Exchange Old Foreign Currency The Easy, Fast, and Hassle-Free Way

Posted by: Ian • 24 Aug 2025

That jar of forgotten foreign coins on your shelf isn't just a collection of holiday memories—it's actual cash waiting to be put back in your wallet.

The easiest way by far to exchange old foreign currency is with a specialist online service. We take everything from leftover holiday coins to those old, obsolete banknotes you thought were worthless. Our process is designed to be fast, easy, and completely hassle-free. Best of all? You don't even need to sort your coins and notes. The whole thing is quick, simple, and comes with a 100% guarantee for your peace of mind.

Turn Forgotten Holiday Money into Cash

We've all got one. That drawer, pot, or piggy bank filled with leftover currency from trips abroad. It could be a handful of Euros from a city break, some US dollars from an old family holiday, or even a random mix of coins you can't quite place.

Most people just assume it's too much hassle to exchange or that the amount is too small to be worth the effort.

But that’s where you’d be wrong. With our specialised service, it’s incredibly simple to turn that jumble of foreign coins and notes into British pounds. We’ve designed our process to be completely hassle-free, from the moment you decide to clear out that drawer to the moment the cash lands in your account.

Why Our Fast and Easy Process Beats Traditional Methods

Here's a quick look at how our service simplifies exchanging foreign currency compared to the usual hassle.

Feature	Our Service	Traditional Methods (Bank/Post Office)
Coins Accepted?	Yes, all of them!	Rarely, and usually only major currencies.
Sorting Needed?	Not at all. Mix them all up.	Yes, you must separate everything.
Obsolete Currency?	Absolutely. We love old money.	No, they only accept current currency.
Convenience	Fast, easy, and post from home.	In-person visits and queues.
Speed	Fast and efficient processing.	Can be slow with lots of paperwork.

Simply put, we've removed all the roadblocks that make exchanging leftover cash a chore.

A Trusted and Guaranteed Process

When you’re sending money, you need to know it’s in safe hands. That’s why we’re proud to be trusted by some of the UK’s most recognisable organisations.

We work with major charities, national supermarkets, airports, and even police forces to manage their foreign currency exchange. This trust isn’t given lightly; it’s earned through years of reliable, transparent, and credible service.

Our 100% guarantee means you can send your currency with complete confidence. The entire process is secure, straightforward, and built around your convenience.

The Key Benefits of Our Service

Unlike high street banks or the Post Office, which often have a long list of rules about what they’ll accept, we take a much more realistic and flexible approach. Here’s what really sets our service apart:

No Sorting Required: Seriously, don't waste your time separating different currencies. Just bundle all your coins and notes together—Euros, Dollars, obsolete Pesetas, it doesn’t matter—and send them our way.
All Currency Accepted: We exchange foreign coins, current banknotes, and even the old or obsolete currency that’s no longer in circulation. If you've got it, we'll probably take it.
Fast and Easy: The system is built for one thing: getting your money to you without pointless delays or complicated paperwork. It’s a completely hassle-free experience.

This approach is perfect for anyone who’s been putting off cashing in their leftover holiday money. As we cover in our guide on what to do with leftover holiday money, turning those forgotten coins into cash has never been easier. It’s a genuinely practical way to unlock the hidden value sitting right there in your home.

Finding and Gathering Your Leftover Currency

Alright, the first step to unlocking the cash hidden in your old holiday money is actually finding it all. Most of us have a go-to spot—a coin jar on the shelf or an old travel wallet—but the real money is often hiding in plain sight, scattered around the house. A proper search can easily double what you thought you had.

Think back to your last few trips. What about the pockets of that jacket you took to Spain? Or the side compartment of a suitcase stashed in the loft? Even that one "random stuff" drawer in the kitchen is a classic hiding spot. It can feel like a bit of a treasure hunt, and you might just be surprised by what you find.

