Paying for non-sterling flights with sterling on BA.COM
Oct 24, 2019, 10:28 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: One & Only: L O N D O N
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,347
Oct 24, 2019, 10:30 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: One & Only: L O N D O N
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,347
Funny isn't it? I pay with Amex and get the Avios for that. I treat any exchange charges as just a reduction on the saving that I have made buying an ex-EU. I really could not be bothered with all this faffing around on the phone to save a fraction of what I have saved. If that really is a problem then get a Halifax Credit card that does not charge this - another solution would be to have a Caxton card on which you can load your Euros or whatever at quite a good rate and use that to pay. I'm afraid that I am the sort that wants the transaction to go through as fast as possible. I was once booking a flight with Orangejet for HI and before I could finish the transaction it smugly told me that the seat that I was after had gone. I was furious and vowed I'd not let that happen again and will never fly with them again. So there! 
Oct 24, 2019, 10:32 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: One & Only: L O N D O N
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,347
Oct 24, 2019, 12:01 pm
#20
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL
Posts: 843
Yes and no. I did this with AA with a dollar quote I had on hold for a MIA->BOG->UVF flight, and because I had not got a US billing address they insisted on repricing with a UK POS, which was significantly more money. So they may be amenable to using different currencies, but not necessarily giving you the same price. Mind you as the web site wouldn't even sell me something with a UK billing address, I guess I should be grateful.
Oct 24, 2019, 12:34 pm
#21
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: Confirmed
Posts: 1,091
Funny isn't it? I pay with Amex and get the Avios for that. I treat any exchange charges as just a reduction on the saving that I have made buying an ex-EU. I really could not be bothered with all this faffing around on the phone to save a fraction of what I have saved. If that really is a problem then get a Halifax Credit card that does not charge this - another solution would be to have a Caxton card on which you can load your Euros or whatever at quite a good rate and use that to pay. I'm afraid that I am the sort that wants the transaction to go through as fast as possible. I was once booking a flight with Orangejet for HI and before I could finish the transaction it smugly told me that the seat that I was after had gone. I was furious and vowed I'd not let that happen again and will never fly with them again. So there!
Oct 24, 2019, 12:47 pm
#22
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,161
I actually have a Caxton card. I have an incredible list of currencies. Most useful.
If I am arriving somewhere and I feel that I need some cash just to get started (taxis etc) and it is not a currency that I keep regularly - Turkish Lira come comes to mind - I'll tell you what I do as purchasing foreign currency in Spain is not for the faint hearted (as indeed is any of their banking until you get the hand of it). I order it through Moneycorp. You can pick it up at any branch and as luck would have it there is one just as one leave LGW South. Good rates - not in the least like the dreadful ones that they offer if you just pitch up. Now that has nothing to do with saving on currency exchange, but I thought that I'd share.
If I am arriving somewhere and I feel that I need some cash just to get started (taxis etc) and it is not a currency that I keep regularly - Turkish Lira come comes to mind - I'll tell you what I do as purchasing foreign currency in Spain is not for the faint hearted (as indeed is any of their banking until you get the hand of it). I order it through Moneycorp. You can pick it up at any branch and as luck would have it there is one just as one leave LGW South. Good rates - not in the least like the dreadful ones that they offer if you just pitch up. Now that has nothing to do with saving on currency exchange, but I thought that I'd share.
Oct 24, 2019, 11:58 pm
#23
Join Date: Sep 2019
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Hilton DIamond, AB Platinum (RIP)
Posts: 36
Traveling mostly between SA and Germany and frequently using UUA or GUFs, I book most of my flights over the phone. A polite request to charge me in Sterling has never been denied and resulted in an exact conversion of the ZAR or EUR fare amount. Good case for HUCA I would say.
Oct 25, 2019, 12:19 am
#24
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Surrey
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, Eurostar CB, IHG Spire, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz President Circle
Posts: 435
I actually have a Caxton card. I have an incredible list of currencies. Most useful.
If I am arriving somewhere and I feel that I need some cash just to get started (taxis etc) and it is not a currency that I keep regularly - Turkish Lira come comes to mind - I'll tell you what I do as purchasing foreign currency in Spain is not for the faint hearted (as indeed is any of their banking until you get the hand of it). I order it through Moneycorp. You can pick it up at any branch and as luck would have it there is one just as one leave LGW South. Good rates - not in the least like the dreadful ones that they offer if you just pitch up. Now that has nothing to do with saving on currency exchange, but I thought that I'd share.
