Euro in Northern Ireland?

How easily can the Euro be used in Northern Ireland, specifically Co Down if possible? Is there a charge for using it? Also I want to send money to a relative there and it would be much easier to simply stick a note in a letter than go to all the trouble for a sterling bank draft. Can they use this note easily in shops etc without a charge? If they try to lodge it to their bank account will there be a charge levied?

What I mean is how readily accepted is the Euro there? (If at all) Don't know if I would be better off going to all the hassle of getting a sterling bank draft.
Thanks for any help.

1huge1

Its only used around the border, sometims in big shops its used but from my experience not too often, Maybe someone can confirm this?

smashey

The euro (notes only) is generally accepted all along the border and all of the big retailers will take it. If your relative uses it in a shop then they will get the exchange rate that that particular shop gives.

BuffyBot

Off to Down with you..

biko

I use Euros in Down but mostly in catholic areas, don't know if that matters.
Get 33 sterling for 50 euro.

20 Times 20 Times

biko wrote: »

I use Euros in Down but mostly in catholic areas, don't know if that matters.
Get 33 sterling for 50 euro.

This makes no difference I'm aware that this post is over 3 months old but i'm just catching up with this forum , You my friend will have a warning for this comment another one like this and its by by North.

Anyway all major shopping centers in down will take the euro , most will have signs at the front of the shop telling you what the euro is worth to them.

Richard

Sarge wrote: »

ing centers in down will take the euro , most will have signs at the front of the shop telling you what the euro is worth to them.

Not so much in North Down.

smashey

Sarge wrote: »

This makes no difference I'm aware that this post is over 3 months old but i'm just catching up with this forum , You my friend will have a warning for this comment another one like this and its by by North.

Anyway all major shopping centers in down will take the euro , most will have signs at the front of the shop telling you what the euro is worth to them.

biko has a vaild point there. Althought we are now in a new era, there are certain areas where I wouldn't try to use euros. Try spending a euro in Ballymena and see the reaction.

Berns

Newry is very Euro Friendly GF used some euro's that had left over from airport other week in a telephone in Europa buscentre lol. Just thought would throw it in

I've a feeling that Dunnes & Boots take em easily enough too but not sure.

Richard

smashey wrote: »

biko has a vaild point there. Althought we are now in a new era, there are certain areas where I wouldn't try to use euros. Try spending a euro in Ballymena and see the reaction.

I don't think there would be much hostility if you tried to spend the euro in some areas, just that some areas would be less likely to take it. Biko may well be correct - the comment wasn't offensive or sarcastic IMHO. I think you owe biko an apology, Sarge.

lol I posted this months ago. I too, however, didn't find biko's comment to be anything that should be punished. Take it easy sarge!!

MDTyKe

Newry (where I live) accepts Euro; and in a recent article in the Sunday Times (UK) supposedly 60% of all cash trade in Newry is in euro now - shows who we get as shoppers It also mentioned a nickname people from Newry are giving these influx of shoppers - Mexicans. I live here and can't say I've heard it, but it is funny.

As for North Down, I can't imagine it would be taken at all. In Newry we're used to having a lot of sterling/euro joint ATMs. I was in Portadown recently (Garvaghy Road central anyone?) and asked someone if there was a euro machine. I thought I had just grown another head...




Matt

fricatus

MDTyKe wrote: »

Newry (where I live) accepts Euro; and in a recent article in the Sunday Times (UK) supposedly 60% of all cash trade in Newry is in euro now - shows who we get as shoppers It also mentioned a nickname people from Newry are giving these influx of shoppers - Mexicans. I live here and can't say I've heard it, but it is funny.

Are you kidding? You've never heard Southerners referred to as Mexicans in Northern Ireland? I can't believe the august Times is so out of touch with the culture in part of the UK... :rolleyes:

I first visited Belfast in 1992 (a mate was up in Queens) and the term was in widespread use then, as it has been every time I've visisted up to the present.

Comes from the song "South of the border, down Mexico way..."

tuxy

So there is a large influx of southerners that want to work in fast food up North?

Richard

MDTyKe wrote: »

Newry (where I live) accepts Euro; and in a recent article in the Sunday Times (UK) supposedly 60% of all cash trade in Newry is in euro now - shows who we get as shoppers

As an aside, wouldn't it be cheaper for a southern visitor to get sterling notes out of a cashpoint or better still, pay by credit card than spend Euro notes and rely on the particular shop's exchange rate?

And another point, if a southern shopper gets Euros out of an ATM in NI, is there an additional charge? Are there two conversions (€ to GB£, then GB£ to €)?

MDTyKe

There probably is, but if you've just drove up from Cork to fill your boot with god-knows-what, you won't worry about a €1.50 exchange fee.


Matt

Richard

MDTyKe wrote: »

There probably is, but if you've just drove up from Cork to fill your boot with god-knows-what, you won't worry about a €1.50 exchange fee.
Matt

Maybe not - but it would be a waste of money for the money to be changed twice, if that is actually what happens.

