Purchasing Euros and Pounds for British Isles Cruise

[gunnywife]

Trying to decide on how much euros and pounds to take on this cruise.  I realize Europe is practically a cashless society and mostly credit cards are used.. But I might need  money  for incidentals such as a beer or coke. And also if I  want to tip the bartenders, room service people and room stewards can I tip them in US dollars or would it be better to tip them in pounds?

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, gunnywife said:

Trying to decide on how much euros and pounds to take on this cruise.  I realize Europe is practically a cashless society and mostly credit cards are used.. But I might need  money  for incidentals such as a beer or coke. And also if I  want to tip the bartenders, room service people and room stewards can I tip them in US dollars or would it be better to tip them in pounds?

 

 

Oh the ship you can tip in any currency...the staff will accept it gratefully. I would favor the official currency of the cruise line,  but any is OK.

 

Ashore, I would tip in the local currency. However, not only is Europe pretty cashless, but also tipping is not a big thing. That topic is discussed here frequently. 

 

How much time are you spending on land? If it's just your port days, I would just use credit cards. 

[mrgabriel]

We just got back from a TA and had 2 port days in countries that use the Euro, and 5 days in the UK and London. The only time I tipped was for taxis, and those were paid for with a credit card. 

 

I had €60 in my wallet before we left and came home with the same amount. Everything in European ports was on my credit card. 

 

Likewise, I had about £90 in bills and coins and came home with all but the coins that I specifically chose to use on the bus. I didn't need to use coins, credit cards are accepted for contactless payment, I just wanted to get rid of the coins.

 

My credit cards all are set-up for touchless but some U.S. cards are not. More than once I saw someone with an American credit card needing to wait for assistance in a store with self-serve checkouts because their card required a signature.

[nini]

When we did our British Isles cruise, I ordered some GBP and Euros from our bank. There was a small fee. I estimated what we would need foe gratuities for hotel staff in London, for tour guides onshore and tips for transfers.

We tipped extra in US cash for our cabin steward and bartenders.

[Bob++]

It's a common theme that people from North American countries are generally not aware of how far towards being cashless Europe has moved. 

 

I live in England and rarely use cash. In fact, the only cash I have used this year is to pay the window cleaner. We were recently in Gibraltar and the only time we needed cash was on the bus and for tips. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

11 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

the coins that I specifically chose to use on the bus.

Just to avoid any confusion for other visitors, this no doubt will have been outside London. Cash has not been accepted on London buses for several years. 

[mrgabriel]

3 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Just to avoid any confusion for other visitors, this no doubt will have been outside London. Cash has not been accepted on London buses for several years. 

 

Yes, correct! This was on buses in Southampton. Thanks for the clarification. 

[Meander Ingwa]

you can use your ATM card at either destination to have some local cash on hand.  Any VISA/MC card will work at a ATM.  Use those that are directly attached to a bank rather than panic buying at the airport.  As usual contact your bank to make sure you are clear.

 

I like to use cash when buying things like Take away from the local food place or snacks from a store.  So many of them run on a narrow margin that the percentage a bank card skims from them is felt.  I also sometimes encounter places that are having tech issues.  Market vendors away from large cities may also not have tech.  But what others have said, most of England and EU are now tech based

 

To tell the truth, I like buskers.  I like to have some loose coins to flip into their case or jar to thank them for their music.  Charity collectors as well.  If you visit places with free entry, like the British Museum, you can easily drop a pound or two in the collection box as you exit.

[nini]

1 hour ago, Meander Ingwa said:

you can use your ATM card at either destination to have some local cash on hand.  Any VISA/MC card will work at a ATM.  Use those that are directly attached to a bank rather than panic buying at the airport.  As usual contact your bank to make sure you are clear.

 

I like to use cash when buying things like Take away from the local food place or snacks from a store.  So many of them run on a narrow margin that the percentage a bank card skims from them is felt.  I also sometimes encounter places that are having tech issues.  Market vendors away from large cities may also not have tech.  But what others have said, most of England and EU are now tech based

 

To tell the truth, I like buskers.  I like to have some loose coins to flip into their case or jar to thank them for their music.  Charity collectors as well.  If you visit places with free entry, like the British Museum, you can easily drop a pound or two in the collection box as you exit.

 

Thank you for mentioning the fee which is charged to the business, NOT the customer. Most people do not know that the business/ vendor PAYS for YOUR airline miles and rewards... NOT the bank! And they also have a service fee percentage attached to that.

DH and I have a small business.

[hrhdhd]

1 hour ago, Meander Ingwa said:

you can use your ATM card at either destination to have some local cash on hand.  Any VISA/MC card will work at a ATM.  Use those that are directly attached to a bank rather than panic buying at the airport.  As usual contact your bank to make sure you are clear.

