It's always reassuring to know as you board an overseas flight from Australia that you have some of the local currency of your destination, especially for that late night jet-lagged taxi ride from the airport or so you can hit the bars (or bed) right away.
But watch out, it's a little-known fact that the closer you get to the departure gates the worst the currency exchange rates get! In fact, travellers can end up paying more than 10% extra if you load up on your overseas currency at an airport bureau de change outlet.
The closer you are to the departure gates the worst the currency exchange rates - So plan ahead!
Pre-ordering foreign cash online for better currency exchange rates
If you end up buying your travel money on departure day without pre-ordering online you are most likely wasting some of your money. Best Exchange Rates recommends Travelex Online for the best overall currency exchange rates, quality of service and with the largest network of outlets to pick up your orders and in some countries provide home delivery.
Avoid Airport Stress and Bad Currency Exchange Rates
If you make it part of your pre-departure preparations to Order your Foreign Cash Online you will probably end up extending your travel budget by a couple of precious days. Currency exchange vendors charge you by selling an exchange rate worse than the official mid-market rate exchange rate, and also by charging a per-deal commission, either a fixed amount or a percentage of the amount you're exchanging, whichever is bigger.
We constantly monitor the exchange rates and commission fees of both banks and currency exchange providers which you check via our Travel Money Calculator to see how much you can save.
4 Steps to getting Cheaper Travel Money Online
- Start thinking about your Travel Money options as least 3 days before departure
- Use Best Exchange Rates to see how much you can save by Ordering Travel Money online
- Visit the Travelex website and select the currency/s and amount
- Take care to review the payment options as there may be extra fees for using credit cards
Other Travel Money Options: Prepaid travel cards and credit cards? Read our Best Exchange Rates articles on the best rates and features for prepaid travel cards and the costs of using credit cards for purchases in this article.
You can quickly compare Travel Money Exchange Rates and the vendor margins from the market mid-rate in the table below :
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Disclaimer: Please note any provider recommendations, currency forecasts or any opinions of our authors should not be taken as a reference to buy or sell any financial product.