United Kingdom / Money rules

UK money rules

Eight things worth remembering while you are there, each linking to the fuller explanation.

Open it, then press and hold to keep it in your photos. Works with no signal.

1. 1Pay in pounds, whatever the screen suggestsTerminals and cash machines will float the dollar option, and taking it hands over 3 to 8 percent. Sterling every time, and your own bank does the sum.Cards, cash and cashpoints
2. 2No ETA, no boardingSince February 2026 US visitors need one to fly, and the airline stops you without it. Apply through the official government app, not the copycat sites that resell it at a markup.What the UK ETA involves
3. 3Some cash machines charge, most do notThe ones wedged into corner shops and the Euronet units at airports and big stations all take a cut. A LINK machine at a bank costs nothing, and the screen says so before you commit.Getting cash without a fee
4. 4Do not buy an Oyster cardThe card or phone already in your pocket opens the same gates at the same price, and hits the same daily ceiling once you have ridden enough. London buses stopped taking coins years ago.Getting around London
5. 5That 12.5 percent on the bill is the tipRestaurants add it, London ones especially, and it is discretionary, so you may ask for it off if the service earned that. Nothing further is needed. At a pub bar you tip nothing at all.Service charges, and pubs
6. 6Britain will not refund your VATThe visitor scheme ended in 2021 and has never returned, so the 20 percent stays put on anything you carry out. Shopping here is not the tax-back exercise the rest of Europe trains you to expect.Why there is no VAT refund
7. 7Leave Heathrow on the Elizabeth line, not in a cabOne flat fare into the middle of London, a fraction of what a black cab wants for the same journey, and in traffic it usually arrives sooner.Cabs, apps and the airport run
8. 8Scottish notes are sterling, but spend them up thereBanks in Scotland and Northern Ireland print their own pounds. It is real money, though it does not count as legal tender in England and plenty of shops there will wave it away. Swap them for Bank of England notes before heading south.Notes, and what gets accepted

These are the rules that do not really change, which is why they are worth carrying. Exact fees, rates and prices do move, so check the United Kingdom guide for anything current before you rely on a number.

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