Those heading abroad to holiday homes in France have a number of options to consider when changing their sterling into euros.
That is the view of travel money expert at moneysupermarket.com Peter Harrison, who explained that a lot of high street retailers and banks offer currency exchange with zero per cent commission.
However, the fact that many of these have high margins means that they offer "a less competitive exchange rate than you can get elsewhere".
Instead, Mr Harrison advised holidaymakers to prepare in advance by checking websites such as Travelex so that they can order currencies at the most competitive rates.
These can then be collected at the airport before you travel, he noted.
Alternatively, there are a number of pre-paid cards that can offer "very competitive" exchange rates for currency exchange, Mr Harrison concluded.
The euro currently sands at 1.08384 to the pound, figures from x-rates.com show – a marked decrease from the 1.50687 that was recorded in January 2007.
Written by Daniel Leray
