Travelex at airport...small notes?

[kinkacruiser]

Will I be able to get small USD bills (say USD 1's , 5's) in exchange a larger bill at the Travelex counter at Sydney airport? Is this a service they can provide?

Thanks in advance,
Kinka

 

[blackcat20]

It depends on how you originally ordered the currency. I tried to get travelex to break a $US50 into smaller notes but they don't do it if you got the currency online commission-free. If you paid commission you need to show the receipt and they will do it.

I pleaded my case and the woman eventually did it "as a favour", but I assume thats not a regular occurance.

 

[kinkacruiser]

I purchased my USD from Aus Post, but there is nothing smaller than a USD20 bill, so will really need to do some begging too.
Thanks for your reply, blackcat20.
Kinka

 

[odysseus]

I purchased my USD from Aus Post, but there is nothing smaller than a USD20 bill, so will really need to do some begging too.
Thanks for your reply, blackcat20.
Kinka

Even when I ordered small denoms from them, they said they didn't have any that small to change. I don't favour your chances.

 

[serfty]

In the USA $1 bills are very common. Just pay for your first few cash purchases with $20 notes to build a swag.

They are used to people needing change.

e.g. When in an A/C lounge and using a complimentary drink voucher it is customary for me to tip $1. If I have no small bills I hand over the voucher and a $20 and ask for change. This is happily given - quite often I end up with 20 x $1 notes in such an exchange. I then leave one and take the rest.

 

[UP4014]

Don't bother changing them before you head to the US if that's where you're going, the first drink you buy you'll get plenty, by the end of a week you'll be paying for things with them to use them up.

 

[rotator101]

Don't worry about acquring $1 notes ... small purchases with a $20 bill always works to get you working change. There are shops inside and outside of the main security area as well as coffee and snack concessions.

Be on the watch for golden $1 coins ... we've got all kinds of $1 coins now. There has been a big effort to get them into circulation; so we still have the older ones with the Indian maiden, as well as newer ones with some of the presidents are being issued yearly.

We still have pennies too, and the new ones issued last year are redesigned as a tribute to different stages of life of Lincoln. If you don't want your small change, there are penny cups by the cash registers to take/leave excess change.

 

[lovestotravel]

Funny you bring this topic up.

I was pretty sure that you used to have an option when booking money online for Travelex to either get large bills or a "MIX" which meant you got heaps of smaller notes.

Now you basically get $50/$100 notes which are annoying and just scream TOURIST.

 

[rotator101]

Not necessarily ... if you only have $50/$100 notes maybe you just are very wealthy and don't need small bills! Or you've just come from Las Vegas and used all your small $$$ in the airport slots.

If you do ever get all $50 / $100 bills, be sure sure you are getting them from a trusted source ... still getting lots of counterfeit bills in circulation, usually in the $20 and up category. Don't be surprised to see the cashier look at them and use a pen to test the paper.

If you haven't seen the newer currency recently, doesn't hurt to do a little research and get familiar with the security features (colors, threads, etc).

 

[odysseus]

Don't be surprised to see the cashier look at them and use a pen to test the paper.

What do they do that for? I could never work out what they're checking for/testing (specifically, i.e. I realise it's generally for quality).

 

[Mal]

What do they do that for? I could never work out what they're checking for/testing (specifically, i.e. I realise it's generally for quality).

Basically it's testing the paper. Proper currency will return a certain colour when marked (and then fade away), other paper will return a different result. I presume it's something to do with the cotton composition of bank notes.