# A few more questions for my London trip



## uop1497 (Oct 19, 2016)

a) I would like to know if it is worthy to exchange some money into British Pound before leaving home. Our hotel bill will be paid with credit card. We need money for daily food and other expense ( bus, tube ...ect) .

If I should exchange some money, how much you think I will need for 2 person per day for 3 days in England. DS will be busy with his conference schedule and I will explore the around Leeds area myself.  After that, we have 2 full days in London area before flying home

By the way, if I exchange money thru Chase bank, does anyone know the fee and exchange rate apply . I talked to a bank teller, but I did not get a clear answer from her about the bank fee for the money exchange . Is it a good idea or I should do this at LHR airport

b) We will stay at Hyatt Regency- Church Chill in London. Is it a good place to serve as a base to do sight seeing. Any good restaurant around here . any food we must try in London

c) Does anyone know any large chain grocery around this hotel . I am looking to buy some  Carter Noir expressor coffee stick to bring home. Not sure if I can find the same type come from French .What else I should buy to bring home as gift to relative

d) We have only 2 full days / 2 night in London. I hope we can do most of iconic sight seeing places and will come back in the future to visit London again .

Thank you


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## b2bailey (Oct 20, 2016)

I hope you are not saying you are planning to visit Leeds while you are over-nighting in London?


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## SmithOp (Oct 20, 2016)

We took a small amount of money, £50, but its very easy to get at bank ATMs all over UK.  We have a daily $300 limit on ATM for security so that worked out to £160 at a time withdrawal, you just have to figure out the exchange rate or play trial and error.

Where are you in CA?  There is a money exchange here in Orange County at South Coast Plaza, I just got it there.  The bank may have to order it.  I have a huge stash of pounds because the place we were staying refunded my security deposit on the last day in cash, doh!  This darn Brexit, I'm waiting for it to recover before I cash in.

Your hotel is in Soho, very close to Selfridges so you can walk there and Oxford St shopping area.  If you want to do the whirlwind tour I suggest the hop on/off buses, you can catch them near Marble Arch which is very close to you also.


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## Pompey Family (Oct 20, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> a) I would like to know if it is worthy to exchange some money into British Pound before leaving home. Our hotel bill will be paid with credit card. We need money for daily food and other expense ( bus, tube ...ect) .
> 
> If I should exchange some money, how much you think I will need for 2 person per day for 3 days in England. DS will be busy with his conference schedule and I will explore the around Leeds area myself.  After that, we have 2 full days in London area before flying home
> 
> ...



How much money you require is completely subjective as it depends on so many factors not least where you decide to eat. You'll spend less in Leeds than in London and you can spend £6 on lunch or £50. You can pay inflated prices for substandard food at most sights because you're a captive audience and the operators can get away with it. In general you'll be able to have a good lunch in a restaurant or pub for about £15. For dinner I'd be looking in the region of around £25. If you don't mind chain restaurants many of the better ones such as Strada, Prezzo's etc offer discounts from their websites (2 for 1 on main courses etc) which will bring the cost down considerably.

As for London, 2 days won't even scratch the surface, I could spend that in the British Museum alone. It's a big city and travelling to and from the various big sights will consume a lot of your time not forgetting the time it takes to orientate yourself. It's busy, it's crowded, it's noisy and if you've never been before it's difficult to get your bearings. As such I would also recommend the bus tours. Yes it's a superficial, whistle stop tour but it means that you get to see the major sights whilst someone else is driving

As for what to eat in London, you'll find every cuisine under the sun. There are some incredible restaurants (the best meals I've eaten have been in London) but there are also plenty of terrible ones. I'd leave the traditional London dishes of jellied eels and pie, mash and liquor to those who have acquired the taste. The ubiquitous fish and chips can be found everywhere, some excellent, some awful. One chain that I do like and serves good food at reasonable prices is Browns http://www.browns-restaurants.co.uk/. The one in Covent Garden is quite spacious but it does get busy, particularly on weekends. There's also one in Mayfair. I can recommend the duo of lamb!

As for Carte Noire, I don't know about specifically about the espresso sticks but Carte Noire is widely available in all the supermarkets so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it.


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## uop1497 (Oct 20, 2016)

Thank you ALL for reply my questions. 

I live in North California 

We will stay in Leed city /Harrogate at the beginning of our trip because DS has his conference meeting in this area.

Then, we will take a train back to London and stay another 2.5 full days / 2 nights in London area and our last night we will stay at LHR airport . 

I would like to know , besides an option to exchange money at airport, where I can do the money exchange (from US dollar to British Pound in London).  Is there any exchange place near Hyatt. Can I walk in any bank in London to do the money exchange.

