Heathrow has 23 currency exchange offices, 98 ATMs and more than 40 self-service machines, all run by Global Exchange, spread across all four terminals (checked 2026). The best rate usually comes from ordering currency online in advance for click-and-collect, or from paying by debit or credit card and choosing to be charged in the local currency rather than pounds. Walking up to an airport counter on the day is the most convenient option but almost always the most expensive.
Where to change money at Heathrow
Global Exchange operates every currency desk in Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, both airside and landside, with branches in departures, arrivals and near baggage reclaim. Opening hours at most desks run from around 05:00 to 22:00, matching the airport's core flight bank. You do not need to search for a competing bureau: Global Exchange is the sole concession, so the rate at one T5 desk and another at T2 should be the same on a given day, though rates can move during the day.
Alongside the staffed desks there are more than 40 self-service currency machines, useful outside staffed hours or when queues are long, plus 98 ATMs across the terminals for cash withdrawals on a debit or credit card. Not every cash machine at the airport is fee-free. Where you have a choice, use a machine branded by a mainstream UK bank rather than an independent operator, and check the screen for any withdrawal charge before you confirm.
How to get a better rate than the walk-up desk
- Order online and collect at the airport. Global Exchange lets you reserve currency online ahead of travel and pick it up at a Heathrow desk. This locks in a rate in advance, avoids queuing, and is consistently cheaper than buying on the spot, since walk-up airport rates carry the widest margin of almost any exchange channel.
- Use a card with no foreign transaction fees. A growing number of UK current accounts and travel cards (Monzo, Starling, Chase and similar) charge no loading fee and use the card network's wholesale exchange rate, which usually beats any airport counter by a wide margin. For a short trip, a fee-free card plus a small amount of pre-ordered cash for emergencies covers most needs.
- Always choose to pay in the local currency, not pounds. When a card machine or ATM abroad offers "pay in GBP" versus "pay in local currency," decline the GBP option. That prompt is Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), and it applies a worse exchange rate set by the merchant's bank rather than your card issuer. The same logic applies in reverse if you're withdrawing foreign cash at Heathrow before flying out.
- Compare, don't assume. If you do want cash before you fly, check Global Exchange's online rate against a comparison site or your bank's card rate first. Airport bureaux have improved with online pre-order pricing, but a fee-free card still tends to work out cheaper for anything beyond a small contingency amount.
Exchanging money on arrival at Heathrow
If you're landing in the UK and need pounds, the arrivals-side Global Exchange desks in each terminal will change most major currencies and notes on the spot. Rates for buying GBP with foreign cash are generally less favourable than the reverse transaction, so if your card works in the UK (most contactless and chip cards do, including for the Tube, buses and shops), it is usually simpler and cheaper to withdraw a small amount from an ATM using your home debit card and rely on card payments for the rest, checking your bank's foreign transaction fee first.
Frequently asked questions
Is airport currency exchange always the worst rate?
Not always, but it's rarely the best. A pre-booked online order for collection at Heathrow narrows the gap considerably, while a genuine walk-up exchange on the day usually carries the highest margin of any option, including online exchange services and fee-free cards.
How many currency exchange points are there at Heathrow?
Global Exchange runs 23 exchange offices plus over 40 self-service machines across Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, alongside 98 ATMs, as of 2026.
Can I order currency online and collect it at Heathrow?
Yes. Global Exchange offers online ordering with airport collection, which locks in a rate ahead of time and is usually cheaper and faster than buying at the counter on the day.
Should I use my card or carry cash at Heathrow?
For most travellers, a card with no foreign transaction fees covers day-to-day spending more cheaply than exchanged cash. Carry a small amount of local currency for emergencies, taxis, or places that don't take cards.
What is Dynamic Currency Conversion and should I use it?
It's the option, offered at some card machines and ATMs, to be charged in pounds instead of the local currency. Decline it. DCC exchange rates are set by the merchant's bank and are almost always worse than your own card issuer's rate.
Are all ATMs at Heathrow free to use?
No. Some machines, particularly those run by independent operators rather than mainstream banks, charge a withdrawal fee. Check the on-screen terms before confirming a transaction, and prefer a bank-branded machine if one is available.
Before you fly
If you're arriving into or departing from Heathrow, it's worth pairing currency planning with the basics covered in our guides to UK customs allowances and Heathrow's entry requirements, and for getting into town afterwards, see our comparison of trains, Tube and coach fares and taxi options at Heathrow.