Cash & Cards: Managing Your Money in London

Apr 17, 2024 // by wpbanks // Travel Tips // Comments Off

chip-and-pin-dt-431x300 One of the difficult parts of foreign travel is working with different currencies and figuring out how best to pay for everything. Here at home, you’re likely used to just swiping your debit card for everything and carrying very little cash. While you won’t need cash for transportation — you’ll receive an Oyster Card once we arrive that will cover your transportation on the Tube/Underground and on buses — you will still want to keep more cash on you than normal.

Most weeks, I stop by a cash machine, pull out £100 and then use that for 3 – 5 days; then I go back and get more. I don’t encourage you to carry more cash than that.

It’s easy to check the current conversion rate by typing “1 BPS to US” in Google.

Card Options

One significant difference between US debit/credit cards and those of Europe used to be that we used only a “magnetic strip” while most of Europe uses the “chip and pin” system. More recently, US cards come with a “chip and pin.” State Employee’s Credit Union (SECU) uses a chip-enabled card, as does Wells Fargo. Cards without chips still work in the UK, but the person taking your card may look at it funny for a minute.

If you are worried at all about taking your main bank card around London, you might consider getting a special card for travel. No one uses “Travellers’ Cheques” anymore, and you absolutely do NOT want to bring a lot of cash and “exchange” it — those places will rip you off!

SECU offers a “Cash Points Global” card. This card is not connected to your banking account, so if it’s lost or stolen, no one could get more money than is on the card. You (or your parents) can also add funds to the card at any time, so you might find this option interesting.

Personally, I (Dr. Banks) use Wise (formerly TransferWise). This “bank” allows me to add funds from my US banks whenever I want; I can then convert that money in the app from US dollars to British pounds and tap-to-pay using my watch or iPhone everywhere in the UK without getting any foreign transaction fees. I’ve used it for several years now; they will also send you a plastic card to use in ATMs or instead of your phones. I’ve found it a great option that’s cheaper and quicker while abroad. You can also convert to many different currencies so if you are going to the UK but also heading to Europe after or during the trip, this option lets you move money from dollars to pounds to euros so you can easily spend wherever you go.

Financial Security

Regardless of whether you get “burner” cards like the two above or you bring and use your own debit and credit cards, you must be careful. For any of your own cards that you bring, be sure to call your bank/credit card company and tell them that you are traveling. You may find that your card has special options for international travel, but you’ll also want to know how much your bank/card charges you for international purchases. Those fees can add up quickly! SECU suggests the following when you travel using their cards:

Important Traveling Tips

Notify the Credit Union of extensive domestic and/or international travels

Inquire about potential international fraud blocks before you travel*

Test your card to confirm that you have the valid PIN

Verify that your card will not expire while traveling

Carry alternative payment methods (i.e. additional debit/credit cards)

Do not pack all payment methods together (i.e. one in a suitcase, another in a purse or wallet)

Remain observant for pick pockets

Photocopy all cards front and back and keep copies on hand

Cellphones and Tablets

Apr 15, 2024 // by wpbanks // Travel Tips // Comments Off

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Each year, the question about phones and communication comes up. And each year, the answer is a bit different as smart phones, tablets, and US cellular providers evolve in a global marketplace. If you have a “smart phone” (an iPhone, a Galaxy, an Android phone, etc) or tablet, then there are options for you once we get to London. Depending on your carrier here, there are options here, as well.

U.S. Carrier Options

A new cell phone option in the US might be something to look into: Google Fi. This service costs what a regular US cellular and data plan costs but has the benefit of working in over 200 countries. Basically, any country you will go to as part of going on the London program is covered. Dr. Kitta has used this service recently had great success across Europe.

If you use AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint, you will most likely want to get a foreign travel plan with them. USCellular doesn’t work overseas. Why a travel plan? The two summers that I’ve not gotten one, I landed at Heathrow, and then one summer, forgotten to turn off my cellular service, while the other, I used it to make 2 texts to find students. My bill? $300.00 … for having it on for 6 hours! If I had had an international plan, I’d have paid the $30 or $40 up front and that would have been it. Even if I don’t use it, I’m getting an international plan this year just to be safe. They’re not expensive and they are really nice if you get lost or stuck somewhere and need your phone for just a minute.

These plans are not very useful while you’re traveling, frankly, and their allowances can disappear quickly, but as a back-up option, I recommend it. You may want to look into what your cell plan offers you. Having an International Plan on your phone can help you if you find yourself lost in London or at the airport. It’s a good backup plan and it’s not very expensive all things considered.

You certainly do not NEED to purchase one of these. As long as you put your phone on “Airplane Mode” and never turn that off while you’re abroad, you won’t find any additional charges on your bill. And now that we have unlimited wifi in the flats, you can use your phone over wifi at the flats, and there are a number of places in London with free wifi (Starbucks, for example).

