Post Office Travel Money Review Verdict
The Post Office is the high-street default for holiday cash, a 22-currency travel card and the odd transfer abroad. It is convenient and trusted, with a branch on most high streets.
What you pay for that convenience is a wider exchange-rate margin than an online specialist. On travel cash the rate runs roughly 1.7% off mid-market on a larger order, and its Western Union-powered transfers add a similar or bigger markup.
So the Post Office earns its place for cash in hand before a trip, not for the cheapest way to move money. If you want the best rate on a transfer, you can usually do better online.
Best for
- Holiday cash and a multi-currency travel card from a branch
- Travellers who want a familiar name and a buy-back guarantee
- Click-and-collect currency at the better online rate
Look elsewhere if
- You want the cheapest possible transfer abroad
- You send to one corridor often and want the tightest rate
- You never visit a branch and live entirely in apps
How Much Does the Post Office Cost to Buy Currency and Send Money?
Travel money cash and the exchange rate
The Post Office advertises 0% commission on holiday cash, which sounds free but is not the whole story. The cost sits in the exchange rate, and that rate is tiered: the more you buy, the closer to mid-market you get.
We checked the live tiers for euros on 27 June 2026, against a mid-market rate of 1.159.
| Order size | Rate offered | Margin off mid-market |
|---|---|---|
| £100+ | 1.1108 | ~4.2% |
| £500+ | 1.1346 | ~2.1% |
| £1,000+ | 1.1391 | ~1.7% |
Order online, not at the counter. A blind walk-up branch order can pay noticeably less than the online rate. Click and collect gets you the better online rate with branch pickup.
The Post Office Travel Money Card
The card is a prepaid Mastercard that holds 22 currencies at once, from euros and dollars to lira and rand. We dug into the fees, and the card only works in your favour if you load it the right way.
- Loading a foreign currency directly: no load fee
- Loading pounds onto the card: 1.5% commission (minimum £3, maximum £50)
- ATM withdrawals abroad: a flat fee by currency, around €2.00 in the eurozone or $2.50 in the US
- Dormancy: £2 a month once the card is 12 months past expiry with money still on it
Sending money abroad with the Post Office
Transfers are powered by Western Union, run online by Western Union Payment Services GB Limited and in around 4,000 branches. A bank payout to some countries shows a £0 fee, while cash pickup carries a flat £1.90 fee.
The fee is not the real cost, and we compared what actually arrives. Western Union puts its margin in the rate, roughly 2% to 4% on euros and around 0.5% to 2% on a bank payout to India. That margin is what decides how much your recipient keeps.
Worked Examples: £1,000 in Euros and £1,000 to India
These are sourced figures dated 27 June 2026. Rates move daily, so check the live quote before you commit.
| Rate | Fee | You or your recipient gets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel cash, euros, £1,000+ online | 1.1391 | £0 commission | €1,139.10 |
| Transfer to India, bank payout (Western Union) | ~122.73 | £0 | ~₹122,730 |
The India rate is an estimate from Western Union's standard markup, not a quoted figure, so treat it as a guide and check the app.
Costs to watch
- Small currency orders pay a much wider margin than £1,000+ orders
- Loading the card in pounds costs 1.5%, so load the foreign currency instead
- A branch walk-up rate is worse than the online rate
- The buy-back rate on unused cash is below the rate you bought at
Where Can You Send Money and Spend With the Post Office?
Currencies and countries
We confirmed you can buy more than 60 currencies as cash for collection or home delivery. The travel card holds 22 of the major ones. For transfers, Western Union's network reaches most of the world for both bank deposit and cash collection.
Payout methods for transfers
- Bank deposit, routed by SWIFT or local clearing
- Cash pickup at Western Union's 500,000-plus agent locations, collected with ID and the transfer reference
- Speed: cash pickup is often minutes; a bank deposit usually takes a few days
Limits
| Travel Money Card | Up to £30,000 balance across a year |
| Transfer, by card online | Up to £4,000 every 3 days |
| Transfer, by bank online | Up to £50,000 |
| India corridor | Capped near $2,500 per transaction |
Who Is the Post Office Best For?
Holiday cash and spending abroad
This is the Post Office at its best. If you want euros in your hand before a flight, or a card loaded with a few currencies, you can sort it online and collect at a branch, with a buy-back option for what you do not spend.
For a traveller who values the high street and a familiar name, we rate that convenience as worth a small premium, even if the rate is not the sharpest.
Sending money to family overseas
Be clear-eyed here. The transfer service is Western Union under a Post Office badge, so you get Western Union's reach and Western Union's margin. For a regular send to one country, a specialist app usually keeps more in your recipient's pocket.
Large one-off transfers
Not its strength. You can move up to £50,000 by bank, but you cannot lock a rate for a future payment, and the margin on a large sum adds up fast. A broker fixes today's rate; the Post Office does not.