I have stopped using ATM card to withdraw money for many years . Maybe I should begin to use ATM again for oversea trip. I will stop by Chase bank tomorrow to see if I can get an ATM card and also to ask Chase banker to place an order of British pound . 

For visitor Oyster card, can I buy this card and charge some money into it using credit card?


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## SmithOp (Oct 20, 2016)

You can order an oyster card preloaded with credit.  Our first trip a few years ago was only three days so we used the bus tours to get oriented to all the sites we wanted to come back and explore. The second visit we stayed a week and used the oyster card.

https://www.visitbritainshop.com/usa/london-visitor-oyster-card

Sounds like talking to Chase is best bet for money exchange and access to ATMs for cash over there.

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## Pompey Family (Oct 20, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> Thank you ALL for reply my questions.
> 
> I live in North California
> 
> ...



Here's all you need to know about Oyster: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card

You'll get more information on there than you will posting and waiting for replies on here.

There are a multitude of places to change your money, the airport being the least value. You may want to consider obtaining an ATM card before you travel and weigh up the costs of fee's vs exchanging money and working out how much you need.


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## clifffaith (Oct 20, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> Thank you ALL for reply my questions.
> 
> 
> I have stopped using ATM card to withdraw money for many years . Maybe I should begin to use ATM again for oversea trip. I will stop by Chase bank tomorrow to see if I can get an ATM card and also to ask Chase banker to place an order of British pound .
> ...



We also rarely use an ATM card.  In fact we use them almost exclusively when traveling outside the USA. That means we are only using the cards every three years or so. In the month before we leave on a trip we go together to both of our banks and do $20 transactions at the ATM to be sure the cards aren't rejected and that we remember the codes correctly. When using an ATM in a foreign country we try to remember to ask for an odd amount of cash, like $190 instead of $200. We've had the experience of being issued large bills and then being unable to use them, even at a train station where you'd think they had plenty of cash to make change.


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## PigsDad (Oct 20, 2016)

clifffaith said:


> When using an ATM in a foreign country we try to remember to ask for an odd amount of cash, like $190 instead of $200. We've had the experience of being issued large bills and then being unable to use them, even at a train station where you'd think they had plenty of cash to make change.



Excellent tip!  We do that as well, as ATMs in other countries tend to give out much larger bills than what we are used to here.  (With the exception of Las Vegas -- that is the only place I have run into where ATMs dispensing $100 bills seems to be the norm.)

Kurt


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## isisdave (Oct 20, 2016)

Having recently returned from the UK, I'd suggest

* use your credit card whenever you can, except for perhaps very small purchases where the 30 seconds it takes would be annoying;

* you can order a "visitor" Oyster card by mail. "Visitor" Oyster cards have a £3 FEE, whereas regular Oyster cards have a £5 DEPOSIT which is refundable. You can buy the latter with a credit card or cash from a machine in an underground station when you arrive. The website above suggests buying £6 per day of travel, and I think that's reasonable if you're taking the underground (less though if you stick to buses). You want to keep the balance under £10 (plus the deposit) so you can get it refunded from a machine when you leave.

* Get your ATM working, verify it works before you leave, and get cash from ATMs, starting with the one in the airport when you arrive. Your bank may charge you a flat fee or a percentage; if you use a credit union, or a Schwab account, or other accounts discussed here all the time, it will be minimal. A bank's ATM will not charge you a fee, but if you get cash from a random ATM in the street, it will. The latter have silly names like Easycash or some such, and you'll find them sticking out of pub front windows, etc. Bank ATMs are on every downtown street corner. The ones in the big groceries (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrison's, etc.) are also without fee.

Ask for an amount that is not divisible by 50; only one time did an ATM give me fifties, but it was a pain. Some ATMs will ask you how you want it; most will use 20's and 10's, and a few offered 5's.


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## x3 skier (Oct 20, 2016)

Just back from a week in London, my 20th or something time. 

Since you will only be there for 2 days I suggest the HoHo bus from any of the big companies, e.g., The Big Bus Tours or The Original Tour for a circle tour of the major sites. You can stop and look or return later for a longer look.

If you get an Oyster Card, the No 9, 15 or 10 buses for example, travel routes covering several of the sites and are much cheaper. This map shows the more "tourist" oriented routes. https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/visitors-and-tourists?intcmp=40408

If you want to eat at a Michelin Starred Restaurant cheaply, check this post. http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/londons-cheapest-michelin-starred-restaurants-2015/9711.article

I use ATM's for some small cash walking around money but use my Credit Cards for almost everything. Both my ATM and Credit Cards have no foreign transaction fees.

Cheers


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## uop1497 (Oct 20, 2016)

Thank you ALL for additional information. Very helpful !!!


