Pound To Euro Exchange Rate At UK Airports Leaves Travellers Offered As Little As €0.86 Per Pound

Planning ahead can pay off though.

Anyone hoping to buy their holiday currency at the airport ahead of a trip to the Eurozone had better think again, after a survey discovered astonishingly poor exchange rates being offered.

Researched carried out by FairFx for the BBC found that in one airport, Southampton, travellers were offered a mere 86 cents to the pound.

Moneycorp, which runs the bureau de change at Southampton Airport cited operating costs including ground rent, additional security and staffing costs around the clock as contributing factor for the poor rate.

Travellers who buy their currency at airports are
Travellers who buy their currency at airports are
amesy via Getty Images

Heathrow and Stansted Airports weren’t much better, offering €0.91.

The average rate across 16 of the UK’s main airports was found to be €0.95 to the pound.

This time last year, the average was €0.99.

Travellers have been advised to plan ahead when it comes to buying currency for their travels, to avoid being hit by bad exchange rates.

Other options are also available, such as using a debit card to withdraw cash at ATMs while abroad (although customers could incur large fees depending on the circumstances) or using a pre-paid card.

Travellers have been advised to plan ahead to avoid being hit by poor exchange rates
Travellers have been advised to plan ahead to avoid being hit by poor exchange rates
PA Archive/PA Images

Travellers can also get better deals by pre-ordering their currency to pick up at the airport, or buy in advance from bureaux de changes, Post Offices and other places.

In the wake of last year’s Brexit vote, the pound has steadily fallen against the euro.

Over the past 12 months, sterling has fallen from €1.18 to €1.08.

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