--- title: "Airport currency exchange rip-offs | FlightLogic" description: "Airport currency exchange counters typically offer some of the worst rates and highest hidden fees of any exchange option, and 0% commission signage often…" url: https://flightlogic.co.uk/travel-scams/airport-currency-exchange-scams/ lastModified: 2026-07-08 source: FlightLogic (flightlogic.co.uk) licence: "Content © Elite Digital AI Solutions Ltd. Cite the URL above and the page author." --- *Links marked * may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. We do not provide financial advice. How we make money .* # Airport currency exchange rip-offs Airport currency exchange counters typically offer some of the worst rates and highest hidden fees of any exchange option, and 0% commission signage often disguises a poor built-in rate rather than free conversion. The better options — fee-free cards, ATM rules, and the markup maths — are set out below. ## The numbers that matter **The real cost** **The spread, not the "0% commission" sign** A desk can advertise zero commission and still take a large margin by setting a poor buy and sell rate. **How to check any rate** **Compare against the mid-market rate** The mid-market rate is the midpoint between buy and sell prices and is what a currency converter shows. Every desk prices away from it. **Dynamic currency conversion** **Always decline — pay in the local currency** Being offered a card payment in pounds abroad hands the exchange rate to the merchant's provider rather than your card network. **Card protection abroad** **Section 75 still applies to qualifying credit card spend** For purchases over £100 and up to £30,000, the protection follows the card, not the country. ## Where the margin actually hides Airport currency exchange is rarely a scam in the criminal sense. It is a legal business model built on a captive audience, a moment of time pressure, and a price that is genuinely hard to compare at a glance. That combination is why it belongs on a page about being taken advantage of, even though nobody is breaking the law. The cost sits in the spread. Every bureau quotes two prices: what it will pay you for a currency, and what it will charge you for it. The gap between those two numbers is the margin, and at an airport it is typically far wider than in town or online. A "0% commission" sign says nothing about the spread — it only says there is no separate flat fee on top, which is why it can be displayed truthfully next to a rate that is significantly worse than the one you would get almost anywhere else. The second layer is the buy-back promise. Desks often offer to repurchase unspent currency at a guaranteed rate, which sounds like a safety net. In practice you pay the spread twice, once on the way out and again on the way back, so the guarantee protects you against a rate movement while charging you more than that movement is likely to be worth. ## How to tell a fair rate from a bad one in thirty seconds The reference point you need is the mid-market rate: the midpoint between the global buy and sell prices, and the figure any ordinary currency converter shows. No consumer service gives you exactly that rate, because every provider has to make a margin somewhere, but it is the only honest yardstick for comparing offers. Look up the mid-market rate on your phone before you approach a desk, then compare it with the rate on the board for the direction you are actually transacting in. People routinely read the wrong column, and the two numbers can be far apart. Work out what your money converts to at the mid-market rate, then at the desk's rate, and treat the difference as the true price of the transaction, whatever the commission sign says. Applying that test once at an airport is usually enough to settle the question permanently, because the gap tends to be large and consistent rather than a matter of shopping around between terminals. ## Dynamic currency conversion: the one to always decline The most costly single decision most travellers make with money abroad happens at a card terminal, not a bureau. When you pay by card overseas, the machine may offer to charge you in pounds rather than the local currency. It is presented as a convenience, and it sounds reassuring because you can see the amount in a currency you understand. Accepting it is called dynamic currency conversion, and it moves the exchange rate away from your card network and into the hands of the merchant's payment provider, who sets it and keeps the margin. The rate is almost always worse than the one your own card would have applied. The same choice appears at overseas cash machines, where the offer to dispense "with conversion" works the same way. The rule is simple and has no exceptions worth remembering: always choose to be charged in the local currency of the country you are standing in. Your own card issuer then converts it, using its network rate plus whatever its own foreign-transaction charge is, which you can check before you travel. ## What genuinely cheaper looks like The cheapest approach for most UK travellers is a combination rather than a single product: a card that does not penalise foreign spending for day-to-day payments, and a modest amount of local cash obtained before you reach the airport for the situations cards do not cover — small vendors, tips, transport in cash-preferring countries. If you do need to change money physically, ordering online in advance for collection or delivery is consistently better priced than walking up to a desk on the day, because the desk is charging for immediacy. Buying at the airport at the last minute is the single most expensive way to do it, which is precisely why the desks are positioned where they are. It is also worth checking your own card's terms before you go rather than assuming. Foreign-transaction charges, cash-withdrawal fees and whether withdrawals are treated as a cash advance all vary between products, and knowing which of your cards is the cheapest abroad is a one-time check that pays off on every trip. ## The tactics that cross the line Alongside the legal-but-expensive model, there are practices that are genuinely deceptive and should be treated as warning signs. A rate board that displays only the favourable direction, or shows the rate for a large denomination while quietly applying a worse one to smaller amounts, is designed to mislead. So is quoting a rate and then applying a separate fee that was not mentioned until after the transaction was underway. Short-changing is the oldest version and still occurs, particularly at busy desks and in unfamiliar currencies with unfamiliar denominations. Count the money in front of the cashier before leaving the counter, and compare the amount handed over with the receipt rather than with what you expected. Unofficial street exchange, offered near tourist areas in some destinations, carries the additional risks of counterfeit notes, sleight-of-hand