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Afternoon all, just as the topic title – does anyone know of a USD dispensing cash machine in London? I have some USD on my Revolut and need to pay someone in USD upon arrival (but I won’t be arriving in the US, if that makes sense!)
I’d rather withdraw what I have on Revolut than buy more travel money tbh
Please let me know
TIA
Signs on the cash machines opposite the Met/Circle/H&C gates in St Pancras indicated that they do though not used myself and not been down recently to see if still the case
I’m pretty sure any USD machine in the UK will charge your account in GBP at a terrible exchange rate. I don’t think you’ll be able to withdraw your USD FOC. Converting to GBP in Revolut and then buying USD cash at one of the better rate options shouldn’t leave you too out of pcoket
I’ve seen ATMs which dispense foreign currency at UK airports and apparently they are a rip off! When I run out of euros/dollars/etc, I use cash withdrawn via Curve to purchase more at the best rate I can find.
@SamG thanks for advice
@tootsci & @Northernlass thanks for advice tooI know it’s not the greatest rate but I will stick my card in the machine and report back 🙂
You’d be better going to Thomas Exchange or similar and buying cash dollars there – you can use your USD card and will be charged in GBP I’m sure. The losses will be less than using an ATM. Best cash rates need to be prebooked via Money Saving Expert or similar.
Or just transfer the USD to GBP within Revolut for a minimal fee and go to a post office of Tesco to get the cash. USD cash machines are terrible value though I do recall when I almost used one, the rate gouging amount was published. That time (on the way to the airport when I realised I’d forgotten my wallet) I went to a Tesco and got USD on Apple Pay.
If you bank with HSBC I have found the easiest and cheapest way to convert cash was to open an HSBC currency account (which you can do instantly in the app) You can then send yourself foregin currency and withdraw or deposit at a branch. I was using Revoulut to do the actual conversion as their rates are better.
Not sure if this is possible but might be worth looking into but couldn’t you transfer the $ in your Revolute account to a currency card like Fair Fx which your contact can then use like a credit card when they are in the US themselves?
Or does Revolute offer such a card themselves?
If you bank with HSBC I have found the easiest and cheapest way to convert cash was to open an HSBC currency account (which you can do instantly in the app) You can then send yourself foregin currency and withdraw or deposit at a branch. I was using Revoulut to do the actual conversion as their rates are better.
Yes this – the only downside is there are very few full service HSBC branches now, but surprisingly they can handle a lot of foreign currencies in cash with no fees (except when converting to/from GBP, but as mentioned you can use revolut/wise).
A few months ago I needed to pay someone 1500 euros in the UK. I previously asked at the branch and they said they should always have a few thousand euros in stock so no need to book in advance.
However when I actually went to get the cash, it turns out they meant they had prepackaged travel money. So I got 5 prepackaged envelopes of €150, and the rest came in envelopes of €50. In the end I had a big stack of €5 €10 and €20 and only a few €50s – all brand new and consecutively numbered.
The guy was not pleased but I told him he wanted cash and he got cash. Later he told me one of those Arab shops on Edgware Road was happy to exchange all the small notes to €100s…
Intriguing as I actually need €1000 cash ! But it’s for a work matter so I can claim back in GBP whatever it actually costs me so I don’t think I’ll go to such efforts on this occasion
I did actually see a USD machine at Stratford shopping centre today which I thought was a bit random
Intriguing as I actually need €1000 cash ! But it’s for a work matter so I can claim back in GBP whatever it actually costs me so I don’t think I’ll go to such efforts on this occasion
I did actually see a USD machine at Stratford shopping centre today which I thought was a bit random
Correct. I was about to mention this, but you got to it before me. I’ve never actually used the machine though, so can’t verify what sort of rates it might charge.
Yes this – the only downside is there are very few full service HSBC branches now, but surprisingly they can handle a lot of foreign currencies in cash with no fees (except when converting to/from GBP, but as mentioned you can use revolut/wise).
A few months ago I needed to pay someone 1500 euros in the UK. I previously asked at the branch and they said they should always have a few thousand euros in stock so no need to book in advance.
However when I actually went to get the cash, it turns out they meant they had prepackaged travel money. So I got 5 prepackaged envelopes of €150, and the rest came in envelopes of €50. In the end I had a big stack of €5 €10 and €20 and only a few €50s – all brand new and consecutively numbered.
The guy was not pleased but I told him he wanted cash and he got cash. Later he told me one of those Arab shops on Edgware Road was happy to exchange all the small notes to €100s…
Are these new ways to get TPs? BA has really made it complicated!
Not sure if this is possible but might be worth looking into but couldn’t you transfer the $ in your Revolute account to a currency card like Fair Fx which your contact can then use like a credit card when they are in the US themselves?
Or does Revolute offer such a card themselves?
Assuming you’re not on the lowest tier, you can get a physical card. And anyone can get a virtual card to use with Apple Pay.
Data point
P2 went to Stratford to take a look (thanks @SamG for heads-up), and remarkably it’s a Sainsbury’s cash machine that only dispenses EUR and USD.
Revolut card locked to USD was not accepted as predicted by @SamG above – but the dispenser was happy with any other bank card in GBP (presumably to make money off the exchange rate).
Card inserted, and rate given as follows:
$20.00 = £16.76, with exchange rate £1.1933. No further card fees that P2 could tell, however P2 didn’t complete the transaction, so this is still an unknown until the final commitment screen is shown, I suppose.
P2 checked Revolut app, and the rate (at the time of checking) was £1 = $1.25
So, verdict: a poorer exchange rate as expected, but not as extortionate as I’d thought (I was expecting £1= $1.15 or worse tbh).
It might be okay-ish if someone needs small amounts, but for larger amounts I would definitely order ahead/go elsewhere (or just use my Revolut card in the destination itself if cash is not required).
For me, it’s a good to know and thanks to all who contributed 😊 some good tips!
Note to self: Save some dollars cash from US trips for such eventualities! 🙄
I think that one being a Sainsbury’s one helped here – the ones I was thinking of by Travelex or similar at airports etc are not a good deal at all! Wouldn’t be any fees with a GBP debit card
A year or so ago, a number of the large Sainsbury’s branches in Surrey had one of the Sainsbury’s Bank cash dispenser machines outside the store removed and replaced by a cash dispenser issuing only Euros and US dollars. My local Sainsbury’s and at least 2 others I know of have this facility. OH used it last year to withdraw cash. I think the exchange rate was given before transaction completed and was far cheaper than Travelex machines.
Here’s the Sainsbury ATM locator issuing Euros and Dollars
Following up on my suggestion of down by the H&C/C/M gates at KXStP, I was down there today and the Euro/USD cash machines appear to no longer be there.
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