ASDA Travel Money review - Everything you need to know about travel money

Jetting off on holiday soon? While you’re getting your flights booked and suitcase packed, it’s also a good time to think about your travel money.

There are lots of ways to spend overseas, including debit and credit cards. But if you prefer to take cash abroad with you, one way to get your hands on foreign currency is with ASDA Travel Money. But what actually is it and how does it work?

In this guide, we’ll give you a full ASDA Travel Money review. This includes info on available currencies, exchange rates, fees and how to order. Plus, details of the ASDA buyback service for unused currency.

We’ll also take a look at a convenient and cost-effective alternative for holiday spending - the Wise card. It’s a powerful international debit card for spending and withdrawing cash in 150+ countries, offering better rates than many currency exchange services.

Please see the Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise fees & pricing for the most up-to-date information on pricing and fees.

What is ASDA Travel Money and how does it work?

ASDA Travel Money is a foreign currency exchange service. It allows you to buy your chosen currency online or in your nearest ASDA store.

You can order your currency in advance to lock in the exchange rate, or visit any ASDA shop with an Asda Travel Money Bureau and buy it on the spot. Options are available for delivery too, which we’ll look at a little later.

The service is provided in partnership with Travelex, a leading foreign exchange company.

Which currencies are available with ASDA Travel Money?

You can choose from over 50 currencies with ASDA Travel Money. This includes most of the major currencies, including:¹

• Euros (EUR)
• US dollars (USD)
• Australian dollars (AUD)
• Canadian dollars (CAD)
• United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)
• Danish Krone (DKK)
• Polish Zloty (PLN)
• Czech koruna (CZK)
• Indonesian rupiah (IDR).

If you go to order from ASDA Travel Money and can’t see the currency you want, you can call 0800 188 4002 to make an enquiry.¹

Are there any limits or restrictions?

There are some minimum and maximum order requirements with ASDA Travel Money, depending on whether you choose Click & Collect or Home Delivery. Here are the min/max limits for ordering online:²

Delivery method	Minimum order	Maximum order
Click & Collect	£250	£2,500 per day
Home Delivery	£50	£2,500 per day
ASDA Travel Money Card	£50	N/A

Delivery and collection options - how to get your money

There are a few different ways you can get foreign currency with ASDA Travel Money. You can buy in person, or order online for Click & Collect or Home Delivery.

Buy in person

You can buy currency at a convenient time or even at the last minute from your local ASDA store, provided it has an ASDA Travel Money Bureau in-store.

Currencies are subject to availability though, and you won’t necessarily get the same exchange rates advertised online.

Buy online for Click & Collect

You can also buy your currency online in advance, at the ASDA Travel Money website. If you place your order (and receive confirmation) by 1.30pm, you should be able to collect the same day.²

You can also collect from certain ASDA stores that don’t have a Travel Money Bureau, heading to the Customer Service desk instead. However, delivery to your chosen store may take a little longer, depending on the currency.

There’s no delivery charge for orders collected at an ASDA Travel Money Bureau.²

Buy online for Home Delivery

If you have packing to get on with, the most convenient option is to have your foreign currency delivered right to your door.

There is a delivery charge of £4.99 for Home Delivery orders of between £50 and £499.99, but it’s free on orders above £500. You’ll need to order a minimum of £50 to be eligible for the Home Delivery service.²

Here’s some handy info on delivery times:²

Order confirmed	Earliest delivery
Before 1.30pm, Monday to Thursday	Next working day by 1pm
After 1:30pm, Monday to Wednesday	Second working day before 1pm
After 1.30pm Thursday, before 1.30pm Friday	Saturday or Monday before 1pm
After 1.30pm Friday and anytime Saturday to Sunday	The following Tuesday before 1pm

How to order currency with ASDA Travel Money

It’s pretty easy to buy foreign currency from ASDA Travel Money. You can simply go into a local store with your chosen payment method (i.e. cash or card) and buy at the counter.

If you’re ordering online, follow these steps:

1. Go to the ASDA Travel Money website
2. Use the currency calculator at the top of the page, and click ‘Buy Currency’
3. Alternatively, scroll down and click ‘Buy online’ or ‘Click & Collect’
4. Select your preferred currency and enter the amount you’d like to buy
5. Choose from Home Delivery or Click and Collect
6. If using Click and Collect, enter your postcode and then select your local store
7. If using Home Delivery, enter your address details
8. Check the details, pay and confirm your order.