I know my trip is too short  and two days in London is not enough . How I wish I can take more time off. I just get a check (cashed out all my vacation from payroll ). If I have a choice, this trip will be 2 weeks long.  My bosses are kind enough to let me take off for a week. I want to go with my son because who know when we can both have the time available to go another trip together (just mother and son)  in the future . 


I just contacted Chase bank ( by phone) , I was told ATM has no foreign transaction fee nor ATM fee if I withdraw the money oversea.  I will come into the bank tomorrow and get the ATM card.  Will do a withdraw test before takes it with me on this trip. Will order 100 -150 British Pound (small bill 5, 10, 20) to take with me.

@ALL, 

 In London area, does it has ATM every where like in the US . Do I need to get a list (now) to know where it is located in London ,  Leeds City/ Harrogate?


@ isisdave, I am leaving next Friday, will I have enough time to order the visitor oyster card online . I read about Oyster card a while back but I did not know it has some credit if I order the card before I trip .  Thank you for pointing out. I wonder if I order oyster ard online now and get it after landing at LHR airport, will I still get the 3 British pound credit.


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## Ken555 (Oct 21, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> In London area, does it has ATM every where like in the US . Do I need to get a list (now) to know where it is located in London ,  Leeds City/ Harrogate?




You'll see so many ATMs in Europe you'll think they are, comparatively, an endangered species in the States.

FWIW, I find on the continent (in Euros) that for €200 many ATMs provide nine €20 notes and four €5 notes. I'm currently in Europe and had this experience more than once already just this trip alone. In the U.K., I've seen similar results but it's more unpredictable...I don't recall which banks do this and which don't. I don't normally use ATMs at home, but I know at least one bank now offers you to select how many and size of the notes you prefer and is a nice feature.



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## jehb2 (Oct 21, 2016)

We were in the UK (Scotland & London) for 12 days.  After we got our rental car we found a bank ATM and I got £400 or was it $400.  The UK was just like home in that I used my credit card for everything--even the smallest purchases.  Our last few days in the UK I started using cash just so I wouldn't have to exchange it back.  Good thing is the ATM exchange rate & credit card exchange rate (for my cards) was the actual market exchange rate.  I also used an ATM that didn't change me a fee but my bank still charged me $1.50. & My credit card doesn't charge an foreign transition fee.


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## x3 skier (Oct 21, 2016)

You can't walk 50 yards on a Main Street in Londom without passing a BANK ATM. No need to use the non bank ones as they rip you off with fees and rates. 

There is really no need to buy £ in the states. If your uncomfortable with not having any when you arrive and before you get to a BANK ATM, buy a cup of coffee at the airport with a $20 and you get change in £. Do it twice and you'll be set until you can find a BANK ATM. 

Cheers

PS London Toolkit has a wealth of info. https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathrow_central_london.htm


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## uop1497 (Oct 21, 2016)

x3 skier said:


> You can't walk 50 yards on a Main Street in Londom without passing a BANK ATM. No need to use the non bank ones as they rip you off with fees and rates.
> 
> There is really no need to buy £ in the states. If your uncomfortable with not having any when you arrive and before you get to a BANK ATM, buy a cup of coffee at the airport with a $20 and you get change in £. Do it twice and you'll be set until you can find a BANK ATM.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the coffee tip .  I did not know I can hand over $20 dollar bill and can have the change back in British pound.  Does this tip work for all airport, or just at airport in England only?

@ALL,

How can I know which one is bank ATM  vs not bank ATM . Is there a logo of the bank displays near or attached to ATM or so. 

I was told Chase will not charge any ATM fee , but not sure if it is true 100% until after my trip. I was told by a friend , Chase may not charge their client of ATM service fee, but not the other bank who own the ATM .  Does that mean some people will get charge twice . If any know the answer, please explain.


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## vacationtime1 (Oct 21, 2016)

Absolutely no reason or need to change money before you leave.

Even if you get slightly ripped off using your ATM card at the airport to get some quick British cash, it will be less of a loss than the exchange rate you will get buying pounds from your US bank before you leave.

Besides, the way the pound is going, the longer you wait, the better off you are likely to be.


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## x3 skier (Oct 21, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> Thanks for the coffee tip .  I did not know I can hand over $20 dollar bill and can have the change back in British pound.  Does this tip work for all airport, or just at airport in England only?
> 
> @ALL,
> 
> ...



I've used it at Heathrow and Gatwick as well as Charles De Gaulle in France. It definitely will NOT work in town as the merchants are not equipped to handle foreign currency. I suspect it will work at major international airports like Manchester as well.

