Foreign Currency Exchange

[fdpevey]

It's been a while since we've been on Princess, does Guest Services do currency exchange?

 

We're sailing the British Isles and will need some British Pounds and Euros to cover those land incidentals we can't put on our card (for example, the German Occupation Museum on Guernsey doesn't take cards). It could get complicated to try to figure out in advance what to bring.

 

Thanks.

[sirclean]

I have not used them, but I believe that there are ATMs either near Guest Services or the Casino.  They may have local currencies available. Someone on here will know for sure! 

[EDDY0827]

Visit your home bank and order from them what you need.

[LACruiser88]

When they have had currency exchange ATM's onboard, the exchange rate was HORRIBLE!

 

We always obtain our foreign currencies from our bank at home.

 

[Thrak]

The exchange rate at Passenger Services will be abysmal. If you don't want to be robbed get your currency at home from your own bank. I agree that it is hard to know what you will need but you can always "sell back" your unused money to your bank when you get home or you can leave it with your room steward or a favorite bartender.

[DCThunder]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

The exchange rate at Passenger Services will be abysmal. If you don't want to be robbed get your currency at home from your own bank. I agree that it is hard to know what you will need but you can always "sell back" your unused money to your bank when you get home or you can leave it with your room steward or a favorite bartender.

Or keep it until your next cruise.  I found a twenty quid in my sock drawer the other day, which I'll be taking to England next month.

[LeeW]

9 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

Or keep it until your next cruise.  I found a twenty quid in my sock drawer the other day, which I'll be taking to England next month.

Hope it is the polymer version and not paper.  Paper expired last September.  You can still exchange old bills for new at the Bank of England.

[cr8tiv1]

The Diamond Princess had Japanese Yen.  You could only "exchange" yen for yen.  They were able to break up my larger currency to slightly smaller (10,000 yen to 1,000 yen).  No major exchange.  I was also able to "exchange" off the ship for smaller use for the bus, etc with a person at each port.  

 

I would not count on using the ship for retrieving currency.  I bought my Yen in Honolulu when the Japanese started returning to the islands.  

 

All the ports in Japan had an ATM.  There was always a long line.  Or use your credit card at an ATM at the airport (I did that in Canada).  You really won't need much.  I survived with much too much left over because I used my credit card at most places. 

[jennmaybe]

We are definitely getting our Euros before we go on our cruise in October.  I was hoping to be able to obtain our foreign currency at our local bank, but after calling them last week, I was advised they are not doing it anymore. So, I have found two other places that I can check into which are AAA and a place called foreign currency exchange here in Tampa.  

[Ombud]

Why not use an ATM there?? So much more convenient.  Figure out what you need + 10%.

[GK95]

1 hour ago, jennmaybe said:

We are definitely getting our Euros before we go on our cruise in October.  I was hoping to be able to obtain our foreign currency at our local bank, but after calling them last week, I was advised they are not doing it anymore. So, I have found two other places that I can check into which are AAA and a place called foreign currency exchange here in Tampa.  

Florida Currency Exchange at Westshore Mall is great. I used the one in Clearwater in March for money for our cruise. They handle almost every currency and take cash or credit card.

[Thrak]

5 hours ago, DCThunder said:

Or keep it until your next cruise.  I found a twenty quid in my sock drawer the other day, which I'll be taking to England next month.

 

I have 25 Euros and 20 dollars Canadian in a drawer. Of course our next cruises are to Australia and New Zealand where those are of no use. The only cruise we have booked for next year (so far anyway) is to Mexico. In Australia and New Zealand I expect to be able to use my credit card for most things but I don't think I can use it for the transit system in Melbourne. I may well end up with some more money I can't use after the end of the down under cruises. I did run into an excursion in Mexico that wouldn't take credit cards but, fortunately, we were with Renmar who had lots of Mexican Pesos.

[Musky Ike]

10 hours ago, Ombud said:

Why not use an ATM there?? So much more convenient.  Figure out what you need + 10%.

True. Just be sure not to select the option for them to do the conversion for you. If you opt out of that your home bank card will convert it at a better rate. Yes you may have an ATM fee but we often do around home also.

[Musky Ike]

14 hours ago, Thrak said:

or you can leave it with your room steward or a favorite bartender.

That is our option.

[skynight]

In the past we obtained Euros and GBP at a destination in country bank's ATM. You can also easily exchange currency at the airport. Airport rates would be higher. You can also order currency at home and bring it with you. I would not rely on passenger services having the currency you require. 

[DCThunder]

13 hours ago, LeeW said:

Hope it is the polymer version and not paper.  Paper expired last September.  You can still exchange old bills for new at the Bank of England.

Yes it is polymer.  Still has Her Majesty's picture on it, though.

[Catchum]

23 hours ago, fdpevey said:

It's been a while since we've been on Princess, does Guest Services do currency exchange?