If you’re using Click & Collect, you’ll need to wait until you receive confirmation from ASDA Travel Money that your order is ready. Then, take along your payment card and valid photo ID, such as your passport or driving licence.²

For Home Delivery orders, a signature will be required on delivery.

Can I cancel an order?

No, unfortunately it’s not possible to cancel an online order with ASDA Travel Money. Once the order has been placed and confirmed, it can’t be changed or cancelled.

Is there a buyback service for unused currency?

Yes, ASDA Travel Money does offer a buyback service for any currency you have left over at the end of your trip. You don’t even need to have bought it from ASDA in the first place.

ASDA says it will buy back most foreign currency notes at the current buy back rate on the day. Even better, there are no commission fees to pay.³

There’s also something called the ASDA Buy Back Promise. This guarantees to buy back your unused currency at the original rate you bought it at. You’ll need to pay an extra £2.99 to opt into the service, and you’ll only be able to exchange a maximum of £250 in leftover currency.³

What is the ASDA Travel Money card?

Alongside its foreign currency exchange service, there’s also something called the ASDA Travel Money Card.

This offers another way to spend overseas, using plastic rather than cash. This could be useful if you’re worried about carrying cash around with you.

With the ASDA Travel Money Card, you can buy currency online or in-store. But instead of receiving cash, the balance will be loaded onto your Mastercard Prepaid card. You can then spend abroad just like using a normal debit or credit card.

Features include:⁴

• Contactless payments
• Load up to 15 currencies
• Free ATM withdrawals (although watch out - some ATM operators may charge their own fees)
• Manage your card on the move with the ASDA Travel Money Card app
• No links to your bank account, and you can only spend what’s on the card.
• Top up online, over the phone or via the app.

There are a few fees you should know about though. It’s free to load and top up your card with currency, but you will pay a 2% fee if you load it with GBP.⁵

There’s also a foreign exchange fee of 5.75%, chargeable if you spend on a currency which isn’t available on your card. If you don’t use the card for 12 months, there’s an inactivity fee of £2 per month.⁵

ASDA Travel Money fees and exchange rates

ASDA Travel Money doesn’t charge any commission fees when you buy currency. The only fee you’ll pay is £4.95 for Home Delivery orders under £500.²

What exchange rates does ASDA Travel Money use?

ASDA Travel Money offers competitive exchange rates, but they aren’t likely to be quite as good as mid-market exchange rates. The mid-market rate is what banks use to trade currency with each other, and is believed to be one of the fairest you can get.

You can check live rates at ASDA Travel Money at any time on its website, or in store (where rates are likely to be different than online).

ASDA also offers a Price Promise on exchange rates for in-store purchases. This means it promises to beat the rate offered by any walk-in travel money provider within 5 miles of the local ASDA Travel Money Bureau you’re making your purchase in.¹

The Wise card - a convenient alternative to exchanging currency

Of course, services like ASDA Travel Money aren’t the only way to get your holiday spending sorted.

If you’re after better exchange rates and a cash-free solution, check out the Wise card.

The Wise card is the ideal alternative to foreign currency exchange services. It’s a contactless international debit card, which can be used in 150+ countries. This means you can spend in shops, restaurants, bars and transport hubs worldwide.

When you spend, the card automatically converts your pounds to the local currency at the mid-market exchange rate. There are no margins or markups, only a small currency conversion fee. And if you already have the currency in your Wise account, there’s no charge.

Need cash? No problem. The Wise card lets you withdraw up to £200 a month (2 or less withdrawals) with no fee. Although you’ll need to watch out that overseas ATM operators don’t charge their own fee.

With the Wise card, there’s no need to worry about ordering foreign currency, or the potential security risks of carrying cash around. You can just tap and spend like a local, knowing you’re getting a great exchange rate.

What’s more, you can manage your account, card and spending on the move, using the handy Wise app.

Open a Wise multi-currency account online and you can get a Wise card for a one-time cost of just £7, with no subscription fees.

Sign up with Wise today 💰

Please see the Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise fees & pricing for the most up-to-date information on pricing and fees.

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And that’s it - everything you need to know about the ASDA Travel Money service. It’s a foreign currency purchase service like many others, but with the added perk of convenient home delivery.

Just make sure to compare exchange rates carefully, as there could be a better deal out there for your holiday money.

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Sources used for this article:

1. ASDA - Travel Money
2. ASDA Travel Money - Buy currency
3. ASDA Money - Travel Money - Currency Buy Back
4. ASDA Money - Travel Money Card
5. ASDA Money - Travel Money Card fees and limits

Sources checked on 17-Oct-2023.