Smart strategies for foreign exchange at Dublin Airport: How to find the best rates

Flying in or out of the Dublin Airport? If you have foreign currency on you or would like some for your trip it’s possible to exchange money at certain stores within the Dublin Airport.

In this guide we’re going to share where in the Dublin Airport you can exchange money and how it works.

We’ll also introduce you to the Wise Account, which allows you to instantly convert money between 40+ currencies online, without the need to look for an exchange office.

Wise: One account for
+40 currencies 💰

Where can you do currency exchange at Dublin Airport?

Currently, there are two companies offering currency exchange at Dublin Airport, ICE Currency Exchange and Fexco.

Let’s take a look at each of those in more depth.

ICE Currency Exchange

The main foreign currency exchange office at Dublin Airport is ICE Currency Exchange.¹ They have multiple locations across both airport terminals.

The currencies they offer for exchange can vary depending on what they have on hand at the time and whether you completed an online Click & Collect order in advance.²

This is a complete list of the currencies you may be able to exchange for euros with ICE:

The exchange rate can also vary depending on whether you place your order online, over the phone or at the counter.²

To give you an idea of how the exchange rates can stack up, here’s the online exchange rate that ICE Currency Exchange offers compared to what Wise offers if you want to buy foreign currency with Euro:

As you can see the rate you get with Wise is consistently higher. This is likely because ICE Currency Exchange applies a margin to their exchange rate, while Wise uses the mid-market rate, the one you normally find on Google.

If you haven’t heard of it before, the mid-market rate is the midway point between the buy and sell prices on the currency exchange market.

It’s the ‘realest’ and fairest rate out there which is why Wise uses it. Wise also updates the exchange rate every minute, as it's constantly changing.

ICE Currency Exchange ATMs

Across Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, ICE Currency Exchange also operates five private ATMs.¹ You can use these to withdraw Euros using your bank card.

Just keep in mind the exchange rate and fees may be less favourable than using a local bank ATM.

Fexco

The other option for converting money at Dublin Airport is Fexco, a currency exchange service that operates out of the Aviate Credit Union store.³

They are open from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm on weekdays, but are closed on weekends.

With Fexco you can order currency online using their Click & Collect or Click & Sell services, paying for the exchange in-store using Cash or having the amount debited from a Credit Union account.

These are all of the currencies Fexco have on offer⁴:

If you want to sell your foreign currency to Fexco you can set up the sell order online or try your luck at the branch.

If you want to buy foreign currency, you can do a Click & Collect order, have currency delivered to your home or just go to the counter.

Here’s an example of how many euros they offer in exchange for each of these currencies.

As you can see there is a difference between the Fexco rate and Wise. Fexco state that they don’t charge a commission so it’s likely that they apply a margin to the exchange rate as their way of making a profit.³ 👀

Exchange +40 currencies online with Wise

If you’re travelling abroad or flying to Ireland for a visit there are more cost effective and hassle free ways of switching between currencies compared to exchanging money at the airport. Wise is one of those ways.

With a Wise Account there’s no need to go to a branch or pre-order currency, instead you can just convert and spend money as you go. You can hold over 40 currencies at once, enabling you to convert between them at the touch of a button.

Once you have a Wise Account you can also order a Wise card, and use it to spend and withdraw money in over 150 countries around the globe.

If you have local currency in your account the card will pull from that balance to complete the transaction. If not, it uses smart technology to automatically convert another currency using the mid-market exchange rate.

Some other benefits of the Wise Account:

• No opening and account monthly costs
• Wise debit card for a one-time fee of 7 EUR
• Possibility to add the Wise card in the mobile wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay
• Create up to 3 free virtual cards
• Send money to over 160 countries and receive payments like a local in +9 currencies

Open your Wise Account
for free 🚀

Money exchange at Dublin Airport: What you should pay attention to

Here’s a few things to keep in mind when exchanging money at the Dublin Airport:

• You may need to provide proof of ID and proof of address to complete the exchange. Usually a passport is sufficient for proof of ID but it’s best to check what the exchange service will accept for proof of address.
• Look at the exchange rate in advance and compare it to the mid-market rate to see which currency conversion service will give you the best value for money. Wise has an online currency converter tool where you can check that.
• If the service says it's commission free, pay attention and check for hidden fees like a margin on the exchange rate.
• Some money exchangers have a limit on the amount of currency you can convert. If you want to exchange a larger amount it’s worth checking in advance to see if they will do it.
• If you’re wanting to convert a less popular currency it may be necessary to order the exchange in advance; you don’t want to get to the airport only to find out the exchange service doesn’t have the cash on hand to complete the exchange.

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