Travel insurance (at short notice)?

[Angus Rodgers]

Cutting a long (and annoying!) story short:

My 17-year-old daughter (not living with me) has been booked on
a short trip to Amsterdam by a 21-year-old American, whom I've
not met, and who has been out of touch during the weeks while
I've been asking my daughter with increasing urgency whether or
not she has been able to get in touch with this person and, if
so, whether or not they arranged travel insurance. They're
both being very flaky (God knows what they're going to get up
to in Amsterdam!), and nothing seems to have been arranged (as
I've only just heard at the last minute).

Meanwhile, I've obtained a European Health Insurance Card for
my daughter, and I'll be giving it to her tomorrow, but I know
that it doesn't cover all possible medical costs.

Of course, the person booking the trip should have taken care of
all this, but they haven't - they didn't even consult my daughter
when booking the trip, with the result that she has had to miss
a family holiday, which was booked months ago! - so I need to
know what I can do (if anything) to salvage the situation, before
they both fly off in a couple of days' time.

(I haven't been abroad myself since 1971, which is why I don't
know my way around in this situation.)

[Emil Tiades]

On Tue, 12 May 2009 21:57:26 +0100, Angus Rodgers
<snip>

don't panic ... Amsterdam is not (yet) Central Gaza!

[Angus Rodgers]

On Wed, 13 May 2009 00:28:01 +0100, Emil Tiades

Post by Emil Tiades
don't panic ... Amsterdam is not (yet) Central Gaza!

Just wait till my daughter gets there ...

[r***@ntlworld.com]

On Wed, 13 May 2009 11:28:45 +0100, Angus Rodgers

Post by Angus Rodgers
On Wed, 13 May 2009 00:28:01 +0100, Emil Tiades

Post by Emil Tiades
don't panic ... Amsterdam is not (yet) Central Gaza!

Just wait till my daughter gets there ...

It is sounding more and more like your daughter should have had her
arse slapped a few times before she even left primary school maybe
then she would not be has wayward has you are making her out to be
now.

[Angus Rodgers]

Post by r***@ntlworld.com
On Wed, 13 May 2009 11:28:45 +0100, Angus Rodgers

Post by Angus Rodgers
On Wed, 13 May 2009 00:28:01 +0100, Emil Tiades

Post by Emil Tiades
don't panic ... Amsterdam is not (yet) Central Gaza!

Just wait till my daughter gets there ...

It is sounding more and more like your daughter should have had her
arse slapped a few times before she even left primary school maybe
then she would not be has wayward has you are making her out to be
now.

You're reading an awful lot into a short Usenet post (in which
I said I was cutting a long story short). And your reply is no
more amusing or enlightening than it is informative.

[Frederick Williams]

Post by Emil Tiades
On Tue, 12 May 2009 21:57:26 +0100, Angus Rodgers
<snip>
don't panic ... Amsterdam is not (yet) Central Gaza!

Amsterdam used to be a nice place to chill (as the young people say) but
it isn't anymore, it's dirty and overrun by..., um..., foreigners.

[Andy Pandy]

Post by Angus Rodgers
My 17-year-old daughter (not living with me) has been booked on
a short trip to Amsterdam by a 21-year-old American, whom I've
not met, and who has been out of touch during the weeks while
I've been asking my daughter with increasing urgency whether or
not she has been able to get in touch with this person and, if
so, whether or not they arranged travel insurance. They're
both being very flaky (God knows what they're going to get up
to in Amsterdam!), and nothing seems to have been arranged (as
I've only just heard at the last minute).
Meanwhile, I've obtained a European Health Insurance Card for
my daughter, and I'll be giving it to her tomorrow, but I know
that it doesn't cover all possible medical costs.

It covers you the same as locals, so you only pay whatever a resident of the
country would pay for medical treatment. You can get country specific details
here:

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/Pages/About.aspx

Post by Angus Rodgers
Of course, the person booking the trip should have taken care of
all this, but they haven't - they didn't even consult my daughter
when booking the trip, with the result that she has had to miss
a family holiday, which was booked months ago! - so I need to
know what I can do (if anything) to salvage the situation, before
they both fly off in a couple of days' time.

