buy foreign currency and travellers cheques : cardiff airport
You can buy foreign currency and travellers cheques online and get great rates and no commission, or you can buy it at the airport, not get as good rates and pay commission. That's the basic choice.
[See this cardiff airport news article on how bad the rates and charges at airports can be].
Buying Foreign Currency Online
You can buy your currency online via a number of foreign exchange companies. Each time we check the rates, including commission and delivery charges, we find that Onlinefx, Travelex and the Post Office are the most competitive.
With Onlinefx, if you buy it via a website called www.1stholidaystore.co.uk and pay via a debit card, the currency is delivered free as well as commission free. If you order by 12:30 the currency or travellers cheques can be delivered to your home (or your work) by 17:30 the next day. (NB: If paying with Switch, Delta and Solo cards, type "free delivery" in the Promotion / ID box at payment stage.)
With Travelex you need to give 48 hours notice, but you can collect your currency from the airport if they have a desk there (as they do at Cardiff airport). And with the Post Office you can pick between delivery, or you can pick your currency up at your local Post Office.
Buying Foreign Currency at Cardiff Airport
If you want to buy your currency at Cardiff Airport, the choice is limited to one supplier, Travelex. They have 3 desks at the airport - on the first floor (departures), in the airport departure lounge and in the arrivals hall (for inbound passengers).
Standard opening hours are:
Landside Departures: daily 04:00 - 22:00
Departure Lounge: Monday - Thursday 05:00 - 18:00; Friday 04:00 - 18:00; Saturday 05:00 - 15:30; Sunday 04:00 - 18:00
Arrivals Hall: daily 04:00 - 22:00
You can contact Travelex at Cardiff Airport on (01446) 719 523.
