How to get the best exchange rate when travelling

Getting a good rate abroad is mostly about avoiding the expensive options rather than chasing the perfect one. A few habits make a real difference:

• Skip airport and hotel exchange desks. Their convenience comes with some of the worst rates you will find anywhere.
• Always decline "pay in your home currency". When a card machine or ATM abroad offers to charge you in your own currency ("dynamic currency conversion"), it applies a poor rate. Choose the local currency every time.
• Use a low-FX card. Cards from providers like Wise or Revolut, and some travel credit cards, convert close to the mid-market rate.
• Withdraw larger amounts, less often. Fixed ATM fees hurt more on small withdrawals.

Before you travel, check the live mid-market rate here so you have a benchmark. If an exchange is more than a couple of percent away from it, you can usually do better.