Currency Exchange at JFK airport?

Question

I will be taking a 11:30 pm flight out of JFK airport to London and will be arriving at approx 9pm to check in. Is there anyway to exchange money at Kennedy airport that late or is it better to order it from my bank and have it prior to the trip?

one more detail. I will be in london for just one day then heading into mainland Europe. so it is the Euro that i am mainly concerned with.

Answer 1

You don't need to exchange money or get some before you leave. Exchanging money is one of the worse ways to get local cash. They give you about 10% less than the correct exchange rate and then charge you a fee on top of that. The best way is to get if from an ATM machine at a bank outlet, they have one in the airport. You will only be charged about a $1 to $1.50 (whatever your local bank charges you). The bank you are getting the money from doesn't charge you anything and the best part is you get the correct exchange rate too. You will only need about 50 GBP for one day, that isn't very much unless you plan on doing a lot of shopping. Do the same thing when you get to the mainland and get your Euros from the nearest ATM machine. Fact is you don't need to take almost any US dollars with you, you don't need them at all.

Answer 2

Yes, Every terminal will have a desk/booth where you can exchange currency. Most of them will be Travelex. Some will be American Express. Be adivsed you pay quite a heafty commison to these exchanges. If it make you feel better you could get a very small amount of currency at JFK and then the rest at an ATM in your destination country. But dont get alot as you are paying almost a 10% or more surcharge.

Answer 3

Don't change money at the airport, take money out of the ATM in London, it will give you a much better rate. You'll lose $5 extra if you change $100 in JFK as opposed to a bank machine in London.