Page 366 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - London

364  SUR VIV AL GUIDE

Banking and Local Currency

Visitors to London will find that there are plenty of national DIRECTORY
and foreign banks lining the city’s high streets, and they
usually offer the best rates of exchange. Privately owned Bureaux de Change
bureaux de change have variable exchange rates and All have branches across London.
commissions – some charge more for changing smaller Chequepoint
amounts of money – but they do stay open long after the 550 Oxford St, W1. Tel 020 7724
banks have closed. 6127. Open 24­hrs daily.
∑ chequepoint.com
at airports, main rail stations, Money Corporation
in large stores, and at many 18 Piccadilly, W1. Map 13 A3.
other locations. Chequepoint, Tel 08456 210 210.
Thomas Cook and Travelex Open 8am–11pm Mon–Sat,
are some of the larger 9am–10:30pm Sun.
companies. The central ∑ moneycorp.com
London (Piccadilly) branch of Thomas Cook
Money Corporation is open Tel 0845 246 4353.
24 hours daily. ∑ thomascookmoney.com
Travelex
Credit Cards and Tel 0845 872 7627.
Travel Money ∑ travelex.co.uk
A typical high street bank ATM, familiarly Major credit cards such as Lost Credit Cards
known as a cashpoint or “hole-in-the-wall” Visa and MasterCard, and
debit cards such as Delta, American Express
Banks and Bureaux Maestro and Cirrus, are widely Tel 01273 696 933.
de Change accepted all over London. MasterCard
Fewer businesses accept
Banking hours vary. The mini­ American Express cards. Tel 0800 964 767.
mum opening hours for all banks British credit and debit cards Visa
are 9:30am–3:30pm Mon–Fri, operate on a chip­and­PIN Tel 0800 891 725.
but many branches now stay security system; you must
open till 5 or 5:30pm, especially enter your PIN into a card reader
in central London; some also to validate the purchase. If you a contactless­enabled card or
open on Saturdays from about have a North American or mobile device.
10am to 4pm. All banks are other card that does not use Another useful way to
closed on Sundays and chip­and­PIN technology, your carry money is with a prepaid
public holidays (see p63). The card will have to be swiped money card. Like a debit card,
commission charged on currency and you’ll need to sign a slip. you can use it in shops and
exchange will vary from bank Contactless technology is restaurants, and withdraw
to bank. fast being adopted across the money from cash machines.
When banks are closed, there capital, notably in its public trans­ It is easy to top up the cards
are plenty of other facilities for port system, enabling small online or with an app. Money
changing cash across the city. payments (no more than £30) cards can be obtained at the
You will find bureaux de change to be made quickly using post office or ordered online;
one example is the Travelex
MasterCard Cash Passport.
Main High Street Banks
The businesses whose logos are shown below are some of the ATMs
UK’s major high­street banks, with branches all over London.
Many have currency­exchange facilities, but proof of identity There are ATM cash machines
may be required. (also known as cashpoints),
from which you can obtain
cash with any of the major
credit or debit cards, at all
bank branches, many post
National Westminster logo Santander logo offices and many other
locations, such as stations.
The cards accepted by each
ATM are indicated on the
Barclays Bank logo HSBC logo machine, which usually gives
instruct ions in several

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