• Home
  • About
    • Where has GhettoIFE gone?
    • For PR’s and Agencies (Changes and Corrections)
    • Privacy Policy
  • Snapshots
  • Trip Reports
  • Travel Plus…
    • … Technology
    • … Photography

Economy Class & Beyond

You are here: Home / News / Be careful when withdrawing cash at Heathrow Airport…

Be careful when withdrawing cash at Heathrow Airport…

06/04/2023 by Kevincm

Last week, when I was going through Heathrow, I needed to get some hard cash out – for the taxi ride home later on.

However, be careful. The machines operated by Travelex have an unwelcome thing for unwary visitors- a service charge for debit card withdrawals.

a machine with a screen and buttons

Cash machines operated by TravelEx will charge £2.50 for a withdrawal on a UK Debit Card (and probably visitors’ cards too).

a machine with a screen and buttons

Credit Card withdrawals will get their usual charge as well.

How can you avoid this charge?

It means hunting, I’m afraid. Heathrow Airport has a map of its facilities at https://www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/terminal-facilities/cash-machines and at Heathrow Maps. You will have to hunt machines down that are operated by UK Banks, rather than Travelex.

And that could be the real challenge.

For visitors who need fast cash (as it’s always a good idea to have some “hard” currency when you visit a country), it might be worth converting a small amount of cash before you travel or using an ATM that isn’t operated by Travelex (say at a train station, or at a bank).

Or consider a provider who will refund cash withdrawals.

Meanwhile, for those who live in the UK, you might want to consider taking out cash from an ATM closer to home that won’t rip you off. before you travel.

£2.50 on top of a minimum withdrawal of £10  is excessive.


Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.

Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates, as well as Mastodon too! You can follow me on Instagram too!

Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.

Related

Filed Under: News

Comments

  1. SHP says

    06/04/2023 at 9:18 am

    Check with your local bank. I bank with BofA and you can order currency online. Takes about a week and the rates are very competitive. I get enough for spending money before going on a trip to avoid the currency exchange hassles.

  2. plunet says

    07/04/2023 at 2:12 am

    I wouldn’t be surprised if all the ATMs at Heathrow and other major airports now charge a service fee, probably because the airport operator auctions the space for the ATMs to the highest bidder, and the high street banks won’t want to pay over the odds to operate a free service.

    Also be aware of ATMs offering to dispense EUR and other currencies at poor exchange rates.

  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Mastodon
  • RSS
  • Threads

Recent Posts

  • Wizz Air takes delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR, with Pratt & Whitney Engines
  • TRIP REPORT: The Other Shoe Drops. Was it Worth it? Springtime Transatlantic Adventures
  • TRIP REPORT: Luggage Trolley Drifting through Terminal 3 to the Coach Home – Springtime Transatlantic Aventures
  • EU eGates to be opened to UK Passport holders again
  • Airplane Art – Austrian Airlines Boeing 787-9 on final approach to Chicago O’Hare

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 Economy Class & Beyond All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Economy Class & Beyond with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.