Money, money, money
 

For a trip to London mid July, I have purchased Oyster cards for both of us. I would love to use my credit card as extensively as I can for purchases. Would the justairports.com chauffeur (as recommended by you in another forum) take anything other than cash? If not, where do you advise that we get UK money? I understand if I get it here in the States, it is a less favorable exchange rate? And what about tipping? How much and to whom? 20% to wait staff at restaurants? How much for our chauffeur? How much for day tour guides? Hotel housekeepers? Thanks for your willingness to share your knowledge and experience with us.

If you are paying justairports by credit card you need to pre-pay (at least that used to be their procedure). They give a discount for cash.

"<i>where do you advise that we get UK money?</i>"

You get your 'UK money' (£) from an ATM machine in the wall just like back at home. There are several at the airport.

Tipping different for sure. No 20%. in restaurants 10% is plenty - a <i>tiny bit</i> more maybe for exceptional service. And be sure to first check to see if service was included. If it was, no need to leave anything, but again maybe just a bit of extra change for very good service.

Your driver - maybe £5 if he helps w/your luggage (which he most likely will)

Service is included (or to be precise, automatically added) in restaurants more often than not.

This still doesn't stop the shiftier eateries presenting a credit card slip, or PIN machine, that gives the impression it's not. Even if you ask the question outright, many think lying's OK.

Note the policy on the menu when you're given it, and check again when you see the bill. Obviously, janisj's suggestion about "a tiny bit more maybe for exceptional service" doesn't apply to deceitful toerags.

I can't imagine tipping hotel staff.

Tipping in Europe is NOT at an American standard. If you tip 20% at restaurants, you're a sucker. Waitstaff receive normal salaries that are not exempted from minimum wage rules. In the US, waitstaff salaries are exempted from minimum wage regulations (nationally, exceptions may apply in various states or localities). Many UK restaurants will add 12.5% for service.

If there's a "we" involved, you need to look into the 2-for-1 offers from www.daysoutguide.co.uk. Your Oyster card is useless for those.

If you have time, open up a Cap One credit card or online banking account. Cap One does not charge foreign exchange fees, Visa and MC cards issued by other banks do. Banks also charge ugly ATM fees - Chase charges 3.5% plus $3 per transaction.

NEVER use "dynamic currency exchange" - a fancy term for a merchant allowing you to pay in your own currency at their store (Harrod's, Fortnum & Mason and large retailers offer this). Always pay in local wampum.

Some places actually forbid tipping staff. This is certainly the case in the Cafe at Machester Town Hall and the city of Birmingham art Gallery, both places well worth visiting if you have the opportunity.

Oh no, the dreaded tipping question!!

1. Use ATMs to obtain cash.
2. If you use credit cards, make sure that you are charged in British pounds, not American dollars. (This is the "dynamic currency exchange" to which BigRuss refers). If you allow them to charge your credit card in dollars, you will receive a very unfavorable exchange rate.
3. Check with your bank to see what they charge for foreign exchange fees and ATM fees. Not every bank/credit union charges horrible fees. Our credit union charges only 1% for foreign exchange and no ATM fees.
4. Inform your bank when and where you are going so they can make a notation on your account. Otherwise, when charges start coming in from Britain, they may flag your accounts for possible fraud (since they don't know you are there.) You would then have to take the time to contact the bank and "unflag" the account before you could use it.

Please,please do NOT tip wait staff 20% as has been said 10% is the more normal. Hotel staff is you must, I would leave paper money, I don't mean a £20 note depending on the length of stay. Again it has already been said we have a minimum wage in the UK so no one is dependent on tips only.

We have a minimumwage in the US too - but it's so minimum there's no way anyone can live on it. (States also have minimum wages - often higher than the federal.)

BUT, in most places restaurant staff are exempt - and many receive as little as $2 per hour plus a free meal. (When the counter kids at mickey D's are getting up to $12 an hour - depending on part of the country.)