Practical Tips: Where to Look for Hidden Currency

Before you tear the house apart, grab a bag or a box to keep everything together. It just makes life easier. Here are some helpful, real-world tips on the most common places people find forgotten coins and banknotes:

Old Handbags and Backpacks: Be sure to check every single zip and hidden pocket of bags you've used for travelling.
The Car: The glove compartment, centre console, and door pockets are magnets for loose change.
Coat and Trouser Pockets: A systematic search through the wardrobes of everyone in the house who travels is a must.
"The Everything Drawer": You know the one. It’s usually a goldmine for foreign currency, mixed in with old keys, batteries, and receipts.

Once you’ve gathered your haul, you’ll probably be looking at a confusing jumble of different currencies. You might not even recognise some of them. This is where our service really shines.

The single biggest time-saver is that there is absolutely no need to sort your currency. Whether you have a handful of old Spanish Pesetas, a few US Dollars, and a pile of mystery coins, just bung them all in together. Our entire process is designed to be completely hassle-free from the get-go.

This one simple feature turns a tedious chore into something you can do in minutes. Forget spending hours squinting at coins and Googling flags. Just gather it all up, and let us do the hard work of sorting, identifying, and valuing every piece. This straightforward approach is a core part of how we make it so easy to exchange foreign coins and notes.

If you're curious about the full journey your money takes, you can learn more about how to exchange foreign currency in our detailed guide. Our commitment to simplicity is why we’re a trusted partner for major UK brands, including charities and supermarkets, who rely on us to efficiently convert foreign coins and banknotes into valuable funds.

How to Package Your Currency for a Safe Journey

So, you’ve gathered up all your leftover currency. The next step? Getting it packaged up securely. This is a crucial part of the process, but don't worry, it's simple. Proper packaging is the key to making sure your old coins and notes arrive with us safely, giving you total peace of mind.

Think of it like posting any other valuable item. You wouldn't just pop a piece of jewellery in a standard paper envelope, and the same logic applies here. Your leftover foreign currency holds real value, so it’s well worth taking a couple of extra minutes to protect it properly on its journey.

Our entire service, which is trusted by major names like UK airports, supermarkets, and charities, is built to be fast and hassle-free. That all starts with you sending your money to us securely.

This quick infographic shows you just how straightforward it is to turn your old coins and notes into cash.

As you can see, it’s a seamless process designed to help you easily exchange old foreign currency with a service you can rely on.

Helpful Advice on Choosing the Right Packaging

When it comes to posting your currency, your best bet is either a sturdy, padded jiffy bag or a small, robust cardboard box. These offer the best protection against the inevitable bumps and knocks that happen during transit, and they’ll stop the package from tearing open.

Definitely avoid standard paper envelopes. We've seen it happen before – the weight of the coins can easily rip right through the paper, and you don't want that.

Here’s a great little tip from experience: pop any loose coins into a separate, sealed bag inside your main package. A simple zip-lock bag or even a well-sealed plastic food bag from the kitchen will do the job perfectly. This one small step stops the coins from rattling around, which not only makes the parcel more secure but also prevents them from wearing a hole through the outer packaging.

Securing Your Package for Posting

Once everything is tucked safely inside your chosen packaging, it’s time to seal it up tight. A common mistake people make is just relying on the peel-off adhesive strip that comes with the bag or box. For an extra layer of security, we always recommend reinforcing all the seams with strong packing tape.

Just run a layer of tape over the main seal and then add a few extra strips along the edges and corners. Honestly, this small step makes a massive difference in ensuring your package stays completely intact until it gets to us. It's a simple precaution that helps us deliver on our 100% guarantee by ensuring a safe and successful exchange.

Whether you want to exchange foreign coins or donate foreign coins to charity, getting this preparation right is key.

Our goal is to make it as easy as possible to convert foreign coins and banknotes into pounds, and secure packaging is the first, crucial step you take. For a full rundown of how everything works from start to finish, you can check out our complete guide on the We Buy All Currency homepage.