Don't use a credit card at an ATM to withdraw cash. That counts as a cash advance, and on many cards, will result in an interest charge from the moment of withdrawal. Use an ATM card or debit card.

[Meander Ingwa]

Yes, sorry I was not specific in saying use your ATM  card for this

 

Thank you for catching the details 

[Catlover54]

I just got back from a three-week combination land trip and cruise (parts of Ireland, Whales, and Scotland).

We always carry local currency, (some we bring in from prior trips, or get at an ATM), for excursions, musicians, and small businesses and vendors, though we use credit cards at bigger establishments.

 

We took several excursions (both from our ship, and individual and group land tours).

Though no one was sticking their hands into our faces awaiting tips, and everyone from top to bottom has a decent salary, life can be expensive for lower middle class and even middle class employees, especially in urban areas. So tips we offered were greatly appreciated, never rejected, and always met with a smile (especially by underappreciated and lower salaried tour bus drivers who navigate narrow winding roads, often with no shoulder and heavy uncoming traffic, with great responsibility to not drive off a cliff).  This is no small task, and unless the drivers were awful or hostile, we gave them solid tips (even when we did not, for various reasons including guide self-described relative affluence, tip the tour guides,  unless they were exceptional). 

 

Street musicians also appreciate a few coins, which you cannot offer without local currency.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Catlover54
Typo

[Harters]

11 hours ago, Bob++ said:

In fact, the only cash I have used this year is to pay the window cleaner.

My window cleaner gets paid by bank transfer.  About the only time I use cash nowadays is when I buy a copy of the Big Issue from one of their homeless street sellers. And for some local car parks.

[Meander Ingwa]

sadly my checkbook uses seems to be limited to my dentist who is payment on delivery of service with a 2.5% premium for the use of a credit card ( dont blame her)  Just coming in to the end of an 8 month course of redoing all my old , worn out crowns and a few teensy chips and divots.

 

my primary grocery does not take credit cards, only debit.  Again keeps their overhead down.  I still use cash at my local ethnic centered groceries and restaurants 

 

my Oyster card wallet usually has 15 or 20 pounds folded up and tucked away from my last trip.  I like to have a little change on hand for the first day.  I have a miscellaneous collection of world coins and small bills.  More as memento than anything else.  The art work and graphic are part of what I love

 

 

[Globaliser]

6 minutes ago, Meander Ingwa said:

sadly my checkbook uses seems to be limited to my dentist who is payment on delivery of service with a 2.5% premium for the use of a credit card ( dont blame her)

 

Fortunately, surcharges for using a personal credit card have now been banned here. It's been another (although small) part of the cashless revolution. In parallel, there's been a clampdown on the fees that credit card companies can charge for transactions, which in turn has led to credit card freebies being drastically reduced.

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

So tips we offered were greatly appreciated, never rejected, and always met with a smile ...

 

I have a friend who's in a business in which (he says) "sincerity is the key. When you can fake it, you've got it made."

 

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

Street musicians also appreciate a few coins, which you cannot offer without local currency.

 

There are plenty of street musicians here who are geared up to take contactless card payments.

[Cotswold Eagle]

6 hours ago, Meander Ingwa said:

To tell the truth, I like buskers.  I like to have some loose coins to flip into their case or jar to thank them for their music.  Charity collectors as well.  If you visit places with free entry, like the British Museum, you can easily drop a pound or two in the collection box as you exit.

In many cases, all these sectors may have contactless card solutions. It is impossible to overstate how much this has permeated in the U.K. in the last three years. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

underappreciated and lower salaried tour bus drivers who navigate narrow winding roads, often with no shoulder and heavy uncoming traffic, with great responsibility to not drive off a cliff).  This is no small task, and unless the drivers were awful or hostile, we gave them solid tips (even when we did not, for various reasons including guide self-described relative affluence, tip the tour guides,  unless they were exceptional). 

This is frankly ridiculous. The idea that you should tip a professional driver for not driving off a cliff (i.e. fulfilling the most basic requirements of their role) is nonsense. Going out of their way to deliver you somewhere, or helping with overweight luggage maybe, but not for simply doing their job. 
 

I have never understood why Europeans in the States are expected to abide by a ludicrous and exploitative tipping culture, but Americans coming to Europe feel free to ignore local mores. 

[markeb]

12 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

There are plenty of street musicians here who are geared up to take contactless card payments.

 

Even here in the hinterlands of North America, the guitar player at the winery on Sunday had a QR code with links to PayPal and Venmo.

 

My fellow Americans need to get over it and pay with a card. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I'd book a tour in Europe these days with an operator who's such a dinosaur they can't take a card (asbestos suit on...). Are they using a GPS to plan the trip? Do they have a smartphone to call ahead if they're late/early?

