I got the email this morning, but I thought you had to order over £500 at a time?

Also today I got an email telling me I need to apply fro an ESTA (new visa waiver) at least 72 hours before travelling. I thought I would try it, so I've done my own, still to do other 5! Pretty straightforward, same questions as the green form. And I got approved right away. Hope we all do!

Who did you get the email about the ESTA from Lesley, was it the airline?

luci

Hi Lesley

I thought also you had to apply for £500 worth, but we read it wrong (so the lady informed me tonight) It is only £500 if you want free delivery, if it is under it costs £5 per transaction.
So far i have odered £2000 worth of dollars namely £500 sterling, but the rate of $163 was exceptional and they only had a £1000 worth left when i rang, so had to make a quick decision and act fast.
I am having to keep dates on times when they are all coming Very nice people to talk to on the phone.

A great way of getting a good rate, no way would i use the high street and banks.

Thanks Luci for bringing it to my attention in a thread a while back

Hi Derwentrocker,

That explains. Perhaps I just decided myself it was £500, as I didn't want to pay the postage. However of course if you're happy with the rate then why not!

Luci, the email was from Expedia. For the flights I booked in early November for next September. Here's the link (it's not specific to me - it's for anyone travelling after 12th January 09).

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov You have to have your flight booked, because you have to give your departure point and your flight number into the US.

The best rate today is $1.64
Delivery for April 2009

We are not going until June, but keep raking them in.......
https://www.crowncurrencyexchange.com/content/cancelled-currency-contracts-dollars.asp

Does it not make you think that they think it's going up

I'm not sure what to do. $1.6475 would be better than the rates of late, but I'll get annoyed if it goes up to $1.70+! Not sure what to do. There are others travelling with us, so some of them may want to split the £500 postage free minimum.... The interbank rate has also climbed a bit this week to $1.5333 right now.

Lesley, they had a rate of $1.41 last week and said that if you bought dollars at 1.41 and the rate went up to $1.70 then they would honour the $1.70 rate. If however the rate didnt reach the maximum then you would still get the minimum. This was by a certain date.

I still have my holiday to pay for because i had saved up half, then spend most of it on $. I cannot take the risk of it being $1 to the £ which reading BBc articles it is expected to if the interest rate hits 0%. So i haven't really lost anything. Truth is the rate with currency exchange is still better than TA or banks if you get it in a couple of weeks. Well in my town anyway

Thanks Lesley. I will have to get around to doing my ESTA soon, even though we don't go till April.

Re CCE, I have 2 lots of currency ordered and was tempted to order more when they were promising to honour the higher rate if it went up. However in these uncertain times hubby has persuaded me to be cautious and not risk any more cash just in case they go the way of other financial institutions.

luci

Another point on the currency...it has risen a bit more this evening, thanks to a fed rate cut in the US. Some sort of overnight interest rate, so it is a sign of bad times for them, and has caused the rate to improve for us.

Additionally the euro has contined to lose another cent to the pound today, so another sign we're still in decline more than the euro, but less than the US today!

The deal with CCE honouring the better rate wasn't them honouring the full rate (unless I saw a different offer). They said they'd honour 75% of the increase. Bit of a tricky one to calculate, but it was a sort of no-lose rate. Well the rate they were offering it at was lower than it would be without that deal. I guess they expect things to return to some mid-point. I read something that said that there would be a slow recovery to a 'norm' point of around $1.70.

These people really don't seem to be able to predict things though so we will just have to wait and see!!!

Hi Luci

I asked them 'what if' they go under like other banks etc, i was concerned avout my money etc, but,
she told me that they are a bureau de change and bought the $ months and months ago and have them in stock in there place wherever that maybe, so they own the right to that currency and bought in bulk when the rate was $2 to the pound. So that put my mind at rest, there is no thrid party in these transactions.

Michelle x