A trip that crosses from the Eurozone into Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, or the UK means juggling multiple currencies at once. Most people either over-prepare (carrying too much of each) or under-prepare (getting caught without cash at the wrong moment). Neither is necessary if you have a clear system.

Start With a No-Fee Card and Make It Your Default

Before anything else: get a card with no foreign transaction fees and no ATM withdrawal fees. Wise, Revolut, and Starling are the standard options for UK travellers. Chase UK is also solid.

With one of these cards, you can pay by contactless in Euros, Czech koruna, Hungarian forints, or Croatian kuna without losing money on conversion. The exchange rate is interbank or close to it. This should cover 80-90% of your spending without touching cash.

Set this up before you travel, not at the airport.

Cash: How Much and When

You still need cash in most European cities, but less than you think. Cash matters for:

  • Small markets and street food stalls
  • Tipping (taxis, cafes, tour guides)
  • Some smaller museums and churches with cash-only entry
  • Transport in cities where contactless isn't yet universal (some bus routes in Eastern Europe)

A working figure: £30-50 per person per day in cash-heavy destinations like Prague, Budapest, or Krakow. £15-25 in more card-friendly cities like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or Dublin.

Withdraw local currency from ATMs using your no-fee travel card rather than exchanging at bureaux de change. Avoid airport exchange desks entirely. The rates at Gatwick or Heathrow exchange counters are consistently poor.

Managing Leftover Currency

The problem with multi-country trips is arriving home with small amounts of four different currencies. A few tactics:

Spend it down deliberately. On your last morning in each city, spend remaining local cash on breakfast, coffee, or a souvenir. Don't let it sit.

Leave small change as tips. Coins are genuinely hard to exchange back; notes are easier. Use coins freely as tips or on small purchases before you cross the border.

Wise multi-currency account. If you travel frequently, holding a Wise account lets you keep balances in multiple currencies across trips. The euros left over from Barcelona sit ready for the next trip to Lisbon.

Don't exchange at borders. Border exchange rates are reliably worse than ATM rates in the destination city.

The Organisation Problem

Carrying cash in three currencies and losing track of which notes belong to which country is a real issue. Two approaches:

Separate sections in a zip-around travel wallet: One section per currency, labelled by feel or colour-coded with small paper slips. Old-fashioned but it works.

Use your phone as the tracker: When you withdraw cash, note the amount in a phone note and subtract as you go. Takes thirty seconds and avoids the confusion of arriving home and finding €40 and 2,000 Hungarian forints mixed in a coat pocket.

Dynamic Currency Conversion: Always Say No

At card terminals in tourist areas across Europe, you'll sometimes be offered the option to pay in pounds instead of local currency. This is called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) and the rate is poor, typically 3-5% worse than your card's rate. Always choose to pay in local currency. If the terminal has already selected pounds, cancel and reinsert the card, or ask the cashier to reset the terminal.

It's the one currency trap that catches even experienced travellers.