 

We're sailing the British Isles and will need some British Pounds and Euros to cover those land incidentals we can't put on our card (for example, the German Occupation Museum on Guernsey doesn't take cards). It could get complicated to try to figure out in advance what to bring.

 

Thanks.

If you are sailing from Southampton there are many ATMs in the city for pounds in Gurnsey similar for euros. Google maps are your friend. Most london airport ATMs have a choice of euros or pounds. The exchange rate may mot be the best but you are not dealing with huge transactions so you may loose a few cents on the dollar  always choose the continue without conversion/pay in local currency button at ATMs or any other card reader reader whilst abroad.

[Catchum]

7 hours ago, DCThunder said:

Yes it is polymer.  Still has Her Majesty's picture on it, though.

As do postage stamps bank notes and coins. It will be many years before they are replaced. My local post box still has GR on it and works just fine.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We have stopped buying foreign currency a long time ago. For one thing, it’s much easier to just use credit cards everywhere. In some countries, the merchants want you to use credit cards and actually make it easy to use Apple Pay, etc. For the little foreign currency we do need, we just hit the first ATM we find after getting off the plane. Just be sure to opt for your bank to make the conversion. 

[jennmaybe]

22 hours ago, GK95 said:

Florida Currency Exchange at Westshore Mall is great. I used the one in Clearwater in March for money for our cruise. They handle almost every currency and take cash or credit card.

Thanks GK95!  That’s exactly where we plan to go if AAA doesn’t work out.  Thanks for that info!

[jennmaybe]

I understand lots of you use the airport ATM or get it when you get to your destination; however, I was a mortgage underwriter who was laid off months ago, so saving every penny where I can is very important to us right now in order to still make this cruise work for us.

[Ombud]

14 hours ago, Musky Ike said:

True. Just be sure not to select the option for them to do the conversion for you. If you opt out of that your home bank card will convert it at a better rate. Yes you may have an ATM fee but we often do around home also.

I will look for that but the ATMs I've used (including at 7-11 in Korea & Japan) just give me the option to withdraw local currency. Then they charge me a fee which my bank refunds. So I get local currency at current rate. 

 

Dbl check your bank as it might be the same as USAA (& Schwab -- used that once)

 

@jennmaybe just as suggestion as saving every penny might help.

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by Ombud

[Hlitner]

58 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I will look for that but the ATMs I've used (including at 7-11 in Korea & Japan) just give me the option to withdraw local currency. Then they charge me a fee which my bank refunds. So I get local currency at current rate. 

 

Dbl check your bank as it might be the same as USAA (& Schwab -- used that once)

 

@jennmaybe just as suggestion as saving every penny might help.

 

What they are talking about is known as "Dynamic Currency Conversion" and you can Google the term to learn about why some folks, including me, call it legalized theft.  This is different than the normal ATM/bank fees.  In fact, DCC can cost you up to 10% vs converting currency at the normal international rate of exchange.  With DCC, the ATM machine (and some credit card machines) will present you with a specific conversion rate and give you the option to accept or decline.  Accepting is always a bad option and get you a lousy conversion rate.  Declining will allow the transaction to go through in the local currency and it will alter be converted within the international banking system at a much more favorable rate.

 

Hank

[Ombud]

1 minute ago, Hlitner said:

What they are talking about is known as "Dynamic Currency Conversion" and you can Google the term to learn about why some folks, including me, call it legalized theft.  This is different than the normal ATM/bank fees.  In fact, DCC can cost you up to 10% vs converting currency at the normal international rate of exchange.  With DCC, the ATM machine (and some credit card machines) will present you with a specific conversion rate and give you the option to accept or decline.  Accepting is always a bad option and get you a lousy conversion rate.  Declining will allow the transaction to go through in the local currency and it will alter be converted within the international banking system at a much more favorable rate.

 

Hank

Oh!! Good thing to watch out for! Because my bank has branches in the UK & Europe I was only charged a withdrawal fee which was refunded a few days later. That said, I will look for the dreaded DCC when I pull out 100€ in November.

 

Is DCC in Australia? I forget if I was charged more than an ATM fee there. 

[Hlitner]

12 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Oh!! Good thing to watch out for! Because my bank has branches in the UK & Europe I was only charged a withdrawal fee which was refunded a few days later. That said, I will look for the dreaded DCC when I pull out 100€ in November.

 

Is DCC in Australia? I forget if I was charged more than an ATM fee there. 

Have no clue to Australia (haven't been there in a few years).  But it has become the norm throughout Europe, Mexico, Central America, and probably other places we have not visited in a few years.  Interestingly, we were recently in Japan and did not see an issue other than many of their ATMs still do not work with foreign ATM cards.

 

I noticed that if you Google "Dynamic Currency Conversion scam" it brings up some very good explanations.  It seems like many legitimate travel sties are now warning folks about this scam...which is supported by most of the legitimate bank (because they make a hefty profit).

 

Hank