Foreign Currency Stansted 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 summer 2005 stansted airport news article on how bad the rates and charges at airports can be].
Buying Foreign Currency at Stansted Airport
There is an ICE desk in the departures area before security (telephone : 01279 680 921). There is also a Travelex desk in the departures area (before security - opposite the car hire desks) and the arrivals area (telephone 08702 405 405).
Telephone them to check their rates and charges, then compare them with the rates available online below. Online will always win!
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 your currency can be delivered to your home or work by 17:30 the next day. (NB: If paying with Switch, Delta and Solo cards, just 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 (they do at Stansted). And with the Post Office you can pick between delivery, or you can pick your currency up at your local Post Office.
