Travelex Currency Services Inc.

I had over a dozen different denominations of foreign money collected over the years that I probably would never be needing again. So off I went to Horton Plaza’s Travelex after first getting some basic info from Paul via the telephone. Parking was easy & free, and once I located a directory map for the location of the store I had no problems finding them. Paul was still working that day, and he was just as pleasant and helpful in person. I may not have gotten the best exchange rates, but I was able to walk away feeling I had scored. I signed up for Unilocal after reading other reviews and discovering that by ‘checking in’ the transaction fee was waived. So all in all, for my purposes I would highly recommend. I just wish they were able to take more coins as I have several jars full of them!

Agree with other reviewers… do not come here unless it’s your dead last resort. I am a procrastinator, bleh, always say I learn my lesson then I always end up procrastinating again. I’m heading to Italy Friday, and had been meaning to exchange some money before I go. Today’s market rate for one Euro was $ 1.37. I looked up the travelex rate and they are charging $ 1.53. Then I called my local Chase bank branch, and they were offering a rate of 1.45. I ended up ordering from Chase and saved about $ 20 for the amount I ordered. Luckily Chase was able to make sure that the money would arrive in 24 hours, plus no service fee.

Unless you have no other choice don’t go here, the exchange rate they will give you is horrible and they will also charge you a «convenience fee» on top of that. You’re much better off getting your money exchanged at your bank. But like I said if you have no other choice then go here but you will get ripped off.

I needed to buy yen to include in a gift card. The amount was small — not for a vacation — so I did not bother to check the exchange rate as I normally would. There was a 16-​point spread between selling and buying, PLUS a $ 10 service charge. In all, I spent $ 150 for $ 125 worth of currency, so the convenience cost was $ 25. At least the tellers were cheery and the wait was nil.
When traveling to Japan on business, I normally withdraw cash (in yen) from my credit union through an ATM in Narita airport; and generally get a good rate.

TRAVELEX IS A RIP OFF! USE BANK OF AMERICA INSTEAD.
My wife and I are going on a trip through 10 countries in East Asia and Australia. We want to have about $ 200 of each country’s currency on hand to get us through the first day in each place. That way we are not at the mercy of the expensive money exchange office at the airport, and we can use one downtown or use a local A.T.M. (to get a much better exchange rate).
On Friday, August 7^th, 2009 I phoned my local Travelex office (the one in the U.S. Bank, in El Cajon) to ask them what the rate was to purchase Japanese Yen. That day the official exchange rate was 97 yen to 1 U.S. dollar. The lady told me it was 82 yen to the dollar. That’s a 15 cent spread from the official bank rate! I asked her why it was so much and she said that it was «just the price for doing it» and no other reason.
Luckily I did an internet search and found that Bank of America also sells foreign currency. My wife and I just happened to have a bank of America account, along with a credit union one. I went to the Bank of America web-​site and found we could order all ten currencies on-​line, and with a spread of only about 2 – 3 cents from the official rate. We placed our order on-​line on Wednesday night. If your order is $ 1,000 or more it removes the $ 7 fee. There are no other fees. The web-​site said it would be ready at the local branch of our choosing in 1 – 3 business days. We were amazed when we got a phone call on Friday afternoon. advising us it was ready for pick-​up. In less than 48 hours they had all 10 foreign currencies for us. Even the more obscure ones like Malaysia and Indonesia. I was very impressed with their foreign transaction service. I will NEVER use Travelex’s rip-​off service again.
One caveat, though. Use a credit union account to make A.T.M. withdrawals outside the U.S. Last year while we were in South America my credit union charged me a total of $ 1.50 for each A.T.M. withdrawal from my credit union account. Bank of America, though, charged my wife $ 7.50 per withdrawal from her B. of A. accountl! Also, use a Capital One or credit union credit card outside of the U.S. Capital One (even though they have horrible customer service) charges NOTHING extra for foreign transactions. Credit union credit cards tack on a 1% fee. However, Bank of America and other banks charge a 3−4% fee.

Thank Goodness for this location. I had to get Euros for my daughter, she was traveling to Italy and it was within a few days. I was searching the internet for a place that would exchange, and I came across a review that said the only bank that does this is Wells Fargo in La Jolla. I live in Lemon Grove so it’s a bit of a drive for me, and with all the other errands to run, it seemed crazy to make a drive up to La Jolla. Anyhow, my brother in law (God bless him) saved the day by informing me of this location in Horton Plaza. I drove there, parked, went in and did the exchange and was out of Horton Plaza in less than 15 minutes. They have great customer service, the place was empty when I walked in but after my transaction there were already two other persons waiting in line. I found the location extremely convenient and the transaction… effortless. Great place to go if you need to exchange any type of money… fast.

No reviews? I’m not surprised since this Travelex location is tucked away in a hidden alcove in Horton Plaza. Maybe all of the chain-​smoking foreign exchange students downtown who come here to «learn English» (translation: party their asses off) know about it, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it was there unless you were looking specifically for it.
I’ve only been here once to exchange some euro. The transaction behind the probably bullet-​proof glass window was fast, easy, and painless. I’m glad to know there are other Travelex locations in my neck of the woods.