So, I'm in LA for three or four months and need to be able to get reasonably hefty amounts of $$$cash for things like rent. Before I left the UK, I got $10,000 from our friends at Thomas Global (though the staff at LloydsTSB, Victoria Street make you feel like some form of criminal for taking out that kind of cash and then have the nerve to try and upsell you savings products)

This weekend just gone, I nipped back to the UK but didn't go home to London. Came in and out through JFK on the MAN service. Hadn't had the wit to prebook any currency at the airport and was staggered to see that where as Thomas Global are offering a no-commission selling rate of US$1.9200, the walk up rate at Travelex MAN T3 was....$1.808. Oh, and a 2% charge.

The preorder rate is a lot better, $1.88 or so, but really, I ask you. The Travelex staff may as well wear a hankie round their face and point a musket at you.