exchange rates.

[Ashby8]

Starting to get very excited about holiday now ( only 5 weeks to go) Wondering about exchange rates. We prefer to use moniey rather that travellers checks and credit cards and am wondering whether to just exchange in UK (2.22) at present or just exchange a small amount and do the rest in Dalayan- Can anyone tell what the present eschange rate is at present. Thanks.:Confused:

[John Codling]

On monday it was 2.3721 in the post office, I use Nationwide card and just checking my account online I got 2.413 on the 22nd April. I would defiantely change up there or open a nationwide account and use it in the ATMs

As a note Nationwide do not charge for using a debit card in Turkey although they are introducing it in other countries.

[Andy]

On monday it was 3.3721 in the post office

you mean it was 2.3721

[John Codling]

you mean it was 2.3721

Errr yes :Yep:

[Dalyansteve]

Never ever buy TURKISH LIRA IN ENGLAND OR AT THE AIRPORTS it is always a very bad rate of exchange, it does not matter what time or which day you arrive on, you probably won't need cash the first day, either someone will change it or they will let you pay the next day. This is actualy one of their nicer selling techniques as it means you go back.
Never ever bring travellers cheques, nobody likes them and they are a pain to get changed.

[Goatie]

I would echo John's views. Open a Nationwide Flex account and use the debit card to get money from the ATM machines. No charge and a good exchange rate!

[m1cksut]

Never ever buy TURKISH LIRA IN ENGLAND OR AT THE AIRPORTS it is always a very bad rate of exchange, it does not matter what time or which day you arrive on, you probably won't need cash the first day, either someone will change it or they will let you pay the next day. This is actualy one of their nicer selling techniques as it means you go back.
Never ever bring travellers cheques, nobody likes them and they are a pain to get changed.

I would like to echo this sentiment, as well as agreeing about not exchanging money in england.
the first time me and the current family went to marmaris, the missus, being like a magpie, was entranced by all manner of shiny gewgaws in a jewellers shop in the bazaar, finally settling on a ring with a large blue stone and several smaller white stones. very shiny. at time to pay, there was a problem with my credit card and we had very little cash on us, about ?30 worth of lira, and the hotel was right at the other end of town,
no problem, says the jeweller, take the ring, pay me next time you are down this end of town.
when i offered to leave what little money we had on us as deposit, or to leave the ring and collect it with full payment he simply said, if you take it and dont pay for it, you wont get rich, i wont get poor, take the ring and pay me when you are down here next.
i think it was this, as much as anything else, which totally endeared us to turkey.
several years later when i went back with my eldest boy, we went to the bazaar looking for a bracelet for my new grand-daughter, and the guy came straight out of the shop ,where he had been serving another customer, and greeted me like an old friend, asking how the wife was, why we hadnt been back to see him with the boys, who were 5 & 6 the last time we went in there, and who he had allowed to play with some HUGELY expensive rings and things, and he seemed totally oblivious to the damage they might inflict upon these items.
obviously, we bought the bracelet from him.
now, good sales technique you might say, but neither of the items i bought from him cost more than ?100, and apart from the boys who were quite memorable at that age, there was nothing to distinguish us from thousands of other tourists that went in the shop that week, let alone in the intervening years, so its not as if i made any purchase that would stick in the memory, neither did he see us apart from the first time in the shop, and when i returned alone to pay him, (yes, of course i went back and paid him that same day).
and incidentally, when we got back to england we had the ring valued and in this country it was valued at twice what we paid for it.
i have worked in retail myself, and i know that regular customers stick in the mind, as do those that spend profusely, however i am still impressed that he remembered so much about us, given that i was there without wife or kids, and with another male adult.

[Tidus]

Just wanted to point out that travellers cheques are not a pain to change in Dalyan, you can exchange them easily in the bank or the post office, which are the only exchange places anyway.

The reason not to take them is just the fact that you pay a fee to buy them and a fee to exchange them as well, which some would consider acceptable for the security they offer. I think the exchange rate is the same as for cash - but it could be slightly lower.. does anybody know?

Personally we just take cash to get the best rates and lowest fees, but don't feel as though you can't use travellers cheques if you want.

Just change a bit of money before you arrive. Rates in Dalyan are typically 0.1 better than in the UK, so do most of your exchange after you arrive.

[shnhare4]

just to say that when we were in dalyan last year you were getting a higher exchange rate for travellers cheques than you were for cash

[Tidus]

just to say that when we were in dalyan last year you were getting a higher exchange rate for travellers cheques than you were for cash

Really? Thats a suprise. Can you remember how much higher it was?

[shnhare4]

sterling was @ 2.35 travellers cheques were 2.40

[Sal]

I have had trouble with travellers cheques, particularly Thomas Cooke. I did query it with Thomas Cooke who did not have a reason as to why they should be a problem but they always are. I cannot comment on other brands of travellers cheque but stick to cash these days

[Dalyansteve]

I heard that TC made english people buy travellors cheques in euros, which only makes sense to TC making a profit on the exchange from pounds to euros. Your best bet is the plastic that doesn't charge or cash.

[Sal]

they were sterling TC cheques. Perhaps there were some fraud cheques at one time.