I wouldn't bother getting insurance for a short trip to the EU any more than I
would for a short trip in the UK.

You'll probably find the biggest risks of a typical teenagers' Amsterdam trip
aren't covered by most travel insurance anyway. Most exclude any claim while
under the influence of alcohol and all will probably exclude claims while under
the influence of, er, anything else...

--
Andy

[Angus Rodgers]

On Wed, 13 May 2009 17:59:05 +0100, "Andy Pandy"

Post by Andy Pandy

[...] I've obtained a European Health Insurance Card for
my daughter, and I'll be giving it to her tomorrow, but I know
that it doesn't cover all possible medical costs.

It covers you the same as locals, so you only pay whatever a resident of the
country would pay for medical treatment. You can get country specific details
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/Pages/About.aspx

Somehow (probably because of panic) I missed the link to all the
detailed information about the Netherlands (even though I did go
to that general part of the NHS site). It looks quite reassuring.

Post by Andy Pandy

Of course, the person booking the trip should have taken care of
all this, but they haven't - they didn't even consult my daughter
when booking the trip, with the result that she has had to miss
a family holiday, which was booked months ago! - so I need to
know what I can do (if anything) to salvage the situation, before
they both fly off in a couple of days' time.

I wouldn't bother getting insurance for a short trip to the EU any more than I
would for a short trip in the UK.

It's the unknown, which always tends to be terrifying. I was
having visions of bills for tens of thousands of pounds for some
minor but necessary medical treatment excluded by the small print
of some unseen document.

Post by Andy Pandy
You'll probably find the biggest risks of a typical teenagers' Amsterdam trip
aren't covered by most travel insurance anyway. Most exclude any claim while
under the influence of alcohol and all will probably exclude claims while under
the influence of, er, anything else...

Worth knowing! Thanks. It's been another hectic day, and I can
barely think straight, but it looks as if there shouldn't be too
much to worry about.

[Frederick Williams]

Post by Angus Rodgers
My 17-year-old daughter (not living with me) has been booked on
a short trip to Amsterdam by a 21-year-old American, whom I've
not met, and who has been out of touch during the weeks while
I've been asking my daughter with increasing urgency whether or
not she has been able to get in touch with this person and, if
so, whether or not they arranged travel insurance. They're
both being very flaky (God knows what they're going to get up
to in Amsterdam!), and nothing seems to have been arranged (as
I've only just heard at the last minute).
Meanwhile, I've obtained a European Health Insurance Card for
my daughter, and I'll be giving it to her tomorrow, but I know
that it doesn't cover all possible medical costs.

Look, travel insurance is a scam and a waste of money. Forget about it.

[Angus Rodgers]

On Thu, 14 May 2009 12:27:20 +0100, Frederick Williams

Post by Frederick Williams

[...] I've obtained a European Health Insurance Card for
my daughter, and I'll be giving it to her tomorrow, but I know
that it doesn't cover all possible medical costs.

Look, travel insurance is a scam and a waste of money. Forget about it.

Forget about what? Seriously, though, she has also been talking
about a trip to Florida later in the year (again, I haven't been
involved in the planning): won't she need some sort of insurance
to cover possible medical expenses while in the USA? If so, and
if "travel insurance" is a bad bargain, what is the best way to
obtain such coverage?

[Frederick Williams]

Post by Angus Rodgers
On Thu, 14 May 2009 12:27:20 +0100, Frederick Williams

Post by Frederick Williams

[...] I've obtained a European Health Insurance Card for
my daughter, and I'll be giving it to her tomorrow, but I know
that it doesn't cover all possible medical costs.

Look, travel insurance is a scam and a waste of money. Forget about it.

Forget about what? Seriously, though, she has also been talking
about a trip to Florida later in the year (again, I haven't been
involved in the planning): won't she need some sort of insurance
to cover possible medical expenses while in the USA?

No, because the dangers are minimal. Insurance in general is a scam.

Post by Angus Rodgers
If so, and
if "travel insurance" is a bad bargain, what is the best way to
obtain such coverage?

