How to get the best exchange rate when buying property overseas
When transferring money overseas, don’t think you will get the best exchange rate from your high street bank.  There is an alternative and it will save you money.

When buying overseas, most people look no further than the high street banks.  But this can prove to be expensive and unsatisfactory.  Not only are you likely to be offered a poor exchange rate but you may find dealing with a call centre less than straight forward.  A realistic alternative is to use a specialist currency broker.  Their proposition is simple: if you need to transfer more than a few thousand pounds you will normally be better off going to them rather than a bank.  This is true in terms of the exchange rate you can get, the speed of transfer and the peace of mind you would expect from a specialist operation.

“We offer excellent value for money coupled with an unrivalled personal service.” said Rupert Lee-Browne of Caxton FX.  “We offer clients tangible reasons for using us- including free transfers that the banks charge for.”

A survey published by a National Sunday Newspaper in February 2008 showed a range of rates offered by the High Street banks.  Transferring €200,000 via Caxton FX would have cost about £830 less than Lloyds and several thousand pounds less than Barclays, HSBC and Nat West.

But it isn’t just about cost.  The process can appear complicated and a specialist can reassure clients by explaining each step of the process.

“Clients understandably want to know how it all works.  As part of the service we make it all very easy to understand.” says Lee-Browne.

How to get the best exchange rate on travel cash

Caxton believe that everyone should pay a fair price for foreign exchange whether it’s for £5000 or £100 which is why they recently launched their currency card range.  Designed for travellers they are pre-paid cards loaded with currency before travel and then used like any other debit card when overseas.  The Caxton card not only guarantees best-of-day exchange rates but it also allows you to avoid the charges and fees normally associated with overseas card use.  It is a chip and PIN MasterCard making it a secure alternative to cash which is accepted everywhere.