miscounting, and in some countries breaking local currency law. A rate that beats every legitimate provider is not generosity. ## If you think you were short-changed or misled Raise it at the counter immediately, before you leave, because that is the point at which the transaction can still be examined and the till reconciled. Once you have walked away, establishing what was handed over becomes difficult. Keep the receipt in every case, since it is the only record of the rate applied and the amount exchanged. If the desk refuses to resolve a genuine discrepancy, escalate to the airport operator, who has a commercial relationship with the concession and a direct interest in complaints, and report misleading pricing displays to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice. Where you paid by card and the amount was misrepresented, your card issuer's dispute process is an additional route. For dynamic currency conversion, the position is different and worth understanding: if you were given the choice and accepted it, the transaction was not unauthorised, so a dispute is unlikely to succeed. If you were never offered a choice and the conversion was applied without your consent, that is worth raising with your card issuer. ## How it works - "0% commission" or "no fees" signage attracts travellers who assume this means a good deal - The exchange rate offered is set well below the genuine mid-market rate, building the counter's margin into the rate itself rather than a separate visible fee - Dynamic currency conversion at card payment terminals abroad — being asked "pay in pounds or local currency?" — often defaults to a worse rate if you choose your home currency - Some counters add a minimum transaction fee that is not clearly disclosed until after you commit to the exchange ## Red flags - ⚠ Prominent "0% commission" signage with no visible exchange rate displayed - ⚠ Reluctance to confirm the exact amount you will receive before you hand over cash - ⚠ A card terminal abroad defaulting to charge you in GBP rather than the local currency - ⚠ Significantly worse rates than the mid-market rate you can check on your phone beforehand ## How to protect yourself - ✓ Check the current mid-market exchange rate on your phone before exchanging any money, so you can judge whether a rate is fair - ✓ Order currency online in advance for airport collection or home delivery, which is usually cheaper than an on-the-day counter - ✓ Use a fee-free travel debit or credit card and withdraw or spend directly in the local currency - ✓ Always choose to pay in the local currency, not GBP, when offered a choice at a card terminal abroad - ✓ Only exchange a small amount at the airport for immediate needs, and do the bulk of your currency exchange elsewhere ## If it happens to you - This is usually a poor deal rather than unlawful fraud, so a refund is unlikely — the main protection is prevention - If you believe you were actively misled about fees or the exchange rate given, you can report the operator to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is airport currency exchange actually a scam? Usually not in a criminal sense — it is a legal business charging a large margin to a captive audience under time pressure. The practices worth treating as genuinely deceptive are rate boards that show only the favourable direction, undisclosed fees applied after the fact, and short-changing. The everyday problem is simply cost rather than fraud, but the effect on your money is real either way. ### What does "0% commission" really mean? It means there is no separate flat fee added on top of the exchange. It says nothing at all about the rate itself, and a desk can advertise zero commission while setting a spread far wider than a provider charging a small explicit fee. Compare the rate against the mid-market rate rather than reacting to the commission sign. ### What is the mid-market rate and why does it matter? It is the midpoint between the buy and sell prices for a currency, and it is what an ordinary currency converter displays. No consumer provider gives you exactly that rate, but it is the only neutral benchmark for judging an offer. Checking it on your phone before approaching a desk turns an unfamiliar rate board into a simple comparison. ### Should I ever accept being charged in pounds when paying abroad? No. That offer is dynamic currency conversion, and accepting it hands the exchange rate to the merchant's payment provider instead of your card network, almost always at a worse rate. Always choose the local currency of the country you are in, at card terminals and at cash machines alike. ### Is it cheaper to use a card abroad or take cash? For most UK travellers a card without foreign-spending penalties is cheaper for day-to-day payments, with a modest amount of local cash for vendors, tips and transport that do not take cards. What matters most is checking your own card's foreign-transaction and cash-withdrawal terms before travelling, since these vary considerably between products. ### Is the buy-back guarantee on unused currency worth taking? It protects you against a rate movement while charging you the spread twice — once buying and once selling back. Whether that is worthwhile depends on how much you expect to have left over and how volatile the currency is, but for a typical holiday the guarantee usually costs more than the risk it removes. ### Are exchange desks in town always cheaper than at the airport? Generally yes, and ordering online in advance is usually cheaper still, because airport desks are charging for immediacy and a captive location. The gap is typically large enough that it is worth planning around rather than shopping between terminals on the day. ### What should I do if I think I was short-changed? Raise it at the counter before leaving, since that is when the transaction can still be checked and the till reconciled. Always count the notes in front of the cashier and keep the receipt. If the desk will not resolve a genuine discrepancy, escalate to the airport operator and report misleading pricing to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice. ### Is changing money with someone on the street ever a good idea? No. Unofficial street exchange carries risks of counterfeit notes, deliberate miscounting, and in some countries it breaks local currency law. A rate that beats every legitimate provider is the bait rather than a bargain. This page is general safety guidance, not legal or financial advice, and scam tactics evolve constantly. If you are the victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud. Written by [Emma Walsh](https://flightlogic.co.uk/authors/emma-walsh/) Editor, Hotels & Europe Emma reviews boutique and independent hotels across Europe, alongside British Airways and Oneworld product reviews. She writes FlightLogic's Avios redemption guides. [← Back to all travel scams](https://flightlogic.co.uk/travel-scams/)