All ATM's (called "Cash Points" in the UK) associated with a bank display a bank logo like Barclay's, Royal Bank of Scotland, etc. Branches have them both outside and in the lobby. I usually go inside to use the ones there just because it is nice to get out of the weather.

AFAIK, the Banks in the UK do not charge a fee for withdrawals. So if your bank doesn't, there will be no fee and you get the bank to bank exchange rate which is as good as you can get.

Cheers


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## jehb2 (Oct 21, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> Thanks for the coffee tip .  I did not know I can hand over $20 dollar bill and can have the change back in British pound.  Does this tip work for all airport, or just at airport in England only?



This worked at a sandwich shop at a major train station.  We were leaving London going to Paris.  I gave the cashier my remaining pounds and paid the balance in Euros.



uop1497 said:


> How can I know which one is bank ATM  vs not bank ATM . Is there a logo of the bank displays near or attached to ATM or so.



Before I left I googled major banks in England.  I remembered the names / logos for 2 major banks.  I've done that for numerous countries.  Often this wasn't necessary as I usually was able to find actual banks with ATM.


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## isisdave (Oct 22, 2016)

No, a week isn't enough to get an Oyster card shipped to the US. I think you're taking the train from Leeds to London, so just get it at the Kings Cross underground station in London.


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## uop1497 (Oct 22, 2016)

Does anyone know where I can find this coffee in London.  
http://fr-en.openfoodfacts.org/product/7622300124007/divinement-expresso-carte-noire

I want to buy a few boxes to bring back as gift. However, from asking around, I was told, I can not find it in London because it only sells in French . Not sure if it is true   

FYI, DH co-worker gave him this coffee box when he visited French . DH likes the taste of it. In my last Asia trip. I bought a jar ( from Carter Noire, but do not have a wording  Divinement Expresso printed on label) . DH drinks it and said it is not the same kind. So, on this trip, I hope to find it in London .


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## SmithOp (Oct 22, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> Does anyone know where I can find this coffee in London.
> 
> http://fr-en.openfoodfacts.org/product/7622300124007/divinement-expresso-carte-noire
> 
> ...





You can find it on Amazon if you search for divinement expresso.  I don't think there is anything you cannot find on Amazon.


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## Pompey Family (Oct 22, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> Does anyone know where I can find this coffee in London.
> http://fr-en.openfoodfacts.org/product/7622300124007/divinement-expresso-carte-noire
> 
> I want to buy a few boxes to bring back as gift. However, from asking around, I was told, I can not find it in London because it only sells in French . Not sure if it is true
> ...



I saw this in Tesco yesterday and thought of you. It doesn't come in the sticks, I haven't seen them in the UK, but it does come in a jar and was £3.90.


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## uop1497 (Oct 24, 2016)

Pompey Family said:


> I saw this in Tesco yesterday and thought of you. It doesn't come in the sticks, I haven't seen them in the UK, but it does come in a jar and was £3.90.



Thank you for giving me this information. I will stop by Tesco Market in harrogate to check it out.

Last Summer, I bought a jar of this branch in Bangkok. When we took home and DH drankk it, he said the coffee is not the same kind because it has a sour taste while the stick one does not. I hope I can find the coffee stick in London area. If not, may be in the future, we have a chance to visit France, I will buy it there.

@ ALL,
 a) I am using WIFI at hotel to call home. Just wonder if I should get a simcard when landing at Heathrow airport . Our trip only 8 days long. If I should, which prepaid plan I should get . 

b) Can I get the Harrogate / Leeds city and York tourist map at LHR airport or at the train station. My current plan is to visit some sight seeing Harrogate / York / Leeds City myself when DS is busy with his meeting. Not sure how much I can do it myself. I already printed out some google map of these to take it with me.

c) If you have been to these area, can you please suggest some good restaurant if you know any.

d) Any suggestion what to pack for this trip. should I pack heavy winter clothes or I can be o.K with sweater and some warm clothes . 

Thank you


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## jehb2 (Oct 24, 2016)

isisdave said:


> No, a week isn't enough to get an Oyster card shipped to the US. I think you're taking the train from Leeds to London, so just get it at the Kings Cross underground station in London.



Plus the attendant can tell you how much to put in your card.  I told the cashier/station attendant where I was staying which was a zone 3 area.  Then in a matter of seconds he figured how much I would need in my card for the duration of my stay.  I knew he was correct but it had taken me several moths of research to figure that out.


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## isisdave (Oct 27, 2016)

There's free WiFi at most of the usual places, like McDonalds, Starbucks, and lots of restaurants.

For a trip as short as yours I wouldn't bother with arranging actual cell service. Get and set up Skype or WhatsApp or Viber before you leave. All free via Wifi.


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