MDTyKe

And to note, you wouldn't be charged for taking Euro out. Although NI, in the UK isn't part of the Eurozone, AFAIK they still don't charge anyway. I have a NI bank account, and I sometimes take Euro out, and it doesn't cost me anything. However, my dads does (he's with Bank of Scotland (UK)), and it comes up as being a 'foreign transaction' - so as far as you're concerned, those machines are in ROI


Matt

Beerlao

Sarge wrote: »

This makes no difference I'm aware that this post is over 3 months old but i'm just catching up with this forum , You my friend will have a warning for this comment another one like this and its by by North.

Anyway all major shopping centers in down will take the euro , most will have signs at the front of the shop telling you what the euro is worth to them.

very harsh to give a warning for what is essentially a fair comment.

find me anywhere north of Downpatrick where the Euro will be accepted (i can only think of Sainsburys in Forestside but that's Belfast)

KevinMc

MDTyKe wrote: »

Newry (where I live) accepts Euro; and in a recent article in the Sunday Times (UK) supposedly 60% of all cash trade in Newry is in euro now - shows who we get as shoppers It also mentioned a nickname people from Newry are giving these influx of shoppers - Mexicans. I live here and can't say I've heard it, but it is funny.

As for North Down, I can't imagine it would be taken at all. In Newry we're used to having a lot of sterling/euro joint ATMs. I was in Portadown recently (Garvaghy Road central anyone?) and asked someone if there was a euro machine. I thought I had just grown another head...




Matt

What where you doing in Portadown? Where you down the Garvaghy Road then? I live along there but currently working in newry and ice skating in Dundalk so I'm used to sterling and euro. I also work in a shop on the Garvaghy road and we don't accept Euro . I think some of our pub do tho.

Richard

MDTyKe wrote: »

And to note, you wouldn't be charged for taking Euro out. Although NI, in the UK isn't part of the Eurozone, AFAIK they still don't charge anyway. I have a NI bank account, and I sometimes take Euro out, and it doesn't cost me anything. However, my dads does (he's with Bank of Scotland (UK)), and it comes up as being a 'foreign transaction' - so as far as you're concerned, those machines are in ROI

Matt

Yes - but you need to check what rate they are giving you. There may not be a charge on top, but different places have different rates.

My concern was- if you have a National Irish Bank account and take out €10 from a Euro cashpoint in NI, might that involve the following:

You take out €10 from the Northern Bank (say) in Newry. This equates to £7.91 (buy rate is 1.2639)

Your National Irish Bank is now charged £7.91, but this is converted back to Euros as your account is in Euros.

This equates to €10.57 once it has been converted back (buy rate 0.7486).

Note that I have used information from the Northern Bank and National Irish Bank websites. There has been no commission applied, yet the fact that two transactions have taken place mean €10.57 is deducted from the account when €10 is withdrawn.

Now I don't know whether this happens - but it would do so if the currency conversion happens twice. If the cashpoint is treated by the banks as if it were in ROI, then this problem doesn't arise.

I remember that I had IR£10 with me in Belfast in early 2002. I went into the Ulster Bank and asked them to change it to Euros. They wanted to convert it to sterling first, then to Euros, eating a sizeable chunk out of it.

I still have that £10 note!

Richard

Beerlao wrote: »

very harsh to give a warning for what is essentially a fair comment.

find me anywhere north of Downpatrick where the Euro will be accepted (i can only think of Sainsburys in Forestside but that's Belfast)

I think all branches of Easons do, but that's probably because they're all-Ireland. How much trade they do in Euros in places like Bangor and Newtownards is open to question, however.

GAAman

Beerlao wrote:

find me anywhere north of Downpatrick where the Euro will be accepted (i can only think of Sainsburys in Forestside but that's Belfast)

Pretty much anywhere in Derry (bar literally one place i can think of which was an o2 shop) takes euro and i may be wrong but i think a large part of belfast takes it too

Richard

GAAman wrote: »

Pretty much anywhere in Derry (bar literally one place i can think of which was an o2 shop) takes euro and i may be wrong but i think a large part of belfast takes it too

I think that if it is financially beneficial for shops to take the Euro then they will.

I'd recommend using credit cards or getting out currency at a cashpoint, though, as the rate will usually be better.

Dont be at yourself

Places like Sainsburys and Dunnes usually give a very strong Euro rate, often better than the actual exchange rate.

shoegirl

Made a couple of withdrawals and a laser transaction from a (southern) NIB account 2 weeks ago and I'm fairly sure the rate was more than reasonable and no foreign currency charge, for cash anyway.

The curious thing was that the transactions I made in Belfast (and nice to see places taking Laser too) charged for currency transaction for the laser transactions, but not for cash withdrawals. However it was only for 47c or something rather small and bizarrely for me, was posted within hours - I am well used to laser transactions taking up to a week and more down here in the Deep South.

Mr Magnolia

Yeah, the laser card acceptance was rolled out in the north earlier this year. It's very handy alright.