Don't bother. There is no need.

[Andy Pandy]

Post by Frederick Williams

Post by Angus Rodgers
On Thu, 14 May 2009 12:27:20 +0100, Frederick Williams

Post by Frederick Williams

[...] I've obtained a European Health Insurance Card for
my daughter, and I'll be giving it to her tomorrow, but I know
that it doesn't cover all possible medical costs.

Look, travel insurance is a scam and a waste of money. Forget about it.

Forget about what? Seriously, though, she has also been talking
about a trip to Florida later in the year (again, I haven't been
involved in the planning): won't she need some sort of insurance
to cover possible medical expenses while in the USA?

No, because the dangers are minimal. Insurance in general is a scam.

Nope. However...

A lot of insurance is a rip-off, particularly stuff like extended warranties,
payment protection insurance, super CDW etc, where the profit margin is often
80% or so.

A lot of insurance covers you for stuff you might already be covered for eg
house insurance often covers you for stuff being lost/stolen when you take it on
holiday.

And other insurances make a big deal about covering you for stuff that's
someone's else's responsibility, eg if an airline damages your bag then the
airline are responsible.

And other insurances cover you for trivial losses - I was asked if I wanted
insurance for a £20 PAYG mobile!

But when there's a possibility of a big loss, such as medical costs in the US or
potential liability from driving a car etc, insurance is pretty much essential.

--
Andy

[Frederick Williams]

Post by Andy Pandy
But when there's a possibility of a big loss, such as medical costs in the US or
potential liability from driving a car etc, insurance is pretty much essential.

Nope.

[Bob Martin]

Post by Andy Pandy
But when there's a possibility of a big loss, such as medical costs in the US or
potential liability from driving a car etc, insurance is pretty much essential.

Nope.

No, not if you have a few million in the bank, or are travelling on company business.
Otherwise only a fool would go to the USA without insurance.

[Andy Pandy]

Post by Angus Rodgers
On Thu, 14 May 2009 12:27:20 +0100, Frederick Williams

Post by Frederick Williams

[...] I've obtained a European Health Insurance Card for
my daughter, and I'll be giving it to her tomorrow, but I know
that it doesn't cover all possible medical costs.

Look, travel insurance is a scam and a waste of money. Forget about it.

Forget about what? Seriously, though, she has also been talking
about a trip to Florida later in the year (again, I haven't been
involved in the planning): won't she need some sort of insurance
to cover possible medical expenses while in the USA? If so, and
if "travel insurance" is a bad bargain, what is the best way to
obtain such coverage?

There's no reciprocal health agreement with the USA, and medical costs can be
high so it's probably a good idea to have travel insurance for the USA. Have a
look at Martin Lewis's site:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cheap-travel-insurance

--
Andy

[Angus Rodgers]

On Fri, 15 May 2009 19:23:12 +0100, "Andy Pandy"

Post by Andy Pandy

[...] she has also been talking
about a trip to Florida later in the year (again, I haven't been

She had mentioned early June as being likely - and in fact she is
flying to the USA early on Tuesday 2 June! (I just got the e-mail
from her informing me definitely of this.)

Post by Andy Pandy

won't she need some sort of insurance
to cover possible medical expenses while in the USA? If so, and
if "travel insurance" is a bad bargain, what is the best way to
obtain such coverage?

There's no reciprocal health agreement with the USA, and medical costs can be
high so it's probably a good idea to have travel insurance for the USA. Have a
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cheap-travel-insurance

Thanks for the link. I'm not long back from holiday myself (the
family holiday in the Lake District, which my daughter missed -
BTW, her trip to Amsterdam went off without mishap), and have
only just this moment received some information from her about
the trip to Florida. (Yes, I know, that is ridiculously late!)

One of the e-mails she forwarded to me reads (in part):

"Insurance Indemnity Notice
We have noted that you have not included travel insurance with
this purchase. If you do not have a valid insurance policy with
us we cannot be held liable for any insurance claims arising from
your trip. We strongly recommend that you have a valid insurance
policy for any travel abroad.
If you require an insurance quote please call Airline Network and
speak to our friendly consultants on ...

