🇬🇧 United Kingdom: bunq Community Travel Tips

bunq

✈️ Heading to United Kingdom? We've gathered some tips from the bunq community to make sure your trip is the smoothest it can be. 😎

Check them out below! 🌈 👇

Using your card

💳 Do I need cash in United Kingdom, or can I use my card everywhere?

You can pay nearly everywhere with Card in the UK.

Even small businesses take card, and there are usually no minimum transaction amounts.

💰 What currency do they use here?

The currency here is Pounds. The symbol is £ or GBP.

🏧 Which ATM’s can I use for free?

Most ATM's in the UK are free. They will usually say "Free Withdrawals" in large writing above the ATM, so keep an eye out for that.

The bunq community has reported additional fee's for withdrawals at these ATM's.

Euronet

💵 If I want cash, how much should I take out of an ATM?

£30 should be enough for a few days, since you can use your card for nearly everything.

💳 Should I choose local currency or Euros when paying?

If you're asked to choose between local currency and Euros, always choose local currency.

That way bunq does the conversion for you, and you get to take advantage of the best rates with bunq ZeroFX.

Staying connected

📱 Can I roam, or should I get a local SIM?

All EU mobile plans should let you roam for free.

If you don't have an EU plan, you can learn about your local SIM card options here.

Useful things to know

💁‍♀️ How does tipping work?

Tipping is not expected in the UK. If you wish to, you can round up to the nearest pound, but this is not required.

🍺 How much does a 0.5L beer cost?

€4,00

🍽 How much does an average meal cost?

€13,00

🚨 What’s the emergency number?

999

🔌 What type of plug do they use?

This one! It’s the standard British plug.

🚗 What side of the road do they drive on?

They drive on the left side of the road here.

🗺 How do I navigate my way around?

Google and Apple Maps both work well in the UK.

Otherwise, we recommend Rome2Rio as the best way to find out how to get anywhere. It even tells you the cost of each option. 🙌

👀 Any other good tips?

In London, you can use your bunq card directly to tap on and off public transport. This works with Mastercards and Maestro cards.

Travel Perks

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We've partnered with Tiqets to bring you discounts on attraction tickets in United Kingdom 🇬🇧. To get your discount, simply follow the link here and use our coupon code BUNQTIQETS10 at checkout. That's it! 🎊

Travel hands-free with a 20% discount on Stasher

Our partnership with Stasher will allow you to enjoy your destination to the fullest without having to worry about your luggage. You’ll be able to drop off your bags at trusted shops and hotels in UK with a 20% discount through this link 👌🏻.

If you've been to United Kingdom 🇬🇧 share your experience! The following would be really useful for other bunqers to know:

Which ATMs are free to use?
What card should I use and where?
Any other info you think may be useful.

Share your experience with us in the comments below! 🌈 👇

DaveFlash

does TfL really work with the bunq Maestro? as I've seen elsewhere on together, that some still had problems with it, though that was last year...

Any update bunq can give about this?
Also, I will be updating this post next week when I'm in London, where I'll try all three card: the maestro and the debit and credit {travel} Mastercards.

to see if all or some of them work for public transport.... stay tuned

UPDATE Tuesday 26 nov, 08:00 GMT: Special Update from, Victoria Coach Station, London: Yes I can confirm, Maestro Cards from bunq work with Oyster and Contactless, just tapped in for an overgrond train to another part in London without problems. (though Apple Pay, card will also work on it's own or another digital Wallet.)

Marcel

Can also confirm London underground works with bunq Maestro like a charm, just tap and all smooth. Though make sure you have whitelisted the country on your card, as you do not have 4G in most parts of the Metro station. Also the Tiquets offer has more than enough inspiration for a weekendtrip London, plenty to choose from👍

Roeshimi

@Marcel#138861 Did you perform a regular Apple Pay „purchase“ or did you configure the card for the new Apple Pay express transit?

Marcel

@Roeshimi#138865 I used my Maestro card and not my phone and tapped the pad where I in the past used my Oyster card

Roeshimi

@Marcel#138866 Ah sorry for misunderstanding

Marcel

@Roeshimi#138867 No worries, I think Apple pay also works

Stephen-Yellow-Lion

You can also use 112 for the emergency services as well as 999.

MIROW

@bunq#119087 In my opinion a lot of these tips are subject to debate. Many small retailers will refuse card for small transactions, and some merchants such as some cab drivers and hairdressers often only accept cash. The bigger the merchant and the larger the transaction amounts the higher the likelihood of card acceptance. Travel on busses outside London such as First Bus will normally result in a small £0.20 charge that a day or two later is revised to the actual amount. Cards are usually accepted without ID, but for vehicle hire they expect the bank card and ID names to match (which can be awkward if say driver has driving license but no bankcard and passenger wants to pay with their bankcard but has no driving license). Many ATM networks that are not branded by a bank will charge for cash withdrawals but if they do it will warn on screen and allow you to back out before money vended if you not happy with the charge. ATM charges usually vary between £1.50-1.99 and a charge may be dependent on if the card is a Debit or Credit as they have different interchange fees so the operator faces different costs. ATM in richer areas tend to vend £20 and £10 notes. In poorer areas they often vend ££20, £10 and £5 notes as lower denominations are in higher demand. If you receive banknotes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland, or Clydesdale bank, while readily accepted in Scotland you may face issues in England. Due to many people being unfamiliar with then there is a higher risk of them accepting forgeries, so many smaller retailers will decline non Bank of England notes outside Scotland. Larger retailers in England will often accept them, and even accept the less common Northern Ireland banknotes from Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, and Northern Bank/Danske Bank. Whenever possible pay by card as you will minimize the risk of being passed a forged note, and it is safer not to carry much cash, particularly in crowded public places like London's Oxford Street.

Dennis-Green-Akita

In the UK many small retailers have a £5 minimum buy for card transactions. If you receive a banknote in change which is scottish or Irish take it to any bank and they will change it for you.

GuillaumeC

Je résume que la carte MasterCard marché à Londre mais bermingam ils demande plus une visa pour les guichet bancaire c est gratuit oui je confirme

New-Yellow-Jaguar-3858934580

@DaveFlash#134016 It works on buses and on metro

Jyan

La travelcard Mastercard funziona come una oyster card? Ha un limite giornaliero di spesa?

thijsoost

A friend of mine is now in Scotland with both a bunq Maestro and Mastercard, but they don't work in buses (although both logos are displayed on the terminal). Something to take into account! Make sure to bring some cash if you want to use the bus in Scotland.

Good to mention that his Maestro and Mastercard from ABN AMRO both also didn't work, so it's not specifically a bunq issue.

New-White-Hare-3818094183

Yes this is 100% correct , my bunq maestro also doesnt work on buses in Scotland.