What would we do without you all? BigRuss, I just obtained a Capital One card. I was shocked to call my Chase card services to find about these huge fees. So I'll bring my Cap One card. (I even got to pick an image to go on the front so I'll have a photo of my grands on the card! Will make me miss them less!) I'm coming with my daughter and we are currently looking at the 2-4-1 list. Thanks for the suggestion.
janisj-I just pre-reserved a justairports.com driver from LHR to our hotel. That will give us peace of mind cuz we have a tour scheduled the afternoon after we arrive. I appreciate all your insights too.
longhorn55- thanks for your help as well. You have saved us huge headaches. And in regards to the tipping, I would have had no idea! The London way of paying employees is better than ours, where our waitstaff are having to grovel for a decent wage.
RE: Harrods. Do you mean that I could use my Cap One card there, but to make sure they charge me in pounds rather than USD? Or do I need BigRuss's "wampum" (cash)?
Thanks, friends. I wish I could repay you for the time and money and headaches you have saved us.

huskermamo....you will find London a lot like most American cities. Almost everybody takes credit cards including fast food places, restaurants from chain restaurants on up, theatre ticket places, the underground (I know you said you already have oyster cards which was probably a mistake but can't cry over spilled milk. They won't work for the 2 4 1's but I'll leave it to others to explain; I'm tired of repeating the same stuff about them (they are very good discounts, it's just a royal pain to be able to get them sometimes).

When using a credit card merchants are supposed to ask you, if their store uses the dcc scam, whether you wish to pay in sterling or in US dollars. Many do. Some just give you the sales slip to sign. If you see an amount in US$ on the sales slip, they are trying to pull that scam (it was late arriving in London but is now going, as I understand it, full bloom). Tell them you wish the transaction voided (not credited but voided big difference). If they try to tell you it doesn't matter or they can't or whatever, politely ask to see the manager (after all you're in Londno and English and American are very closely aligned languages). If this doesn't work, don't get angry. Simply cross out the USD amount on the sales slip and write local currency not offered. And then when you get home, dispute the charge. Capital One will have to chrge it back to the merchant (perhaps hopefully costing them a fine)...don't under any circumstances offer to pay cash. Defeats the whole purpose of usng a credit card.

I have a British Airways Chase card and I am not charged any foreign transaction fees. My Virgin Atlantic Amex card is the saME NO FEES. bANK OF aMERICA dEBIT CARDS CHARGE O FEES IF YIOU USE bARCLAY'S BANK WHICH ARE EVERYWHERE!

Huskermano, that was a good explanation by xyz123 of what to do when you charge an item on your credit card. You do NOT need to pay cash. I think BigRuss's use of "wampum" was to mean "local currency" (i.e. British pounds) not "cash".

<<I think BigRuss's use of "wampum" was to mean "local currency" (i.e. British pounds) not "cash".>>

Yup. Hence the phrase "local wampum."

BoA's deal with Barclay's is a response to the Cap One effort to attract travelers. Cap One debit cards work fee-free at any bank that uses the Cirrus cash network, not just Barclay's.

AmEx cards generally charge less for ForEx but are less useful because the percentage of merchants that accept them outside the US is lower than the percentage that accepts them inside the US.

That Chase BA card is a nice deal but beware BA's "free" flights - they separate the "seat" from the fuel from the taxes from the entry fees so that the traveler pays a hefty fuel charge plus taxes and fees on "free" tickets. That's far different from American, United/continental, Southwest, etc which do not separate the "fuel" and seat concepts into separate charges. My $100 trip on miles to Tokyo (business class, only charged fees and taxes) on American would not be available on BA because the latter would charge me $600+ in fuel costs too for the same itinerary.

Big Russ, Virgin does the same thing, roughly £300 for a points i.e. "free" flight from London to D.C. for example, has to do with departure taxes from UK, among other things.