How to Exchange Leftover Foreign Currency | A Fast, Easy & Guaranteed Guide

Posted by: Ian • 5 Sep 2025

We’ve all been there. You get back from a brilliant holiday, unpack your bags, and find a random collection of foreign coins and notes rattling around in your purse or pocket. The easiest way to deal with it? Use a specialised online service that makes it fast, easy, and 100% guaranteed to turn that leftover currency into cash you can actually spend, without the faff of sorting coins or queuing at the bank.

Unlock Value from Your Leftover Holiday Money

If you've got a jar of leftover holiday money sitting on a shelf, you're definitely not alone. It's so common for travellers to just pop this money aside, completely forgetting about the value it holds. While some might hang onto it for a future trip, a huge amount just ends up gathering dust.

In fact, a 2023 survey revealed that UK travellers typically bring back foreign currency worth between £30 and £80 per trip. That’s not pocket change! You can find more currency insights over at Wise.com.

The real challenge is figuring out what to do with it. Your local high street bank or exchange bureau will often turn their noses up at foreign coins, and they certainly won't touch old, obsolete currency. That doesn't leave you with many options, which is where a dedicated service like ours comes in.

Why Choose a Specialised Exchange Service

Unlike the old-school methods, a service built for this exact purpose is designed to be completely hassle-free. There's no need to waste your time separating out different denominations or meticulously splitting coins from banknotes.

You just gather up all your leftover currency—no matter how mixed up or old it is—and send it all in one go. Our practical, real-world process is designed to be incredibly easy.

We are trusted by major UK brands, including leading charities, supermarkets, airports, and even police forces, to handle their currency exchange needs. This trust is built on our reliable, secure, and straightforward process.

Our service gives you a simple and effective way to convert those foreign coins and notes that are otherwise impossible to exchange. It’s the perfect solution for anyone looking to finally unlock the value of your leftover foreign coins.

Getting Your Currency Ready To Send

First things first, let's get your foreign currency parcelled up and ready to send. Don't worry, this isn't some complicated, time-consuming task. We've designed the whole process to be as fast and hassle-free as possible, cutting through the usual red tape that stops most people from cashing in their leftover holiday money.

Here’s the best part: there is absolutely no need to sort anything. Forget about spending ages separating your euros from your dollars, or squinting at old pesetas trying to figure out what they are. Just scoop it all up and put it together.

What to Bung in the Parcel

Whether you've got a few rogue coins rattling in a jar or a big bag of notes from years of travel, the prep work is exactly the same. We accept a massive range of currency, so you can exchange all your foreign coins and notes in one go.

You can send us:

Mixed foreign coins from literally any country, whether they're current or ancient.
Foreign banknotes, both those still in circulation and those that aren't.
Old or obsolete currency that the high street banks and post office will refuse to even look at.

This 'send it all' approach is a cornerstone of our 100% guaranteed service. It's why major UK organisations, from airports to police forces, trust us to handle their currency without any fuss.

The main thing to remember is to keep it simple. Your goal is to get that currency from a dusty drawer to our secure facility with as little effort as possible. For most people, a padded envelope or a small, sturdy box is all you'll need.

Keep It Simple, Keep It Secure

When you're packaging up your currency, the only real priority is making sure it gets to us safely. Just grab a durable envelope—a padded or bubble-lined one is perfect for smaller amounts—or find a small cardboard box if you've got a heavier collection of coins. Seal it up securely with some strong packing tape, and you're good to go.

Inside the package, just pop in a note with your name and contact information. That's it. This just helps us match the currency to your online submission form the moment it lands with us. For a full rundown of how it all works, you can check out our guide on how to exchange foreign currency. Honestly, it's that easy.

How to Securely Post Your Foreign Coins and Notes

Once you've got your currency all packaged up, the next job is getting it to us safely. Sending your parcel through the post is a key part of our fast and easy service, and we’ve worked hard to make sure it’s as straightforward and secure as possible.

It's a process trusted by our partners, from major UK supermarkets to police forces, who all rely on us for a hassle-free way to exchange currency.

Sending Your Parcel Securely

For anyone posting within the UK, we can't recommend a tracked service enough. Something like Royal Mail Signed For or Special Delivery Guaranteed is perfect. These options give you complete peace of mind, letting you follow your parcel’s journey right up to the moment it arrives at our secure facility.

All you need to do is take your sealed package to any Post Office branch, and they'll handle the rest.

This image breaks down the simple journey from gathering your currency to receiving your payment.

As you can see, our online service cuts through the traditionally complicated exchange process, boiling it down to just a few easy steps.

Sorting Out the Paperwork

Good news – the only form you need to worry about is the one you fill out on our website. It gives us all the details we need to process your exchange without any delays.

When you send your package, the Post Office will give you a receipt with a tracking number on it. Keep this safe! It’s not just your proof of postage; it's your key to watching your delivery's progress.

Our 100% guarantee kicks in the moment your parcel is signed for at our facility. We'll send you a notification as soon as it arrives, so you're never left wondering where it is.

This transparent approach means you can confidently exchange foreign coins and notes, knowing your leftover currency is in safe hands every step of the way. Choosing the right postal service is a small but crucial part of turning that forgotten holiday money into usable funds or a valuable donation to your favourite charity.

