Need foreign cash - what's your best option?

Where’s the best place to change currency when heading off on our holidays outside the eurozone?

That all depends.

Do you want a wad of foreign notes before you go?

Are you organised enough to order it in advance?

Or will you leave it until the last minute and have to use the airport bureau de change?

There is a price to pay for changing currencies at the last minute, our snap survey of currency exchange options shows.

You will pay more if you do so at the airport rather than a bank or credit union.

However, some myths -  if not quite busted -  are at least not as bad as we thought, our survey reveals.

• The airport isn’t THAT much more pricey

• Credit unions and An Post are cheaper than banks – but not by that much despite the latter charging commission.

• Revolut is the cheapest foreign exchange option – but there are some strings attached.

Firstly, let’s look at what exchange rate you’ll get if you leave it until the last minute and exchange cash at the airport.

Dublin Airport’s bureau de change (ICE) IS definitely dearer than anywhere else.

But the price gap isn’t quite as bad as I feared.

For €1000, you’ll get $1068 at the airport, compared to $1148 from a credit union, the cheapest option.

Banks weren’t far behind, however.  If you exchanged €1000 at AIB, you’d walk away with $1146 in your pocket, just $2 less than the credit union.

This is despite the fact that AIB charges commission while An Post or the credit unions don’t.

The trick here is that providers can make up for not charging commission by tweaking their exchange rates.

Meanwhile, Revolut, does lives up to its reputation as the cheapest foreign exchange option.

But if you wish to get your hands on cold, hard cash before you leave, banks, credit unions and An Post come into their own.

Unlike Revolut, they have actual branches that will hand you bank notes - though if you want a large amount, or an unusual currency, you may have to order it in advance.

You can even have it delivered (for orders over €750) with the credit union FX service, for example.

With Revolut, you can always get foreign cash from an ATM at your destination.

A Revolut card is accepted at ATMs that accept Visa and Mastercard, which means most of them.

But there are some strings attached.

Revolut’s Standard Plan only allows free ATM withdrawals up to the total value of €200 (or 5 withdrawals, whichever comes first) per rolling month. 

After that, a 2% fee (or €1, whichever is greater) applies, which is dearer than other banks.

Revolut also charges a 1% foreign exchange fee on all transactions at weekends, including  cash withdrawals.

Of course, we need cash less and less as we increasingly pay for everything with a tap of our card, which is the safest and handiest option.

FX rates correct on 24/7/25 and subject to change.