What Happens After You Post Your Currency

Once your parcel is in the post, you can sit back and relax. You've done your part, and now our team gets to work, showing you just how fast, easy, and hassle-free our service really is.

We know you're trusting us with your money, and we take that responsibility seriously. From the moment your package arrives at our facility, it's handled with the utmost care. This commitment to security and transparency is why we’re the trusted choice for major brands across the UK, including well-known charities, supermarkets, airports, and even police forces.

Our Secure Handling and Valuation Process

As soon as your package lands with us, it’s opened in a secure, controlled environment. Our specialists then get to work, carefully weighing and identifying every single coin and note using precision equipment.

This isn't guesswork. It's a meticulous process designed to accurately value everything you’ve sent, whether it's a handful of leftover holiday coins or a bundle of old, obsolete banknotes. We handle thousands of parcels, so our team can identify and value currencies from all over the world in minutes. This expertise ensures you get the best possible value for your money.

Our 100% guarantee is at the heart of what we do. Once we’ve valued your currency, we send you a detailed breakdown and a payment offer. If you’re not completely happy for any reason, we’ll return your currency to you, free of charge. It’s that simple.

This risk-free approach means you have complete peace of mind when you choose to exchange foreign coins and notes with us.

Understanding Currency Values and Exchange Rates

The value of foreign currency isn’t fixed; it’s constantly moving with the global markets. The strength of the British Pound, for example, plays a huge role in how much your exchange is worth. The value of old foreign currency in the UK is heavily influenced by how the Pound Sterling is performing against major currencies like the US Dollar and the Euro.

If you look back, you can see just how much exchange rates have varied over the years, which directly impacts the return you get. For a deeper dive, you can see how the pound has performed over time and get a feel for these market dynamics.

To make sure you get a fair price, we update our rates regularly to reflect these movements. We lock in the rate on the day we process your currency, which protects you from any sudden drops in value while we're sorting out your payment.

Receiving Your Payment Quickly and Easily

Once you've given our offer the green light, we get straight to paying you. We pride ourselves on being quick because we know you don’t want to wait weeks for your cash.

Our process is designed to get the payment to you swiftly, and you have complete control over how you receive it.

Bank Transfer: This is our fastest and most popular option. The funds will arrive directly in your account.
Cheque: If you prefer a more traditional method, we can send a cheque to your address.
Charity Donation: A fantastic way to donate foreign coins to charity. We can send the payment directly to one of our partnered charities on your behalf.

The whole journey, from posting your parcel to getting paid, is designed to be completely seamless. It’s the easiest way to exchange old foreign currency, turning that forgotten clutter into useful cash or a meaningful donation.

Ready to get started? Just head over to our homepage and follow the simple steps.

What About Old, Obsolete Currency?

That dusty bag of old notes and coins you inherited or found tucked away in the attic might look like nothing more than a historical curiosity. Many people assume that once a currency is taken out of circulation—like the old European currencies replaced by the Euro—it becomes completely worthless.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

There's a surprising amount of hidden value locked away in obsolete money. While your local bank or Post Office will turn it away without a second thought, specialist services like ours are set up specifically to exchange old foreign currency. We see the real value in these forgotten treasures and make it simple to turn them into cash.

From Deutschmarks to Pesetas, We Take Them All

One of the key things that sets our service apart is our ability to handle currencies that are no longer in official use. Think of old German Deutschmarks, French Francs, Spanish Pesetas, or Italian Lira. These are often the exact types of money people find in drawers, left over from holidays decades ago.

For many, discovering these old notes is exciting but quickly leads to a dead end. Try to exchange them through traditional channels, and you won't get very far. This is where our expertise comes in. Our service is built to handle exactly this kind of currency, providing a straightforward and hassle-free way to cash it in.

You don't need to identify or sort anything yourself. Our specialists recognise currencies from all over the world, both current and obsolete. This is a core part of our 100% guarantee—we take all the guesswork out of the process for you.

