$$$$ question

[c3h3a3r]

Hi. I've asked a similar question before so my apologies. But does anyone have a better understanding of money than I do? I was hoping to convert our pounds to dollars about a week before our holiday. But now I am worried that the conversion rate will mean less dollars for the pound in the next month? Obviously I am still saving bit I could exchange some now. Am taking Halifax clarity card but want some cash too. Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[wilma-bride]

I know, it's a toughy. I do think the pound will take a bit of a hit right up to the vote (so end of June) but may well recover quickly afterwards.

In all honesty, unless you are talking about thousands, a few cents here or there don't make a lot of difference.

We are going in August and I loaded my Fairfx card with a couple of hundred last week, when the rate went back up but I won't bother getting my cash until a couple of weeks before we go. If I lose out, I lose it. So be it.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

As a previous poster has indicated, unless your exchanging thousands of pounds to dollars the difference will be negligible whatever the outcome of the vote.

 

[Elise79]

I monitor the dollar rate very closely and after its drop to its current level when the referendum was first announced its actually been very stable since. I don't think its going to move one way or another until after the referendum now. Then there is still some uncertainly until the end of year with the US elections and Donald Trump.

I popped some money in to our US account a week or so ago when it went to 1.46 but not worried and will just use our PO cards as previously and take the rate on the day.

 

[c3h3a3r]

Thank you all for your replies. Has made me feel a little better. Realistically I am looking at between £1800-£2500 spending money as we don't have dining plan. So this covers food/drink , petrol and souvenirs. I am unsure how much I will convert and how much I will just use a card, as don't want to carry that much cash. Thanks again

 

[wayneg]

Just check your insurance covers whatever you take.
Personally I just take about $200 these days. Only cash I use is tolls. So much easier to put it all on Halifax or Post Office card.
Last year we lost our bag with $1,500 cash, phones, ipad, passports, documents etc, absolutely everything of value or importance on our 1st day on our way to New Orleans. Thankfully after about 2 hours we got it back but no matter how careful you think you are a slight lapse in concentration and its gone.

 

[c3h3a3r]

Glad you managed to get it back-what a worry...
I'd like to make sure we have some cash as I can imagine some places (ice cream carts?) Are cash only? And for tips in restaurants - or can you add tips on card every where?

 

[wayneg]

Glad you managed to get it back-what a worry...
I'd like to make sure we have some cash as I can imagine some places (ice cream carts?) Are cash only? And for tips in restaurants - or can you add tips on card every where?

Not come across anywhere that's cash only in the parks but there might be. Tips no problem. Give them credit card to pay for meal, they bring you receipt with a space for tip to be added. Tolls are only place I pay cash usually.
Thankfully the guy who found it went in the bag and rang me back (I had my phone in my pocket) he saw about 20 missed calls from me. I offered him $50 to buy something for his children but would not accept it, still some honest people out there.

 

[c3h3a3r]

Wow-lucky.
Thanks again for your advice.

 

[BudgieMama]

Just check your insurance covers whatever you take.
Personally I just take about $200 these days. Only cash I use is tolls. So much easier to put it all on Halifax or Post Office card.

We take very little cash too- probably we'll go for around $200 as well and put everything else on our Halifax credit cards. We found the rate to be consistently better than anything we managed to get on cash exchange. It's great for settling the bill for things on our Magic Bands too. We like to have a bit of cash for the occasion cart that can't take our Magic Bands, but generally anything we can charge to the band, we do!

 

[wifey]

We have put money on our Fairfx card in the past and when we see a good exchange rate, for cash we pop to our Crown branch of The Post Office and change it there and then. We keep the cash on a separate ziplock bag (usually smaller notes and some larger ones that have been crumpled a bit you don't want to hand over two $100 bills in a store unless you meant to do so). In total we have taken about $600-$700 for the three of us for two weeks. We tend to come home with anything between $25 and $100 dollars in cash. We sometimes charge things like special drinks to the room and pay for it all at check out since we leave a card registered with the hotel. We have had years when the exchange rate was so poor it was painful to watch but we coped just fine. Politics always causes the issues as the stock markets and such go crazy it can take a few weeks to return to normal. Don't worry about it.

 

[disneyholic family]

i didn't realize the pound had fallen so low.
we just bought british pounds - that are cheap for us to buy now.
I need to have a position in pounds so that i can pay for our disney UK holiday package.
I'll have to pay it in pounds. If the pound goes back up, it will cost me more.
so i bought the full amount of pounds now, so that i'll have it to pay off the package next year.

 

[tinkerpea]

Not come across anywhere that's cash only in the parks but there might be. Tips no problem. Give them credit card to pay for meal, they bring you receipt with a space for tip to be added. Tolls are only place I pay cash usually.
Thankfully the guy who found it went in the bag and rang me back (I had my phone in my pocket) he saw about 20 missed calls from me. I offered him $50 to buy something for his children but would not accept it, still some honest people out there.

The only places we have come across are some of the light up carts they only take cash as we found pit while waiting for the starwars fireworks last year

 

[wayneg]

The only places we have come across are some of the light up carts they only take cash as we found pit while waiting for the starwars fireworks last year

Haha I am a Yorkshireman, I would never pay the prices for those things.

 

[Tash87]

Sorry to jump in but thought I would say, last night on the news I heard that the pound could drop to £1.10 if we vote out of the eu

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Personally better the devil you know. Grab todays rate. Then you know no matter what how much you have.

 

[wayneg]

Sorry to jump in but thought I would say, last night on the news I heard that the pound could drop to £1.10 if we vote out of the eu

A lot of scaremongering going on about the EU. None of us know what will happen.
I am 99.9% sure the markets have already factored in all info they know, I suspect we are at Brexit levels now, maybe drop a little more and a little unstable until the markets know how things will work. If we stay in then a small rise and more stable.

 

[Tash87]

Yes I totally agree about scaremongering.

I saw this article when they was talking about the ftse etc ( I don't even know if that's the right word lol ) It wasn't anything to do with the campaign.

I'm not going until November so I'm going to leave it for as long as possible before I deal with my dollars.

 

[disneyholic family]

A lot of scaremongering going on about the EU. None of us know what will happen.
I am 99.9% sure the markets have already factored in all info they know, I suspect we are at Brexit levels now, maybe drop a little more and a little unstable until the markets know how things will work. If we stay in then a small rise and more stable.

totally agree....there is no way anyone can know what will happen...
the pound could go either way no matter the decision...
though it's possibly a good bet that the euro will fall if the UK pulls out...but who cares about the euro anyway...

 

[chmurf]

A lot of scaremongering going on about the EU. None of us know what will happen.

This!

Some will try to scare the voters about what could happen in case of a Brexit (translate : vote to stay in EU)
Some will try to minimise the impact of a Brexit (translate : vote to exit EU)

In the end nobody knows.

though it's possibly a good bet that the euro will fall if the UK pulls out...but who cares about the euro anyway...

well ... quite a few here who pay in euros. From Belgium, France, Germany, and even Ireland (not overlooking the rest of Europe).

luckily we now can book in Euros through the Irish branch of WDTC.

But no matter what comes out of the ballot box, stay or leave, everyone loses, because that's a no-win situation. But I'll stop at that because this is not going to turn into a political thread. Let's keep it Currency.

The main reason why the pound will not take a hit in case of a Brexit, is because its partner economy (euro zone) will take a similar hit, so you won't see any major difference
and the pound will not take a major plunge (ou hike) vs. the USD, because the shockwave (albeit a small one) will hit the US economy too.

Currency market will not be affected very much, but our economies will suffer, no matter the outcome.