When another provider fits better
- You want the cheapest transfer on a corridor you use often
- You need to lock a rate for a large future payment
- You manage everything in an app and never need a branch
Post Office Pros and Cons
✓Pros
- A trusted high-street name with around 11,500 branches
- A 22-currency travel card with no fee to load foreign currency
- Tiered cash rates that reward larger online orders
- A buy-back guarantee, plus a full refund if a holiday is cancelled
- Western Union's global reach for cash pickup and bank payout
✕Cons
- Wider exchange-rate margins than online currency specialists
- Loading the card in pounds costs 1.5%
- Branch walk-up rates are worse than online rates
- Transfers carry Western Union's markup in the rate
- Safeguarded, not FSCS-protected, so no £120,000 guarantee
Is the Post Office Safe?
How your money is protected
We checked the FCA Register. The travel money and card are run by First Rate Exchange Services Limited, an authorised Electronic Money Institution under FRN 900412, a joint venture with the Bank of Ireland rather than Travelex.
Because the card is an e-money product, not a bank account, it is not covered by FSCS. Your money is safeguarded instead, held in segregated accounts apart from the firm's own. Transfers run through Western Union's regulated UK entity.
Card security and lost cards
The travel card is a prepaid Mastercard, so a thief cannot reach your main bank account through it. If you lose it abroad, you can freeze it and a 24/7 line can help with a replacement or emergency cash.
That separation is the quiet benefit of a travel card: you only ever risk the balance you loaded, not your current account.
Using the Post Office: Online, Branch and Card
Buying online or in branch. Order currency or set up the card online for the better rate, then collect at a branch or take home delivery. Standard currencies like euros and dollars are often available the same day in larger branches; others are next-day click and collect if you order by 3pm.
The app and Apple Pay. The card added Apple Pay in 2026, so you can spend the loaded currency from your phone. You manage balances and top-ups in the card app.
Customer support. A 24/7 call centre handles the card, and Western Union runs a separate line for transfer queries. The branch counter is the fallback when you want a person face to face.
Post Office Customer Reviews and Reputation
We read the recent reviews rather than just the score, and the picture is steady rather than spectacular.
| Source | Score | Reviews | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot (Travel Money Card) | 1.8/5, "Great" | 3,822 | July 2026 |
| What people praise: the convenience of branch collection, the spread of currencies on the card, and the buy-back option. |
What goes wrong: the rate being beaten online, occasional card or top-up glitches, and the usual frustration when a transfer is held for checks.
How Does the Post Office Compare?
For holiday cash and a travel card on the high street, the Post Office is a sensible default, and you can weigh it against the rest in our money transfer comparison.
For sending money abroad, remember the engine is Western Union, so our Western Union review covers the same rails. For a banked recipient, Wise usually keeps more in their pocket with the mid-market rate and one clear fee. For a reloadable travel card instead of cash, our Caxton and Travelex reviews cover the closest alternatives.
Rates move daily, and we refresh the live figures, so run a live comparison of today's rates and fees for the corridor you care about, such as sending money to India, before you send.
Final Verdict: Is the Post Office Worth It?
The Post Office is the one to reach for when you want holiday cash or a travel card from a name you know, with a branch round the corner and a buy-back safety net.
For that job it is convenient and fair, and we rate it 3.6 out of 5. We found the tiered online rates reasonable on a larger order, and the card genuinely useful abroad.
Just know the trade before you send money: the transfer service is Western Union with its margin baked in, and an online specialist usually costs your recipient less.
Post Office Travel Money FAQs
It is fair rather than the best. Holiday cash carries 0% commission but a margin of roughly 1.7% off mid-market on a £1,000 order, and more on smaller orders. Order online and buy in larger amounts for the better rate.
Western Union. The online service is run by Western Union Payment Services GB Limited, and around 4,000 branches handle in-person transfers, so you get Western Union's network and pricing under the Post Office badge.
Yes, within its limits. It is issued by First Rate Exchange Services, an FCA-authorised e-money firm (FRN 900412) that safeguards your money in separate accounts. It is not FSCS-protected, but as a prepaid card it never exposes your main bank account.
Yes. You can sell unused notes back at over 2,500 branches at the day's buy-back rate, which is lower than your purchase rate. If a holiday is cancelled, a separate guarantee refunds pre-purchased currency at the original rate, with a receipt and within 28 days.
It is fair rather than the best. Holiday cash carries 0% commission but a margin of roughly 1.7% off mid-market on a £1,000 order, and more on smaller orders. Order online and buy in larger amounts for the better rate.
Western Union. The online service is run by Western Union Payment Services GB Limited, and around 4,000 branches handle in-person transfers, so you get Western Union's network and pricing under the Post Office badge.
Yes, within its limits. It is issued by First Rate Exchange Services, an FCA-authorised e-money firm (FRN 900412) that safeguards your money in separate accounts. It is not FSCS-protected, but as a prepaid card it never exposes your main bank account.
Yes. You can sell unused notes back at over 2,500 branches at the day's buy-back rate, which is lower than your purchase rate. If a holiday is cancelled, a separate guarantee refunds pre-purchased currency at the original rate, with a receipt and within 28 days.
Verified 27 June 2026. Provider data cross-checked against the FCA Register, postoffice.co.uk, Western Union and Trustpilot via the Post Office deep-research source set. Live transfer and currency figures are illustrative and refreshed by the Currency Expert comparison engine.
Currency Expert compares money transfer providers and may earn a commission when you use our links. It does not change how we rank providers or what we say below. Rates and fees move daily, so the figures here are dated; confirm the live amount with the Post Office before you buy or send.