But do look at the link that @larkswood12 posted above - some debit card issuers wil charge you 3% plus a per use fee of 50p to £1.50 to withdraw Euros from a French ATM.
If you don’t want to open a Wise account (which I still thinkis the best option, and whose VISA card can be used to withdraw cash if needed), then there are some good UK credit cards that don;t charge fees on overseas transactions and offer a reasonable exchange rate. The Halifax Clarity card is one example.
Again, you can look up credit cards on the site linked to above.
But cash use is diminishing - when I go to France I use my Wise VISA card 99% of the time and bring back my small stock of cash Euros largely unused.
Agree. Its a few more clicks but can save you a lot of money over time. Revolut is also good for online use with its virtual cards…if you are scammed (sadly all too easy these days) the scammers ability to get more of your money is limited.
None for normal spending. A physical card costs £7 or you can use a virtual version for free via (e.g.) Apple Wallet.
For cash withdrawals, they charge nothing for 1-2 withdrawals per month under £200, then it’s £0.50 per withdrawal after that.
Currency exchange is at their usual mid-market rate.
For withdrawing more than £200 once or twice per month from an ATM, the rate is 1.5% of the amount over £200, for withdrawing money three times or more it’s £0.50 per withdrawal plus 1.5%.
(same as many standard UK debit cards in other words).
But I simply pay directly with the Wise VISA card and then there are no fees, assuming you have already converted money to Euros with the Wise App; if they have to use your sterling balance to pay in Euros then you pay the market currency conversion rate.
Back in 2017 for family funeral I exchanged euro notes for sterling cash in Marks and Spencer. Don’t know if they still have foreign exchange desks but it was a fairly big shop.
The last time I exchanged GBP cash (only £200) into euros was about 15 years ago and the only place I coulddo it was in the departments main post office . Then you get the Spanish inquisition about why and where has the cash come from, Not worth the hassle and probably even stricter now. As others have said, just use your uk debit card or get a Revolut or wise account.
In my experience, admittedly not recently, most banks do not offer a foreign exchange facility, even if you have an account with them. Bureaux de change at most airports do not offer the best rates. I eventually went to the Post Office in St. Raphael who exchanged my US dollars no questions asked.