# The Americas: 0870 700 0518
# Europe: 0870 700 0528
[...]

They will be happy to arrange instant insurance protection giving
you immediate cancellation cover at almost half the price of high
street travel agents rates."

[Reading it again - only cancellation cover?!]

As she's only 17, and I'm not going with her (nor is her mother), I
have no idea how insurance is going to be arranged ... Following the
link above, I've arrived at <http://www.moneysupermarket.com/> (with
a recommendation to use Direct Travel), but the website is telling me
(surprise, surprise) that at least one person over 18 must be included
in the proposal. At <http://www.direct-travel.co.uk/>, there is an
0845 phone number for enquiries, but it closes at 8 p.m., and I only
received the e-mails from my daughter just after 8 p.m. (Grrr....!)

I'm starting to panic all over again, as it's late on Thursday, and
she's flying off early on Tuesday morning, and this vital insurance
that I've been reminding her about for weeks hasn't been sorted out
yet. Once again, long story short - anticipating this difficulty,
I travelled into Central London on Monday (the day after getting
back from my own holiday) to meet her, but she somehow managed not
to find the place we were meeting ... grrr! ...

Sorry to appear to be such a gormless idiot, and/or a gullible parent
(I'm braced for the flames!), but can anyone reassure me that it will
be possible for me somehow to arrange insurance for her trip starting
next Tuesday (even though she seems to be trying to make it as hard
as possible for me)?

The main questions seem to be: (1) Can I, as an adult, arrange a
policy for her, as a child, travelling alone? (I didn't even know
until this evening that she was planning to travel alone, but she
insists that there is no difficulty in this, and that she is being
met at her destination by the same 21-year-old woman who booked the
Amsterdam trip.) (2) If so, and if there isn't time to get any
printed documents to her (as I greatly fear), will it be enough
for her to take with her (i) a policy reference number, and (ii) a
telephone number to call in case of emergency? (At least, those are
all the questions I can think of at the moment, but as I said, I'm
panicking.)

Obviously, I'll call the Direct Travel Insurance telephone number
in the morning (in desperation, and feeling like an idiot, I already
tried their emergency number, but of course it's not for dealing with
this kind of mess!), but the more I know in advance, the better, hence
this enquiry.

If you wonder how this kind of mess can possibly arise: as mentioned
before, she's not living with me. Her mother is paying for her to
stay in a small room in someone else's house, and she has a temporary
job, which has enabled her to do things like paying for plane tickets
without either of her parents being involved (or even kept informed).
She's definitely rubbing our noses in her independence! On the other
hand, I can hardly just ignore the realities associated with what
she's doing (unless I somehow try to forbid the thing altogether,
which I'm not inclined to do), which is why I find myself with all
of the worry, but no control over the situation. (If she were still
living with me, of course none of this would happen.)

(Sorry about the long post, but it's driving me nuts, and there seems
to be little else I can do at the moment, except to try to define the
problem and make my excuses for inflicting it on the weary old world.)

[Andy Pandy]

Post by Angus Rodgers

Post by Andy Pandy
There's no reciprocal health agreement with the USA, and medical costs can be
high so it's probably a good idea to have travel insurance for the USA. Have a
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cheap-travel-insurance

Thanks for the link. I'm not long back from holiday myself (the
family holiday in the Lake District, which my daughter missed -
BTW, her trip to Amsterdam went off without mishap), and have
only just this moment received some information from her about
the trip to Florida. (Yes, I know, that is ridiculously late!)
"Insurance Indemnity Notice
We have noted that you have not included travel insurance with
this purchase. If you do not have a valid insurance policy with
us we cannot be held liable for any insurance claims arising from
your trip. We strongly recommend that you have a valid insurance
policy for any travel abroad.
If you require an insurance quote please call Airline Network and
speak to our friendly consultants on ...
# The Americas: 0870 700 0518
# Europe: 0870 700 0528
[...]
They will be happy to arrange instant insurance protection giving
you immediate cancellation cover at almost half the price of high
street travel agents rates."
[Reading it again - only cancellation cover?!]

