Travelex, the foreign currency experts, got in touch recently to see if I’d like one of its Multi-Currency Cash Passport cards pre-loaded with $150 for a day out in London.
Yeah, a $150 hardly adds up to a dream spree in London – especially when converted to pounds. For every dollar, I got £0.6216 – so, just under 100 quid. Regardless, the chance to breeze through town on somebody else’s dime wasn’t something I thought I should pass up. Besides, if anybody should be able to stretch £100 to great effect, it’d be a cheapskate like me.
So, I told ‘em to sign me up, and I’d have at it.
The most convenient Travelex branch for me was the one at the BHS department store just outside Oxford Circus Station. A flash of two IDs and a signature later, I had my card. It worked just like a debit card at shops and ATMs. I never had an issue using it.
First things first, I headed to one of favourite cafes in nearby Soho, for a coffee and a ponder about how to spend my money and the rest of my day.
January in London means drear, but also winter sales. I browsed my way in and out of the multitude of shops (there might have been some comic books purchased, and some much needed additions to my wardrobe), grabbed some lunch, and generally engaging in my preferred London activity (and one that’s still refreshingly affordable): taking a stroll.
Eventually, I found myself crossing the Thames at Millennium Bridge and moving almost by muscle memory to one of my most likely spots to blow moolah – Borough Market, where I stocked up on some super yummy treats at Spanish provisions shop, Brindisa.
A bit more riparian rambling en route to the Tube, I topped up my Oyster Card travelcard with my Travelex card (so many cards!) and traveled home. Some money left on my Multi-Currency Cash Passport, I used it to grab a coffee the next morning.
With a locked in rate each time I load or reload the Multi-Currency Cash Passport with a choice of ten available currencies, including British pounds, euros and US dollars, the card’s apt to stay in my wallet until the next time I journey abroad and require a smart way to keep track of my money and not overspend.
Find out more at travelex.com.