This commitment is why we’re trusted by major UK charities, airports, and even police forces. They regularly receive a wide mix of foreign money and rely on us to efficiently convert foreign coins and banknotes, no matter their age or origin.

How Can Obsolete Money Still Be Worth Something?

You’re probably wondering how a currency that no longer officially exists can still have any value. It all comes down to arrangements with national central banks or specialist numismatic markets.

Even after a currency is demonetised, many central banks offer a grace period—sometimes indefinitely—to exchange old notes back into the current currency.

Here's how it generally works:

Central Bank Agreements: We work within the systems set up by countries like Germany, which still honours old Deutschmarks.
Collector Value: Some older coins and notes may also have a numismatic value to collectors, which can sometimes be even higher than their original face value.
Metal Content: In some cases, the value comes from the precious metal content of the coins themselves.

We handle all these complexities behind the scenes. Our rates for obsolete currency are calculated based on these factors, ensuring you receive a fair and transparent valuation every time. The UK has its own long history with this, especially during the switch to decimalisation. In the run-up to 1971, the Bank of England and Post Offices managed the exchange of around 7 billion old pre-decimal coins to help the public adapt. You can discover more about historical UK exchange rate trends to see just how much currency values can shift over time.

Whether you want to exchange foreign coins and notes for yourself or donate foreign coins to charity, unlocking the value in obsolete money is a fantastic way to make use of something you thought was worthless. Our service guarantees a simple and rewarding experience from start to finish. Ready to see what your old currency is worth? Visit our homepage to get started.

Your Questions Answered

We get it. You've got a pile of old currency and a few questions before you send it off. It’s completely normal, and to put your mind at ease, we’ve put together answers to the most common queries we hear from customers. Our entire process is built to be fast, simple, and transparent, all backed by our 100% guarantee.

Do I Really Have to Sort Through All My Coins and Notes?

Absolutely not, and honestly, this is where our service really shines. Just gather up everything you have – all the different coins, all the different notes – and pop it all in together.

There's no need to spend hours separating currencies or denominations. It saves you a massive amount of time and hassle. This 'no-sort' policy is a huge reason why major charities, UK airports, and even supermarkets trust us to handle their currency collections efficiently.

What Kinds of Currency Do You Actually Take?

We accept a huge range of currency, especially the stuff that high street banks and post offices will almost always turn away. If you've got it, chances are we'll take it.

This includes:

Foreign Coins: From common ones like Euros and US Dollars to currencies from further afield.
Current Banknotes: Any foreign notes that are still in circulation today.
Obsolete Currency: This is a big one. We take old, pre-Euro banknotes and coins like German Deutschmarks, Spanish Pesetas, and Italian Lira that are no longer in use.

So, whether you want to exchange foreign coins, cash in current banknotes, or finally get some value from that obsolete money you thought was worthless, we’ve got you covered.

How Can I Be Sure I’m Getting a Fair Price?

Transparency is at the heart of everything we do. Our exchange rates are constantly updated to reflect current market values, so you can be confident you’re getting a fair and competitive offer for your currency.

Once we receive your package, our team gets to work valuing it. We'll then send you a detailed breakdown of what you have and our offer. You're always in control. If for any reason you're not completely happy with the valuation, we'll return your currency to you, free of charge. It’s all part of our 100% guarantee.

Can I Donate the Money to Charity Instead?

Yes, you can, and it’s a brilliant way to make a real difference with your leftover change. We make it incredibly easy to donate foreign coins to charity through our service.

When you fill out the form, simply choose the donation option. We can send the payment directly to one of our partnered charities on your behalf. It’s a simple, effective way to turn that forgotten holiday money into vital funds for a good cause.

For a few more ideas, have a look at our guide on what to do with old foreign currency.

Ready to turn that forgotten currency into cash? With We Buy All Currency, the process is fast, easy, and completely secure. Join thousands of satisfied customers and our trusted partners, including major UK charities, airports, and police forces. It's time to exchange your leftover foreign currency the hassle-free way. Visit www.webuyallcurrency.com to get started today