They almost certainly won't mean *just* cancellation cover. They stress
immediate cancellation cover because you are covered as soon as you take the
insurance out, so they are trying to get you to do it quickly (and not shop
around). If you wait to take the insurance out, and something happens in between
you booking and taking the insurance out (eg a serious accident making you
unable to travel) you won't be covered.

Post by Angus Rodgers
As she's only 17, and I'm not going with her (nor is her mother), I
have no idea how insurance is going to be arranged ... Following the
link above, I've arrived at <http://www.moneysupermarket.com/> (with
a recommendation to use Direct Travel), but the website is telling me
(surprise, surprise) that at least one person over 18 must be included
in the proposal.

Ridiculous! I've been travelling abroad independantly since I was 15.

You could try someone like STA Travel (google for them), they are a specialist
student travel agent so they're bound to do insurance for under 18's. Don't know
what their prices are like.

Post by Angus Rodgers
At <http://www.direct-travel.co.uk/>, there is an
0845 phone number for enquiries, but it closes at 8 p.m., and I only
received the e-mails from my daughter just after 8 p.m. (Grrr....!)
I'm starting to panic all over again, as it's late on Thursday, and
she's flying off early on Tuesday morning, and this vital insurance
that I've been reminding her about for weeks hasn't been sorted out
yet. Once again, long story short - anticipating this difficulty,
I travelled into Central London on Monday (the day after getting
back from my own holiday) to meet her, but she somehow managed not
to find the place we were meeting ... grrr! ...
Sorry to appear to be such a gormless idiot, and/or a gullible parent
(I'm braced for the flames!), but can anyone reassure me that it will
be possible for me somehow to arrange insurance for her trip starting
next Tuesday (even though she seems to be trying to make it as hard
as possible for me)?

Don't panic, you should be able to arrange insurance on the day of travel if
necessary.

Post by Angus Rodgers
The main questions seem to be: (1) Can I, as an adult, arrange a
policy for her, as a child, travelling alone? (I didn't even know
until this evening that she was planning to travel alone, but she
insists that there is no difficulty in this, and that she is being
met at her destination by the same 21-year-old woman who booked the
Amsterdam trip.)

There won't be. Airlines tend to get fussy about under 16's travelling alone,
but a 17 year old should be fine.

Post by Angus Rodgers
(2) If so, and if there isn't time to get any
printed documents to her (as I greatly fear), will it be enough
for her to take with her (i) a policy reference number, and (ii) a
telephone number to call in case of emergency? (At least, those are
all the questions I can think of at the moment, but as I said, I'm
panicking.)

Yes. That's really all she needs while there. The emergency number will be for
medical emergencies. If anything else happens, like something gets stolen, tell
her to get a police statement which she'll need for the insurance claim.

Post by Angus Rodgers
Obviously, I'll call the Direct Travel Insurance telephone number
in the morning (in desperation, and feeling like an idiot, I already
tried their emergency number, but of course it's not for dealing with
this kind of mess!), but the more I know in advance, the better, hence
this enquiry.
If you wonder how this kind of mess can possibly arise: as mentioned
before, she's not living with me. Her mother is paying for her to
stay in a small room in someone else's house, and she has a temporary
job, which has enabled her to do things like paying for plane tickets
without either of her parents being involved (or even kept informed).
She's definitely rubbing our noses in her independence!

So she should! Seriously, she's obviously a confident independant young woman,
you must have brought her up well. Some kids her age aren't even capable of
getting the bus into town (or have pathetic paranoid parents who won't let
them).

Post by Angus Rodgers
On the other
hand, I can hardly just ignore the realities associated with what
she's doing (unless I somehow try to forbid the thing altogether,
which I'm not inclined to do), which is why I find myself with all
of the worry, but no control over the situation. (If she were still
living with me, of course none of this would happen.)
(Sorry about the long post, but it's driving me nuts, and there seems
to be little else I can do at the moment, except to try to define the
problem and make my excuses for inflicting it on the weary old world.)