Tracking Your Exchange and Choosing Your Payment

The moment your package of leftover currency lands with us, you’ll get an email to let you know it’s arrived safely. We think it’s important you know what’s happening at every stage, which is why transparency is a core part of our 100% guaranteed service.

From there, our team of experts takes over. You don't need to have sorted anything beforehand – we handle all that for you. Every last coin and note is carefully identified, counted up, and valued against the very latest exchange rates to make sure you’re getting the best possible return. It's this level of detail that has made us a trusted partner for major UK airports, supermarkets, and even police forces.

For anyone in the UK, timing can make a real difference to what you get back. The currency markets are constantly on the move, influenced by all sorts of economic factors, which of course affects the rates you're offered. You can see some of the trends for yourself by looking at UK currency fluctuations on TradingEconomics.com. By sending your currency to a specialist like us, you’re making sure you squeeze as much value out of it as possible.

Your Payment, Your Way

Once we've tallied up the final value of your currency, we'll pop another email over to you with the total. Then, it's over to you to decide how you’d like to receive your money. We offer a few straightforward and speedy options:

Direct Bank Transfer: This is the fastest way to get your cash, usually landing in your account within a few working days.
Cheque: If you prefer a more traditional method, we can post a cheque directly to your address.
Charity Donation: A brilliant way to donate foreign coins to charity. You can choose to send the full amount to one of our respected charity partners.

Our goal is to make the entire journey—from the moment we receive your currency to the second we send your payment—as smooth and efficient as possible. It’s a completely hassle-free way to convert foreign coins and banknotes into money you can actually spend.

We’ll always give you a clear, simple breakdown of the exchange, so you can see exactly how we worked out the value. It’s this clarity and trust that makes us the go-to service when you need to exchange foreign coins and notes. With us, you get a simple, secure, and rewarding way to deal with all that leftover travel money.

Donating Foreign Coins for a Powerful Impact

That pot of leftover foreign currency sitting in a drawer holds more potential than you might realise. Instead of letting it gather dust, you can transform it into a meaningful contribution for a cause you care about.

Many people don't know that even small, seemingly unusable foreign coins can be pooled together to create significant funds for major UK charities. It’s a brilliant way to handle your leftover travel money.

Turning Small Change into Big Change

We're trusted by numerous charities to convert foreign coins and notes into vital donations. You can support their incredible work by simply telling us which organisation you'd like your funds to go to when you send us your currency.

The whole process is designed to be fast, easy, and completely hassle-free. There's absolutely no need for you to sort through the coins or notes; just gather everything you have, and we’ll handle the rest.

It really is this simple:

Gather Your Currency: Collect all your leftover foreign coins and banknotes, no matter their age or origin.
Send It To Us: Package it all up securely and post it to our facility.
Nominate Your Charity: Just let us know which of our charity partners you want to support.

We manage the entire process for you, from counting and valuing your currency to making the final donation on your behalf. It’s a powerful, 100% guaranteed way to ensure your leftover holiday money makes a genuine difference.

By choosing to donate, you're not just clearing out clutter; you're joining a community of supporters who turn forgotten travel money into positive action.

To see the fantastic organisations we partner with and learn more about how it all works, check out our detailed guide on where you can donate foreign coins.

Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers

If this is your first time using an online service to exchange leftover currency, you probably have a few questions. We get it. That's why our entire process is built on being completely open and transparent, so you feel confident from the moment you send your package to the moment you get paid. It's the reason we're a trusted partner for major UK organisations, from charities and airports to police forces.

Here are a few of the most common queries we get, answered straight up.

What Kind of Currency Can I Send?

This is easily the question we hear most often, and the answer couldn't be simpler: pretty much everything! We designed our service to be totally hassle-free, which means you can stop worrying about sorting through that big jar of coins.

You can send us:

Mixed foreign coins from any country, whether they're current or decades old.
Leftover foreign banknotes, even the ones that are no longer in circulation.
Old or obsolete currency, like pre-euro money such as Spanish pesetas or French francs.

The main thing to remember is there's no need to sort anything. Just bag it all up, and we'll handle the identification and valuation for you. It's all part of our 100% guaranteed service.

How Long Does It All Take?

We know you want to get your money quickly, so we've made our process as fast and efficient as possible. Once your package lands with us, we aim to get it processed and send you a valuation within just a few working days.

As soon as you tell us how you'd like to be paid—whether that's a bank transfer, a cheque, or even a donation to your favourite charity—we release the funds straight away.

Our whole mission is to make it dead simple to convert foreign coins and banknotes into either cash in your pocket or a valuable donation. We’ll keep you in the loop every step of the way for a smooth, clear experience.

This no-nonsense approach means you can exchange foreign coins and notes quickly, without the frustrating delays you might find elsewhere. It’s genuinely the easiest way to unlock the hidden value in that forgotten holiday money.

Ready to turn that forgotten currency into cash? At We Buy All Currency, our service is fast, easy, and 100% guaranteed. Send us your leftover foreign currency today for a hassle-free exchange. Get started on our homepage now at https://www.webuyallcurrency.com.