Leftover Holiday Cash: Don't Get Burned on the Buyback

You get home from holiday with a handful of leftover notes still tucked in your wallet. Changing them back feels like the tidy thing to do. Then you look at the buyback rate on the board and realise you are about to give a chunk of the holiday budget back to the bureau.

Selling unused foreign cash is where a lot of travellers lose money without noticing. The board has two columns for a reason, and the gap between them is where the shop makes its margin. Knowing how buyback works means you can decide what to keep, what to change, and which desk is worth walking into.

Buy versus sell: read both columns

On a typical bureau board, the "we sell" column is the rate when you buy foreign currency from them. The "we buy" column is what they offer when you sell that currency back. The numbers are never the same, and the buyback side is usually much weaker.

That spread covers the shop's risk, stock and overhead. Exotic notes and coins they struggle to move later get an even wider gap. Rates are indicative and can change; always confirm at the counter before you hand anything over.

Why buyback spreads are often wide

When a bureau sells you euros or dollars, they already hold stock they can move again tomorrow. When they buy your leftover baht, forint or lei, they take on notes they may sit on for weeks. That risk shows up as a poorer rate for you.

Airports and tourist strips tend to be the worst. High rents and captive customers mean shops can post buyback rates that quietly wipe out any deal you thought you got on the way out. High-street and independent bureaux often do better, but only if you compare more than one.

Keep a little for next time

If you visit the same country regularly, a small stash of notes for tips, taxis or market stalls on day one of the next trip often beats changing everything back now. Coins are usually the least useful to sell — many desks refuse them or pay almost nothing — so keep useful coins and change larger notes first.

Damaged, written-on or very old series notes can be rejected. Check the board, then ask the clerk what they will actually take before you empty your wallet on the counter.

Skip the airport buyback if you can

The convenience of changing cash at the terminal is expensive. If you still have time before your flight, a town-centre bureau on the way to the airport usually offers a clearer rate. If you are already airside with no other option, change only what you must and accept that the rest of the leftover cash is the price of convenience.

Never feel rushed into accepting the first number you see. Ask whether a better rate applies above a certain amount, and whether there is a minimum fee that would wipe out a small pile of notes.

Compare a few desks before you sell

Buyback rates vary as much as selling rates, sometimes more. Walk a short stretch of the high street, note the "we buy" figure for your currency at two or three shops, and only then decide. Money Maps shows bureau de change rates near you on one map, so you can compare before you walk in.

A quiet weekday morning often gets you more patience at the counter than a busy Saturday. Take only the notes you are ready to sell, count them yourself, and keep the receipt so you can check the rate later.

A simple rule of thumb

Keep small amounts you will use on a return trip. Change larger leftovers at a competitive high-street bureau, not at the airport if you can help it. Compare the buyback column at a few desks, watch for minimum fees, and leave coins until last.

Leftover holiday cash is still your money. Treat the buyback like any other FX purchase: read the board, ask the question, and pick the better desk.

Money Maps is an iPhone app in the works that puts thousands of bureaux around the world on one map. Join the waitlist on moneymaps.net to get Money Maps first on iPhone.