rate by withdrawing cash anyway. Previously I used High Street shops to change cash, because my trips were always planned so I would take off a couple of days after payday, or the day after, so I had no time to wait for the money to arrive anyway.

I don't earn enough money to change any up ahead of time, that is for booking the flights. 7 trips in one year does not allow much time and space for being organised

why would you buy currency on the high street? do you buy flights from travel agents still, or direct from the airline?

I've already answered that. I made 7 trips this year. The month before I went out, I would pay for the flights, online, and the hostel, online, then the month of travel, I would get my money changed. As I always flew out a day or 2 after payday, there would be no time to wait for the cash to be delivered.

As I said, I now use my card to pay for things or withdraw cash. For the sake of 1.50 why would I change bank accounts? It is not viable or worth it.

why would you want the money delivered? pick it up in the airport from travelex and if you've booked online they'll pricematch anywhere, including Thomas Exchange Global who seem to pretty competative, and usually beat travelex by a few quid.

like you say, it isnt worth it for you for £1.50, but that isnt the cheapest way of doing things, and so as I said previously it is unhelpful for the vast numbers of people who read this forum without commenting to say "just use your card." if you factor in the withdrawal fee for each transaction you will likely end up with a worse rate... but whatever. we can go round and round discusssing this, but you are not getting the best exchange rate possible, and you dont seem to bothered by this. btw, read this link andy, you might learn something http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel ... avel-money


peace out

Ash333 wrote:but you are not getting the best exchange rate possible, and you dont seem to bothered by this.
peace out

To be fair, I was only trying to help out in the thread, and personally, I don't really care about the cheapest exchange rate. I don't have much money, but I am only interested in doing things that are easy and convenient for me.

I gave the opinions of the cheapest on the high street in my experience. If the person is only looking on the high street, then my posts will help them, and is therefore good information.

If, however, the person will be looking online, then your method would be more beneficial.

My problem with what you are saying is you assume that they will use the internet. They are asking for the cheapest, but they may not be buying online (for any of the reasons I have posted or any others). If they are not, your assumptions about what is the correct answer, are wrong and of no use to the OP. You would be the one posting the useless information.

Try to understand, every post and opinion generated is good, because the OP can then choose what is useful information and what isn't, you don't know the situation of the OP, so you have no right to call someone else's information useless.

And the manner in which you felt you were so right you could deny a person's right to free speech really got on my nerves, I hate Nazi's.

Think before you criticise someone in a post.

I let my missus sort the cash changing situation out... That way I dont have to worry ... I just spend it...

SoulRider wrote:

Ash333 wrote:but you are not getting the best exchange rate possible, and you dont seem to bothered by this.
peace out

To be fair, I was only trying to help out in the thread, and personally, I don't really care about the cheapest exchange rate. I don't have much money, but I am only interested in doing things that are easy and convenient for me.

I gave the opinions of the cheapest on the high street in my experience. If the person is only looking on the high street, then my posts will help them, and is therefore good information.

If, however, the person will be looking online, then your method would be more beneficial.

My problem with what you are saying is you assume that they will use the internet. They are asking for the cheapest, but they may not be buying online (for any of the reasons I have posted or any others). If they are not, your assumptions about what is the correct answer, are wrong and of no use to the OP. You would be the one posting the useless information.

Try to understand, every post and opinion generated is good, because the OP can then choose what is useful information and what isn't, you don't know the situation of the OP, so you have no right to call someone else's information useless.

And the manner in which you felt you were so right you could deny a person's right to free speech really got on my nerves, I hate Nazi's.

Think before you criticise someone in a post.

I agree with your sentiment but I still think the portion of the internet users viewing this forum that don't have the option of using the travel money maximiser link, and then choosing either the option of ordering online or collecting in store. Try reading the the linked pages in future.

Ash333 wrote:

I agree with your sentiment but I still think the portion of the internet users viewing this forum that don't have the option of using the travel money maximiser link, and then choosing either the option of ordering online or collecting in store. Try reading the the linked pages in future.

Ah let me put it to you another way, or the same way really,

some people just do not like buying online. Whether that is 'right' or 'wrong' is irrelevant. Some people I know absolutely refuse to go anywhere near the internet with their cards. If the OP is one of those people, and you should never assume he is or isn't, then it doesn't matter how good the rates are and how convenient it is (and btw, I will always research every link posted in a debate, to try and see your point of view, so don't make assumptions again please).

It is that simple, the world is made of alsorts and this forum is to cater for everyone, including those who will not buy cash online. Even if it helps 1 person, then it was useful, even if it doesn't help the OP, but some user browsing the forum who never even registers, it is still useful.

Why can you not see that? There is always more than one circumstance and situation, so it is best to offer options for them all.

If you still don't understand I give up.

You guys should stop CRying about the exchange rate! AINT that bad!
think of the others like CANADIANS OZZIES and others exchange rate is WAY up there i think canada vs euro is at 1.60 at moment and always around that price(see if many of us were smart you would of did like me) when the euro came out i payed ZILSH for it and been LOL@ everyone BUYING since 2001 i pay 12000$ for 10000euro only .20¢ on the dollard
BLAH BLAH BLAH.. i know youll say the Pound was at 2.10 canadian and aint nothing for yous! BUT get wit it soon you ppl will be wishing that UK would of went wit the euro when euro nation ask the brittish gouv if they wanted in!
YOUR LOST!

and STOP CRYING you aint the center on the world anymore|!

SoulRider wrote:Just checked my statement again, mine is a £1.50 withdrawal charge per transaction for a Halifax card cash (same bank then )

I can't be bothered to work out what that would cost me, but I normally take out €100-€200 at a time, so it's not too bad. Thinking about it, I get charged £1.95 to use the cash machine up the road, so it's swings and roundabouts, lol.

There is no transaction charges from Nationwide for atm
even if you are in Asia

Yes I do business in Holland and for personal cash that the Nationwide ATM is the best deal a time of witting. However you are only looking at a few pounds for most anyway, so why bother.

Adamster - I think for your information the vast majority of Dutch even now regret the day they joined the Euro, the conversion exchange rate was shit at that time.

I suspect this thread may be in the wrong place?