If I am arriving somewhere and I feel that I need some cash just to get started (taxis etc) and it is not a currency that I keep regularly - Turkish Lira come comes to mind - I'll tell you what I do as purchasing foreign currency in Spain is not for the faint hearted (as indeed is any of their banking until you get the hand of it). I order it through Moneycorp. You can pick it up at any branch and as luck would have it there is one just as one leave LGW South. Good rates - not in the least like the dreadful ones that they offer if you just pitch up. Now that has nothing to do with saving on currency exchange, but I thought that I'd share.
There are endless faff free and commission free options these days. AND they'll pay you to open an account (very painless) AND you'll earn points (revolut, curve etc). I can't believe savvy frequent travellers still use caxton or pre order money in this day and age!
Sorry O/T
Oct 25, 2019, 1:31 am
#25
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,161
But why? That's faffy and you're still paying some commission. And being left with loose amounts in random currencies sitting around.
There are endless faff free and commission free options these days. AND they'll pay you to open an account (very painless) AND you'll earn points (revolut, curve etc). I can't believe savvy frequent travellers still use caxton or pre order money in this day and age!
Sorry O/T
There are endless faff free and commission free options these days. AND they'll pay you to open an account (very painless) AND you'll earn points (revolut, curve etc). I can't believe savvy frequent travellers still use caxton or pre order money in this day and age!
Sorry O/T
What would be interesting is to know what the OP actually did.
Oct 26, 2019, 4:58 am
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: One & Only: L O N D O N
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,347
I'm most likely going to book on Expedia with my GOLD AMEX for double avios or hold out until Norway hold function on BA.COM is introduced and call to pay balance as mentioned previously. With the latter, so that I'm not hit by any nasty suprises, I'll speak with BA regarding a dummy booking with a different routing first
Oct 26, 2019, 5:11 am
#27
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LHR/ATH
Programs: Amex Platinum, LH SEN (Gold), BA Bronze
Posts: 4,489
It’s annoying actually, many airlines let you choose the currency regardless of where you are before buying the ticket; naturally you need to go to xe.com as well to verify that the rate they give you is good!
swiss I think can be like 3% different on the fx, but from experience Turkish airlines is quite accurate so I always pay in GBP to avoid the Amex rip off.
seriously Amex, in the us the card is fx free but over here in backwards uk it’s an annoying 2.99%!
swiss I think can be like 3% different on the fx, but from experience Turkish airlines is quite accurate so I always pay in GBP to avoid the Amex rip off.
seriously Amex, in the us the card is fx free but over here in backwards uk it’s an annoying 2.99%!
Oct 26, 2019, 10:03 am
#28
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,059
Well I guess the alternative is to perform Ryanair/Vueling-style DCC on the website, offering a multitude of currencies but paying through the nose for it. So I guess it could be worse.
(Yes I know Amex doesn’t allow DCC. But for everyone else.)
(Yes I know Amex doesn’t allow DCC. But for everyone else.)
Oct 26, 2019, 12:27 pm
#29
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: Confirmed
Posts: 1,091
DCC is almost always worse than conversion fee.
Oct 26, 2019, 12:29 pm
#30
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: Confirmed
Posts: 1,091
I actually have a Caxton card. I have an incredible list of currencies. Most useful.
If I am arriving somewhere and I feel that I need some cash just to get started (taxis etc) and it is not a currency that I keep regularly - Turkish Lira come comes to mind - I'll tell you what I do as purchasing foreign currency in Spain is not for the faint hearted (as indeed is any of their banking until you get the hand of it). I order it through Moneycorp. You can pick it up at any branch and as luck would have it there is one just as one leave LGW South. Good rates - not in the least like the dreadful ones that they offer if you just pitch up. Now that has nothing to do with saving on currency exchange, but I thought that I'd share.
If I am arriving somewhere and I feel that I need some cash just to get started (taxis etc) and it is not a currency that I keep regularly - Turkish Lira come comes to mind - I'll tell you what I do as purchasing foreign currency in Spain is not for the faint hearted (as indeed is any of their banking until you get the hand of it). I order it through Moneycorp. You can pick it up at any branch and as luck would have it there is one just as one leave LGW South. Good rates - not in the least like the dreadful ones that they offer if you just pitch up. Now that has nothing to do with saving on currency exchange, but I thought that I'd share.
