Travel money cards are considered to be not only the cheapest but also the most convenient means of spending abroad. Unlike debit and credit cards, travel money cards allow users to have full control of their holiday expenditure. You can top up your travel money card before you set off for your holiday overseas, taking advantage of better exchange rates.
The Thomson money travel card, recently renamed TUI, remains the most reputable travel money service provider in providing holidaymakers with a platform to exchange money across the globe. This guide outlines everything that you should know about the Thomson multi-currency travel money card.
Thomson Card Currency Exchange Rates
Last updated: Mar, 19 9:00
| Currency | Rate | 750 GBP Buys |
|---|---|---|
| Euros | 1.044 | 783.00 |
| US dollars | 1.138 | 853.50 |
| Australian dollars | 1.9927 | 1,494.53 |
| Bahraini dinars | 0.4196 | 314.70 |
| Bangladeshi taka | 88.69 | 66,517.50 |
| Barbados dollars | 2.22 | 1,665.00 |
| Bermudian dollars | 1.0894 | 817.05 |
| Brunei dollars | 1.6 | 1,200.00 |
| Bulgarian lev | 2.037 | 1,527.75 |
| Canadian dollars | 1.6585 | 1,243.88 |
| Cayman Islands dollars | 0.8728 | 654.60 |
| Central Pacific francs | 114.25 | 85,687.50 |
| Chilean pesos | 939.206 | 704,404.50 |
| Chinese yuan | 7.88 | 5,910.00 |
| Colombian pesos | 4339.18 | 3,254,385.00 |
| Costa Rica colons | 609.81 | 457,357.50 |
| Croatian kuna | 7.8247 | 5,868.53 |
| Czech koruna | 28.6183 | 21,463.73 |
| Danish krone | 7.7647 | 5,823.53 |
| Dominican pesos | 58.51 | 43,882.50 |
| East Caribbean dollars | 3.015 | 2,261.25 |
| Egyptian pounds | 15.63 | 11,722.50 |
| Fiji dollars | 2.546 | 1,909.50 |
| Hong Kong dollars | 8.8057 | 6,604.28 |
| Hungarian forints | 362.672 | 272,004.00 |
| Icelandic krona | 157.091 | 117,818.25 |
| Indonesian rupiahs | 16419 | 12,314,250.00 |
| Israeli shekels | 4.145 | 3,108.75 |
| Jamaican dollars | 147.6 | 110,700.00 |
| Japanese yen | 123.809 | 92,856.75 |
| Jordanian dinars | 0.7946 | 595.95 |
| Kenyan shillings | 115.775 | 86,831.25 |
| Kuwaiti dinars | 0.3493 | 261.98 |
| Malaysian ringgits | 4.904 | 3,678.00 |
| Mauritian rupees | 43.58 | 32,685.00 |
| Mexican pesos | 27.6321 | 20,724.08 |
| Moroccan dirham | 9.213 | 6,909.75 |
| New Zealand dollars | 2.017 | 1,512.75 |
| Norwegian krone | 13.3857 | 10,039.28 |
| Omani rials | 0.4328 | 324.60 |
| Peruvian nuevo sol | 3.876 | 2,907.00 |
| Philippine pesos | 54.61 | 40,957.50 |
| Polish zloty | 4.681 | 3,510.75 |
| Qatar riyals | 4.021 | 3,015.75 |
| Romanian leu | 4.876 | 3,657.00 |
| Russian rubles | 89.6 | 67,200.00 |
| Saudi riyals | 4.133 | 3,099.75 |
| Singapore dollars | 1.63 | 1,222.50 |
| South African rand | 19.6749 | 14,756.18 |
| South Korean won | 1387 | 1,040,250.00 |
| Sri Lankan rupees | 187.839 | 140,879.25 |
| Swedish krona | 11.7421 | 8,806.58 |
| Swiss francs | 1.1016 | 826.20 |
| Taiwan dollars | 32.97 | 24,727.50 |
| Thai baht | 36.62 | 27,465.00 |
| Trinidad dollars | 7.3 | 5,475.00 |
| Turkish lira | 7.27 | 5,452.50 |
| United Arab Emirates dirham | 4.162 | 3,121.50 |
| Vietnamese dongs | 24124.3 | 18,093,225.00 |
Exchange Rates
The Thomson travel money card comes with favourable exchange rates on the offered currencies, which are fixed from the time of purchase. This means that the demand for the currencies will not influence the exact amount of money to be reloaded on your card. Thomson’s exchange rate is also offered at a zero per cent commission.
You will, therefore, not be charged any commission on reloading or buying your money travel card. You might also want to visit any of Thomson’s branches to have a look at their offline rates.
Currencies Offered
The Thomson offers two cards for a single account with 13 supported currencies. Customers can load their cards with 13 different currencies at any one given time. These currencies include US Dollars, Pound Sterling, UAE Dirham, Euros, Croatian Kuna, Australian Dollars, Bulgarian Lev, New Zealand Dollars, Mexican Peso, Thai Baht, Canadian Dollars, South African Rand, and the Turkish Lira.
In the event that you have unused currency after your trip, Thomson has launched a currency buy-back service where you can sell the currencies to them at any of their Thomson stores. The buy-back service, however, operates with the current exchange rate and not the rate used at the time of purchase.
Fees and Charges
The Thomson travel money card is issued for free. You can get the card at any of the Thomson’s travel stores or order the card online via Thomson’s website. There are no charges for transferring money across the multi-currency wallets supported by the Thomson card. You should also keep in mind that any transaction carried out in unsupported currency will see you incur an additional foreign transaction fee.
You will also be charged for any ATM cash withdrawal using the Thomson travel money card. The ATM charges vary from region to region. For example, it will cost you 2 USD for withdrawing money in US Dollars, while an ATM withdrawal in Euros will cost you €1.75 per transaction. You can pay for things in shops, bars, restaurants, and any place with the MasterCard logo for free. Also, note that an absence of activity across all the currencies in 24 consecutive months will cost you an inactivity fee of £2 or currency equivalent.
The Thomson Travel Money Card App
You can now transfer money across currencies, monitor your balance, and top up your card through the Thomson Travel Money Card App. The app also allows you to keep track of your holiday expenditure through the app’s ‘transaction history’ feature. You can download the app for both Android and Apple devices through Google Play or Apple Store, respectively. Customers using the app are at an advantage for the following reasonsЖ
- Security. The app allows an emergency money transfer to you via Western Union in case you lose your card.
- You can enjoy a zero-fee money transfer across multi-currency wallets.
- With the Thomson app, you can manage your card from any point across the globe and at any given time.
- The card can hold from as little as £25 and a maximum of £6000. However, with the app, you can reload your card in case you run out of cash for your holiday.
- The app is operational in over 33 million locations across the world.
- The app is not linked to any bank.
How to Reload Your Thomson Travel Money Card
The Thomson travel money card is reloadable in either of the following ways:
- The Thomson App. Money reloaded via the Thomson app is availed into your card instantly.
- Online via the Thomson web portal. Just like the Thomson app, reloading money through the portal is instantly updated on your card.
- In-store. This includes any of the 600 Thomson stores spread out across the UK. Money reloaded in-store will be available for use the day after reloading.