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Plan your UK trip efficiently!
Order British pounds online, pay when you collect from a Prosegur Change branch, and pay 0% commission on the exchange. Whether you're going for two weeks or two years, it means you land at Heathrow with enough cash for the first train, the first coffee and anything that won't take a foreign card.
The UK is one of the most card-friendly countries in Europe. In London especially, plenty of cafés, pubs and shops no longer take cash at all, and you can pay for the Tube and buses by tapping your card. So the question isn't whether you need pounds, it's how many.
How much cash you really need in the UK
For a short holiday, many travellers get by with £100 to £200 in cash for a fortnight. That covers market stalls, the odd independent shop or rural pub that's cash only, tips for tour guides, and coins for the occasional parking meter or public toilet. Outside London, in the Highlands, the Lake District or small Cornish villages, cash turns up more often, so take a bit more if you're driving around.
It's a different story if you're moving over on a working holiday. Since July 2024, Australians aged 18 to 35 can live and work in the UK for up to three years under the Youth Mobility Scheme. Opening a UK bank account usually takes a few weeks, because banks ask for proof of a UK address you may not have yet. Arriving with £500 to £1,000 in cash, plus a card that works without foreign fees, takes the pressure off the first rental deposit, a SIM card and getting around while you wait.
Ordering pounds with Prosegur Change
Pick your amount on our currency order page, choose a branch and a collection date, and pay when you pick up. Flying out of Melbourne or Brisbane? You can collect at our Melbourne Airport or Brisbane Airport branches on the day. Our city branches in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra also hold sterling. See every location on our branch finder, and today's GBP rate on our exchange rates page.
Paying by card, and the Travel Money Card
Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere in the UK, and contactless payments go up to £100 per tap. On London's transport network, tapping the same contactless card on every Tube, bus and train journey means fares are automatically capped each day, so you never pay more than the price of a day ticket. Always use the same card, and choose to pay in pounds if a terminal offers to convert into Australian dollars.
British pounds are one of the 10 currencies on our Travel Money Card. You load GBP before you leave and lock in the rate for that first load, then tap it like any Mastercard, including on the Tube. If your trip includes a few days in Europe, you can hold euros on the same card. For mobile data, our international eSIM has a dedicated United Kingdom plan, which is handy until you sort out a local SIM.
UK notes and coins, old and new
Bank of England notes come in £5, £10, £20 and £50, all now polymer. Since June 2024, new notes carry King Charles III. Notes with Queen Elizabeth II remain legal tender and are still very common, so you'll see both side by side. Coins are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2.
If you still have paper £20 or £50 notes from an earlier trip, they stopped being legal tender on 30 September 2022. UK shops won't take them, but the Bank of England still exchanges withdrawn notes, including by post.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, local banks issue their own sterling notes. They're worth exactly the same and you can spend them across the UK, although some shops in England look at them twice. They're harder to exchange outside the UK, so try to spend them before you fly home.
Before you fly: ETA, VAT and cash limits
Australians now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK, even for a short stay or a connection that goes through UK border control. You apply online or through the UK ETA app, and it costs £20. Allow at least three working days before you travel.
Shopping is also slightly different from what older guides say. Great Britain stopped offering VAT refunds to tourists on shopping in 2021, so the 20% VAT included in shop prices is no longer refunded at the airport. If you carry £10,000 or more in cash, or the equivalent in other currencies, you must declare it when entering or leaving the UK from outside the UK.
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Leftover pounds and the rest of your trip
If you're a UK expat or coming home after a working holiday, you can sell your British pounds for Australian dollars at any of our branches. Bring Bank of England notes where possible. Combining London with Paris, Rome or Barcelona? Order euros in the same transaction. Breaking the journey with a stopover in Singapore? Add Singapore dollars too.
FAQs about buying British pounds
Ordering ahead means you won't have to use an exchange kiosk at Heathrow or Gatwick on arrival, where rates are among the weakest. You also land with enough cash for your first day while you wait to see how much you'll really need.
Yes, they're legal currency throughout the UK, but they're not technically legal tender in England, so a shop can refuse them. Most accept them without fuss.
No. Contactless cards and phones work at every Tube gate, and daily caps apply automatically. Cash only matters if you want to buy a physical Oyster card at a machine.
Tipping is lighter than in the US. Many restaurants add an optional service charge of 10 to 12.5% to the bill. If they don't, leaving around 10% for good service is common. Nobody tips at the bar in a pub.
It depends on your plans, but many people arrive with £500 to £1,000 in cash and a card for the rest. That covers your first weeks until you've opened a UK bank account and received your first pay.
Travelling soon?
Here's how to easily reserve your currencies online
1. Choose your currency
1. Choose your currency
Determine the amount of travel money you will need to enjoy your trip.
2. Choose a date & a pick-up location
2. Choose a date & a pick-up location
Collect your order from one of our exchange bureaus at major airports and city centre.
3. Collect & pay
3. Collect & pay
Pay upon pickup and enjoy
your trip.