Is it worth taking Euros or English Currency
Replies: 14 - Last Post: May 29, 2012 9:32 AM Last Post By: lozzaosfan
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Is it worth taking Euros or English Currency
We are away in Prague this weekend, 19th to the 22nd,and wondered if it was better to take Euros purchased here, or taking English, and changing to the local currency there.We get a better deal on the street in The Ukraine, when we visit, and wondered if that would be tha same in Prague?
1
Hi....D'ya mean you're travelling from The UK to Prague - hence the Sterling suggestion?
If so - take £'s preferably £10's and £20's.
You'll get a better rate over there - than in The UK.
Make sure they're clean and unmarked.
Hope you have a good trip.
2
I use the ATM's when I am in Prague ,better rate than any exchange booth, just let your bank know you are travelling.as to Euros use them in exactly the same way as you would at home............... ie not at all.
it is worth going to M&S and getting Czech Crowns there, they have a good rate and are commision free.
BTW I will be back in Prague on the 25th may for the Beer Festival.It starts tomorrow and worth an evening visit if you have time.
http://www.ceskypivnifestival.cz/en/
3
M&S isn't commission free - though.There's not an exchange booth, on the planet - that doesn't charge a commission.
It's built into their exchange rates.
Good shout for ATM's in Prague. Check your banks ATM charges before you leave.
5
Hi Billy ,yeah I know M&S are not really commision free but they do offer good rates and also will exchange any leftover back.I usually get enough cash to last me a day or so when I arrive in the city and then use the ATM after that.
One trick when using the atm (they have english language options) is to take and odd number out like 2,900 kc so you get some smaller notes.This however does not always work and a couple of years ago on a Saturday morning I was left with 3X2000Kc notes and very little other cash.Foe some reason Czechs don't seem to like changing big notes in shops etc.
6
As for "good rates" at M&S: today they give 29.53Kc/GBP http://money.marksandspencer.com/travel/travel-money/overview/#currency-exchange-rates ; decent moneychanger in Prague will give you 31Kc, more if changing bigger amount (e.g. http://eurochange.cz/) (internet rate is 31.76 right now). The difference 150Kc on 100GBP means free lunch in Prague :-))It's still much better than changing money at the Prague airport though, so getting some cash to start with is not a bad idea.
"I use the ATM's when I am in Prague ,better rate than any exchange booth,..."
Please tell me your trick..... I and my partner use debit cards from 3 different UK banks and they're all pretty much same - always about 4% less from ATM than what we would get if changing cash!
13
I've just got back from Prague. I have no idea about the Pound but Euro were accepted in some restaurants and hotels.As for exchange, there are many Exchange Bureau in Prague which offer quite good rate. I changed from US Dollar to CZK at a bank (LB?) at the Wenceslas Square and got a very good rate (CZK 18.9 per USD one week before) with only CZK 50 commission charge. Don't change at the main train station, Praha hl. n. The guy tried to rip me off by giving me only CZK 14.5 per USD after deducting commission (17.9%, what a joke).
Visal