 

The worst thing with pulling Pounds from an ATM is what I'm most likely to need are £1 coins for bathrooms. And those aren't dispensed (or pre-ordered from the US). (Actually that's usually more of an issue for €1...)

[markeb]

3 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

I have never understood why Europeans in the States are expected to abide by a ludicrous and exploitative tipping culture, but Americans coming to Europe feel free to ignore local mores. 

 

Exactly. Although I do expect you to tip the workers here and understand that's the norm. And I'll generally not tip (other than restaurants) in the UK as that's the norm...

 

(And I know you understand the ludicrous system in the US. Some, unfortunately, don't...)

[nini]

50 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Even here in the hinterlands of North America, the guitar player at the winery on Sunday had a QR code with links to PayPal and Venmo.

 

My fellow Americans need to get over it and pay with a card. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I'd book a tour in Europe these days with an operator who's such a dinosaur they can't take a card (asbestos suit on...). Are they using a GPS to plan the trip? Do they have a smartphone to call ahead if they're late/early?

 

The worst thing with pulling Pounds from an ATM is what I'm most likely to need are £1 coins for bathrooms. And those aren't dispensed (or pre-ordered from the US). (Actually that's usually more of an issue for €1...)

Did you not read post #9? The vendor/ business takes the hit. Even so, we typically use credit cards for everything except tipping and a few small purchases at a grocery store. When you tip in a restaurant, hopefully the server will receive the gratuity. 

[markeb]

12 minutes ago, nini said:

Did you not read post #9? The vendor/ business takes the hit. Even so, we typically use credit cards for everything except tipping and a few small purchases at a grocery store. When you tip in a restaurant, hopefully the server will receive the gratuity. 

 

Yes. I read post #9. The vendor/business generally prices their service to account for that hit. If they don't, that's their problem, not mine. And most studies I've seen say that people paying by card generally spend more money in the first place.

 

The server gets the gratuity. It's the law in the US and there are cases where businesses have been taken to court for not passing through gratuities. And in the US, if the wage plus gratuity doesn't equal minimum wage, the business has to make up the difference. In most of the rest of the world employees who are traditionally tipped in the US are already paid a full salary.

 

Would you actually notice the difference between a $1000 tour and $1030 tour? Or $1060 if it's AMEX? That would make up the credit card fee. Just charge everyone $1030 instead of adding 3% for using a card.

[Catlover54]

1 hour ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

. . . .
 

I have never understood why Europeans in the States are expected to abide by a ludicrous and exploitative tipping culture, but Americans coming to Europe feel free to ignore local mores. 

 

Once your country passes legislation banning tipping of individual workers  in appreciation of what they do, visiting Americans will stop tipping. 

The questions (rhetorical) that come to my mind, however, are:

1.  Why have tips not yet been banned?

2.  Will the bus driver, valet, waiter, and tour guide in the UK (who BTW likely cannot afford luxury cruises and never will, tips or no tips)  be happier or unhappier if tips are banned?

3.  Will service workers have more incentive to do a great  job (instead of a mediocre one, i.e., enough to keep their salaries and not get fired), if tips are banned?

 

We are drifting off topic, of course, and as usual when money is discussed, and  gunnywife (the OP) likely has gotten enough points of view for her to make a decision about how much, if any, cash and what kind, to bring to the UK on her upcoming cruise. 

 

Gunnywife, I hope you have a great cruise in the British Isles!  

 

 

 

 

[nini]

6 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Yes. I read post #9. The vendor/business generally prices their service to account for that hit. If they don't, that's their problem, not mine. And most studies I've seen say that people paying by card generally spend more money in the first place.

 

The server gets the gratuity. It's the law in the US and there are cases where businesses have been taken to court for not passing through gratuities. And in the US, if the wage plus gratuity doesn't equal minimum wage, the business has to make up the difference. In most of the rest of the world employees who are traditionally tipped in the US are already paid a full salary.

 

Would you actually notice the difference between a $1000 tour and $1030 tour? Or $1060 if it's AMEX? That would make up the credit card fee. Just charge everyone $1030 instead of adding 3% for using a card.

 

Have you ever owned and operated your own business? I have also actually also experienced not receiving gratuities from credit cards. Just because something is a law, does not it is abided by or enforced, as we all.well know.

 

[wowzz]

14 hours ago, nini said:

 

Thank you for mentioning the fee which is charged to the business, NOT the customer. Most people do not know that the business/ vendor PAYS for YOUR airline miles and rewards... NOT the bank! And they also have a service fee percentage attached to that.

DH and I have a small business.

Obviously I do not know about the US, but in the UK, banks will charge small businesses a fee when handling cash. Therefore,  there is little difference between the cost to the business of a card transaction or handling cash. And of course, there is no need to make daily trips to your local bank (assuming there is one still open in your local town) if you only accept card payments.