Don't worry - remember she'll be having experiences now she'll never forget. If
she gets the travel bug she'll probably be backpacking round SE Asia this time
next year sending you postcards from countries you haven't even heard of :-)

--
Andy

[Angus Rodgers]

On Fri, 29 May 2009 09:08:22 +0100, "Andy Pandy"

Post by Andy Pandy
Don't panic, you should be able to arrange insurance on the day
of travel if necessary.

Thanks for the reassurance, which was very helpful. I think the
insurance side of things is sorted out (along with another thing
I didn't know about, to do with Homeland Security), and I'll post
a longer followup later - but at the moment, I'm worrying (on the
very last day!) about where my daughter is going to change her
pounds into dollars. She had sounded like she knew what she was
doing, but I couldn't get through to her mobile phone yesterday
(because of some technical fault, apparently) to discuss this
(or anything else), and it turns out that all she has is someone
else's word for it that some place on Oxford Street called Travel
Exchange, "somewhere near Marble Arch", is good, because it was
featured in some television programme! Nothing much is coming
up on Google, and it all sounds stupidly vague.

[Please skip the next paragraph, if annoyed by my family-related
confusions!]

I was packed and ready early this morning to go and meet her, and
to act as her bodyguard while she changed the money, but because
she was out of touch I couldn't leave early, and now I'm shocked to
learn that she doesn't even have a clear idea of where we should
meet! It's reminiscent of our last attempt to meet in London.
Actually, she's usually very sensible and mature for her age (she
has always tended to hang around with people older than herself,
finding most people of her own age very immature), but there are
times when she seems deliberately to cause chaos. (End of moan.)

The last time I had to convert some cash for her (when she was
living with me, and was going on a school trip to Barcelona), I
used the Post Office, who were good, but required a day's notice
at least (IIRC). So once again I find myself in a near-panic,
not knowing what to do. (Some of the panic is to do with another
logistical problem, caused by her mother, which is frightful -
but nothing anyone on the Internet can help with!)

Is there anyone there, with any helpful suggestions about where
best to change pounds into dollars at short notice?

Post by Andy Pandy
Don't worry - remember she'll be having experiences now she'll never forget. If
she gets the travel bug she'll probably be backpacking round SE Asia this time
next year sending you postcards from countries you haven't even heard of :-)

#-o

[Emil Tiades]

On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:02:30 +0100, Angus Rodgers

Post by Angus Rodgers
On Fri, 29 May 2009 09:08:22 +0100, "Andy Pandy"

Post by Andy Pandy
Don't panic, you should be able to arrange insurance on the day
of travel if necessary.

Thanks for the reassurance, which was very helpful. I think the
insurance side of things is sorted out (along with another thing
I didn't know about, to do with Homeland Security), and I'll post
a longer followup later - but at the moment, I'm worrying (on the
very last day!) about where my daughter is going to change her
pounds into dollars.

<big snip>

That's what credit cards are for.
Changing cash was OK in the 60s and early 70s.

You worry too much.
Go to your GP and have your cholesterol and glucose levels checked.

[Angus Rodgers]

On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:11:36 +0100, Emil Tiades

Post by Emil Tiades
You worry too much.

That's my daughter's opinion, too.

(She's currently flying over Georgia, so I'm nervously "watching"
her flight on the Delta Airlines website, to make sure her plane
doesn't fall down out of the sky, like that other one yesterday.
The Internet gives great scope for parents to fret.)

[Andy Pandy]

Post by Angus Rodgers
Is there anyone there, with any helpful suggestions about where
best to change pounds into dollars at short notice?

I've not changed currency for about 10 years! I always simply withdraw cash from
ATMs as I go while abroad and use credit cards. Nationwide are the best as they
don't markup the exchange rate or charge for foreign ATM use.

As she's under 18 she won't have a credit card... but if she has a bank account
with an ATM/debit card she may be able to use this abroad - though I'm not sure
if banks allow this for under 18's. Best check with the bank. If they do allow
it this will be the best way - just put her spending money in the account.

