Rates in T1 often beat high-street bureaux by a bit
Travel Money Wales sits landside in Cardiff Airport’s T1, handy if you want cash sorted before security. It handles more than 40 currencies, but in practice you’ll mainly see euros, US dollars, and Turkish lira in stock. If you need something niche, factor in advance ordering through Cardiff Airport’s website for next-day pickup rather than expecting it on the spot.
Opening hours usually track daytime departures, roughly from first check-in around 04:00 until the last evening flights near 21:00. Staffing can thin out in quiet shoulder periods, so don’t leave it to 20 minutes before boarding. If you’re on an early Ryanair or Wizz departure, plan to hit the desk straight after the terminal doors at 04:00–04:30 to avoid standing behind a full family swap-out to euros.
Rates are airport-level but not outrageous: the spread on euros and dollars typically sits a few percentage points worse than online-only cards, but better than many walk-up high-street counters. There’s no commission fee on standard cash exchanges, but buy-back terms on leftover holiday money vary, so ask for the exact percentage or rate band before handing over £200–£300 in notes.
If you only need £20–£40 in foreign cash for taxis, keep most of your spend on a fee-free card and treat this as a top-up. Card and cash payments in GBP work at the window, but dynamic currency conversion on foreign bank cards can sneak in, so insist on paying in pounds. One last tip: get your euros before security here; ATMs airside in T1 tend to default to less friendly conversion offers.