Purchasing Foreign Currency

[kristo]

Where is the best place to purchase NZ notes in Sydney?
My local bank wants to charge $8 and uses the bank spot sell notes rate.
Is it cheaper at the airport?

Who sells NZ cash at the airport?

 

[shillard]

Where is the best place to purchase NZ notes in Sydney?
My local bank wants to charge $8 and uses the bank spot sell notes rate.
Is it cheaper at the airport?

Who sells NZ cash at the airport?

Travelex at SYD will change your cash, and give you FF points if you flash your card.

Don't worry about taking any more than NZ$100 or so, you can get the rest from ATMs in NZ, much cheaper than changing a load of money before you leave, and then changing it back again when you return.

 

[kristo]

Slillard, thanks for the reply. Travelex will only give me 1.0692 NZ today for each Aus dollar while Westpac quoted 1.108. Thats a big difference.
If I use an ATM what exchange rate is used?

 

[sully]

Kristo, based on experience it is the bank spot sell rate, today's being 1.1239. You can get cash from an ATM on arrival and/or use credit cards in most (but wise to ask first) taxi cabs. If you want to have cash with you take no more than $60 as the fare is normally about $50-55 from the airport to the city.

A couple of trips ago I had a funny experience with their currency. As you know their $1 and $2 coins are the opposite of ours, with the higher denomination being (sensibly) larger. I got to the hotel and the fare was $54, so I gave the driver all of my Kiwi currency, $50 in notes and two small coins. Thinking I had given him a small tip I said that he could keep the change...........It dawned on me as he was driving off that I had given him the correct money and so I understood why he said "uh, thenks a lot, you Ozzies are reel ginerous eh?"