Otherwise the best bet is to buy US$ traveller's cheques. Most banks and travel
agents sell these, you shouldn't need to order in advance (if anywhere tells you
you do - find somewhere else). The post office probably sell them too. They're
safer than cash, if they get lost/stolen you can get the money back, and in the
US you can spend them like cash nearly everywhere (and get change in cash).
There's usually a 1% commission on buying them but the rate is often better than
cash so it'll work out about the same.

--
Andy

[Andy Pandy]

Post by Andy Pandy

Post by Angus Rodgers
Is there anyone there, with any helpful suggestions about where
best to change pounds into dollars at short notice?

I've not changed currency for about 10 years! I always simply withdraw cash from
ATMs as I go while abroad and use credit cards. Nationwide are the best as they
don't markup the exchange rate or charge for foreign ATM use.
As she's under 18 she won't have a credit card... but if she has a bank account
with an ATM/debit card she may be able to use this abroad - though I'm not sure
if banks allow this for under 18's. Best check with the bank. If they do allow
it this will be the best way - just put her spending money in the account.
Otherwise the best bet is to buy US$ traveller's cheques. Most banks and travel
agents sell these, you shouldn't need to order in advance (if anywhere tells you
you do - find somewhere else). The post office probably sell them too.

They're

Post by Andy Pandy
safer than cash, if they get lost/stolen you can get the money back, and in the
US you can spend them like cash nearly everywhere (and get change in cash).
There's usually a 1% commission on buying them but the rate is often better than
cash so it'll work out about the same.

Forgot to add - she'll need to be there to sign the cheques so don't get them by
yourself. She may need ID too eg passport (didn't used to but with all this
money laundering rules now I wouldn't be surprised).

--
Andy

[Angus Rodgers]

On Mon, 1 Jun 2009 19:22:25 +0100, "Andy Pandy"

Post by Andy Pandy

Post by Andy Pandy

Post by Angus Rodgers
Is there anyone there, with any helpful suggestions about where
best to change pounds into dollars at short notice?

I've not changed currency for about 10 years! I always simply withdraw cash

from

Post by Andy Pandy
ATMs as I go while abroad and use credit cards. Nationwide are the best as

they

Post by Andy Pandy
don't markup the exchange rate or charge for foreign ATM use.
As she's under 18 she won't have a credit card... but if she has a bank

account

Post by Andy Pandy
with an ATM/debit card she may be able to use this abroad - though I'm not

sure

Post by Andy Pandy
if banks allow this for under 18's. Best check with the bank. If they do allow
it this will be the best way - just put her spending money in the account.

I would certainly have looked into this sort of possibility
beforehand, if she had asked me to be involved at that stage.

Post by Andy Pandy

Post by Andy Pandy
Otherwise the best bet is to buy US$ traveller's cheques. Most banks and

travel

Post by Andy Pandy
agents sell these, you shouldn't need to order in advance (if anywhere tells

you

Post by Andy Pandy
you do - find somewhere else). The post office probably sell them too.

They're

Post by Andy Pandy
safer than cash, if they get lost/stolen you can get the money back, and in

the

Post by Andy Pandy
US you can spend them like cash nearly everywhere (and get change in cash).
There's usually a 1% commission on buying them but the rate is often better

than

Post by Andy Pandy
cash so it'll work out about the same.

Probably some combination of all three would have been
sensible: a little cash, some traveller's cheques, and most
of her money left in her account. I'll certainly find out
what her bank card allows her to do next time she goes abroad.

Post by Andy Pandy
Forgot to add - she'll need to be there to sign the cheques so don't get them by
yourself. She may need ID too eg passport (didn't used to but with all this
money laundering rules now I wouldn't be surprised).

This time, alas, there wasn't any time for me to sort out the
most sensible way of doing it, so I was more or less obliged
to go along with her way of doing it - which involved handing
over a large wad of cash, for a flimsy receipt and a bundle of
what we hope aren't counterfeit US dollars! Oh well, if she's
been swindled, she'll have learned the hard way to ask for my
advice first (if only so that I can ask someone else's!). We'll
both know better next time, whatever happens. At least she
didn't fall into the Atlantic on the way over!

The official exchange rate was 1.6369 dollars to the pound, and
she went with a bureau de change offering 1.61 ("no commission",
ha-ha), which didn't seem too bad to us, as some others she asked
were only offering 1.58.

