zeel

One of my friends who knows I fly a reasonable amount has asked me about carrying cash through an airport.

Short question: how much cash can you travel with at an airport?


Based in London and needs to get down to Newquay to purchase a new car By train it is 5 hours + but can travel LGW to Newquay in less time..

He wants to purchase a car for cash for roughly 20k..can he take it through the airport?

This is not a discussion about why he should pay by bank transfer etc and it's much safer not to travel with such an amount but suffice to say he always purchased items by cash and doesn't have an issue with that.

KARFA

These are the declaration limits but they are for travel acrosss borders https://www.gov.uk/bringing-cash-into-uk

For domestic travel I am not sure there is a limit.

Virazuno

Given its a domestic journey, I highly doubt there would be any restriction. It's no different to carrying it on a train or bus.

Do advise him not to check it in, though...

ENTP

Think of the Avios / companion voucher he is missing by paying in cash!!!

carrotjuice

My thought exactly! Why would anyone want to pay with a wad of cash and miss out on the miles?

(Or at very least carry a cheque or draft?)

Greenpen

When I bought my car the dealer would take the deposit on a credit card but not the main payment. The dealership will take credit card for servicing and repairs.

Andy33

And when I bought a new car last year the dealer (a franchised main dealership) was perfectly happy to accept payment of deposit and balance by debit card. In fact the salesman told me that this was by far their preferred payment method as on-line authorisation guaranteed them their money, and there was a clear audit trail.

Cash is the least preferred option as there are considerable administrative costs because they then need to comply with the UK Money Laundering Regulations if they accept cash payments of much over £10k (bizarrely the actual level is expressed in Euros and so the cutoff point fluctuates with the exchange rate). They also need to have extra insurance, a substantial safe, and special arrangements for guarding the cash on its way to the bank. As a result they simply didn't accept cash payments over the Money Laundering Regulations threshold.

UKtravelbear

I know you say you don't want the discussion but you are getting it anyway - this is FT and the internet after all.

Paying day to day expenses with cash - the shopping etc - is perfectly fine but carrying £20k in cash is just asking for trouble. Not just the risk of a random mugging but also his safety when buying the car.

Does he know the people he is buying from or is it just someone off the internet. If it's a proper car dealership then they are likely breaching the money laundering regulations as per Andy33's post which could get them into trouble when they deposit it into their bank account.

If they are insisting on cash then I would be very dubious about the transaction and wondering if there is an actual vehicle involved or is this just a scam.

With things like faster pay from bank accounts there isn't any need for large amounts of cash to be carried.

rcspeirs

Although this friend has been carrying large wads of cash for years, the norms of society and legislation have moved on.
The legal framework (proceeds of crime legislation and so on) now work on an assumption that if you're carrying very large sums of cash you're up to no good, and if stopped, the law will require you to explain how / why this cash is legitimate.
Not too hard to imagine that large bag of cash will show up at security search and police might be called over. Your pal then has to explain why he has the cash, who he is buying the car from, why he's paying cash when virtually no honest citizen does these days. The police have the power to seize the cash if they don't believe the explanation, then it's a whole new level of hassle to get the cash back. Not a position I'd want to put myself in.

DaveS

Put the money on the bank and pay with a debit card. Unless he is a drug dealer/bank robber or the car is stolen of course. It is hard to see any legitimate reason for carrying that amount of cask these days.

britenbsas

Exactly. If it is suspected that the money may be the proceeds of crime then the police can seize any amount if £1000 or more. My advice for anyone carrying £20k in cash is to ensure that you also carry documentation evidencing where that cash has come from. Relying on a verbal "I'm off to see someone to buy a car for cash" is more likely than not to result in the cash being seized.

Swanhunter

especially IF the answer involves a discount for cash or some form of VAT avoidance. Not implying the OP's friend is doing that but could lead to some extra fun with HMRC.

dmsmith70

There is no restriction on carrying the cash per se. However, if your bag is searched and the money is found, then the police (or border agency) has the right to detain it and ask where is came from. The additional factor is that, unlike most laws, it is for the accused to prove the legitimacy of the money, not for the accuser to prove the illegitimacy.
Taking that amount on a flight, or anywhere, is a serious risk.

The_Bouncer

Take the train. Or better still, rent a car. That amount of cash will show up at the security check and questions will be asked. Not worth the risk.

WorldLux

These days many countries limit the amount of cash you may carry irrespectively of whether you travel internationally or domestically. France limits cash payments to 3,000€ (with multiple exceptions. E.g. no limit between private transactions and 15,000€ for foreigners) and did consider reducing the number to 1,000€.

I've never paid a deposit on a car. I bought build-to-order cars, new cars on stock and used cars, but I've never paid a deposit. The dealerships were always happy, when I turned up with a confirmed bank transfer on the day I picked up the car.

This is certainly going to raise eyebrows.