[Andy Pandy]

Post by Angus Rodgers
On Mon, 1 Jun 2009 19:22:25 +0100, "Andy Pandy"

Post by Andy Pandy

Post by Andy Pandy

Post by Angus Rodgers
Is there anyone there, with any helpful suggestions about where
best to change pounds into dollars at short notice?

I've not changed currency for about 10 years! I always simply withdraw cash

from

Post by Andy Pandy
ATMs as I go while abroad and use credit cards. Nationwide are the best as

they

Post by Andy Pandy
don't markup the exchange rate or charge for foreign ATM use.
As she's under 18 she won't have a credit card... but if she has a bank

account

Post by Andy Pandy
with an ATM/debit card she may be able to use this abroad - though I'm not

sure

Post by Andy Pandy
if banks allow this for under 18's. Best check with the bank. If they do allow
it this will be the best way - just put her spending money in the account.

I would certainly have looked into this sort of possibility
beforehand, if she had asked me to be involved at that stage.

Post by Andy Pandy

Post by Andy Pandy
Otherwise the best bet is to buy US$ traveller's cheques. Most banks and

travel

Post by Andy Pandy
agents sell these, you shouldn't need to order in advance (if anywhere tells

you

Post by Andy Pandy
you do - find somewhere else). The post office probably sell them too.

They're

Post by Andy Pandy
safer than cash, if they get lost/stolen you can get the money back, and in

the

Post by Andy Pandy
US you can spend them like cash nearly everywhere (and get change in cash).
There's usually a 1% commission on buying them but the rate is often better

than

Post by Andy Pandy
cash so it'll work out about the same.

Probably some combination of all three would have been
sensible: a little cash, some traveller's cheques, and most
of her money left in her account. I'll certainly find out
what her bank card allows her to do next time she goes abroad.

Post by Andy Pandy
Forgot to add - she'll need to be there to sign the cheques so don't get them by
yourself. She may need ID too eg passport (didn't used to but with all this
money laundering rules now I wouldn't be surprised).

This time, alas, there wasn't any time for me to sort out the
most sensible way of doing it, so I was more or less obliged
to go along with her way of doing it - which involved handing
over a large wad of cash, for a flimsy receipt and a bundle of
what we hope aren't counterfeit US dollars! Oh well, if she's
been swindled, she'll have learned the hard way to ask for my
advice first (if only so that I can ask someone else's!). We'll
both know better next time, whatever happens. At least she
didn't fall into the Atlantic on the way over!
The official exchange rate was 1.6369 dollars to the pound, and
she went with a bureau de change offering 1.61 ("no commission",
ha-ha), which didn't seem too bad to us, as some others she asked
were only offering 1.58.

Well that is certainly a good rate for changing cash - see she does know what
she's doing! Most people, even regular travellers, seem happy to trot off to
somewhere like the post office or a travel agent and get appalling rates.

For the future - suggest she opens a Nationwide account and uses that for
foreign travel, easily the best value way of obtaining foreign currency.

--
Andy

[Emil Tiades]

On Tue, 2 Jun 2009 23:04:26 +0100, "Andy Pandy"

Post by Andy Pandy
For the future - suggest she opens a Nationwide account and uses that for
foreign travel, easily the best value way of obtaining foreign currency.

Nationwide now charge for transactions outside the EU.
I received a letter from them several weeks ago.

[Andy Pandy]

Post by Emil Tiades
On Tue, 2 Jun 2009 23:04:26 +0100, "Andy Pandy"

Post by Andy Pandy
For the future - suggest she opens a Nationwide account and uses that for
foreign travel, easily the best value way of obtaining foreign currency.

Nationwide now charge for transactions outside the EU.
I received a letter from them several weeks ago.

Yebbut they're only passing on the VISA charge, which IIRC is under 1%, and
that's on the interbank rate. They're still easily the best value.

Nearly all the other banks and building societies charge 3% or so, and changing
cash usually costs more, just look at the buy/sell spreads at the post office or
any other currency exchange place.

--
Andy