Cellular Plans in London

Now, if you use your phone or tablet as your main camera, or you just like the idea of being able to upload pictures to FB, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat while traveling, then you might look into getting a SIM card from any of these main carriers:

eSim.net – Newer phones with eSim technology like the iPhone 14 do not have physical SIM cards, so the options below may not work. eSim.net offers local UK phone lines with lots of internet access for fairly cheap and can be bought and set up before leaving the US so you know it works.
GiffGaff – GiffGaff is one of the cheapest option (£10 for 15gig of data) and you can order your SIM card delivered to the US so you have it before you and you can make sure your phone is unlocked. Friends used this recently and had great service in London and throughout the UK and most of Europe. You’d want a “SIM only plan” which lets you just buy a SIM card for the one month we’ll be there.
EE – EE is what I use currently. You want a “Pay as You Go” SIM option, and currently, 60gig of data would run £20. I’ve used O2 and Three and they have their benefits, but most recently, I used EE and got the most data for the cheapest price.
O2 – O2 probably has the best coverage in London, and each of their SIMS also provides you with free WiFi access at spaces all over the city, including the Underground. Currently, their Pay as You Go option would cost £15 for 20 gig of data.
Three – 3 is probably the second most popular London-related phone service, but their “All in One 20” month-long option is a really good plan.

If you want to purchase a SIM card, you can join me on the first or second day we’re there. It’s pretty easy to find a shop that sells SIM cards.

Cellphones & Tablets @ the Flats

The WiFi in our flats used to be limited; since 2015, we have gotten unlimited wifi data on up to 2 devices with our individual access cards. Since then, we’ve had very few issues with wifi, which is great. We hope this will be the norm this year, as well! This means you can use your iPad/Tablet/smart phone to make calls home over Wifi, use Skype/Facetime, WhatsApp, and all the other apps you love to use.

London Theatre 2022

Sep 10, 2021 // by wpbanks // Theatre // Comments Off

We’re starting to learn about next summer’s shows, but not a lot is available as yet. We’ll post here more information as it becomes available. Here is a sampling of some shows from a previous trip.

Not everyone loves a musical, as hard as that is to believe, but we defy you to give the London theatre a chance and not come away liking plays/the theatre a little more than you did before. We have seen some amazing actors and some amazing shows over the last two decades in London, and each summer surprises us with another gem. Sometimes, we have to go searching in the smallest theatres around town for them; other times, the great show is playing on one of London’s most famed stages. This year is already shaping up to have a little something for everyone!

Featured Plays 2017

These plays are part of the London 2017 program and have been paid for already in your program fees. We know two of the majors shows at the Globe and the National Theatre, but the other two are as yet to be determined.

Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
We can’t go all the way to London and not see something at the Globe, right? The 2017 season has just been announced and it should be a wonderful summer of comedy and tragedy in equal measure. As a group, we will most likely see Much Ado about Nothing, a witty and engaging play that positions two of theatre’s most antagonistic lovers against each other: Beatrice and Benedick. He’s just back from a war; she’s unimpressed. Both feign disinterest and, at times, revulsion, but what their public sparring hides is that these were two personalities destined for each other. Under the artful direction Matthew Dunster, this show is sure to engage us all. Other Globe options while we’re there include Emma Rice’s production of Twelfth Night and a non-Shakespeare option, Tristan and Yseult … with this sort of line-up, it’s no surprise that Artistic Director Emma Rice has named this the “Summer of Love.”

National Theatre London

National Theatre
The National Theatre, which consists of four different stages/individual theatres, is always a good bet for excellent theatre. Recent shows that have taken New York by storm (War Horse; One Man, Two Governors) got their starts at the National, as did the recent multi-award-winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. The National does amazing work! This summer involves the revival of a class of contemporary American theatre, Angels in America. If we can get tickets, we will most likely see Angels; it will be in the Littleton theatre and will start Nathan Lane, James McArdle, Andrew Garfield, and Russell Tovey, and it will be directed by the world-class and supremely talented Marianne Elliott – literally, every show she touches turns to gold!

Also at the National next summer will be a new play by Nina Raine, Consent. It promises to be a good, if possibly uncomfortable, show about rape and justice.

Optional Plays to Consider in 2017

It’s much too soon for any of the smaller theaters to have released their offerings, but I’ll pop some up here as we get closer so that you have some ideas of the rich diversity of what’s available at some of the major playhouses.

In the mean time, know that London theatre is much much cheaper than New York theatre and you get the same quality or better.

Day Trips 2022

Sep 10, 2021 // by wpbanks // Travel // Comments Off

Each year, we put together a host of short day trips that get us out of the city and allow us to see another view of England. The city is wonderful, full of brilliant shows, fascinating people, and interesting things to do, but as the British aristocracy has always known, the country provides its own pleasures.

Featured Excursions in 2022

The following excursions are built into the program and parts of these trips are paid for in advance through your program fee. If there are any extra charges associated with the trip, those are noted, as well.

Cambridge - Kings College

Oxford or Cambridge? (Travel & Tour = Pre-Paid/Included)

Each year, we take a day-trip to either Oxford or Cambridge so that you can get a sense of what that style of college/university life is like. It’s different enough from US higher education that it’s worth seeing, and there are building in both places that are older than the United States as a nation. Our tour guides have always been wonderful, somewhat perfectly “British” and fitting every stereotype you’re looking for. At Oxford, we see lots of sites, like the courtyard at New College where “Mad Eye” Moody turns Draco Malfoy into a ferret in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. There are lots of other Harry-Potter-related sites in Oxford, as well, that you could do as part of your own walking tour. (PDF) Cambridge offers equally beautiful sites as Oxford, as well as some beautiful first editions of A. A. Milne’s Pooh books, and artifacts related to the discovery of DNA, as well as places you’ll have seen in the recent film about Stephen Hawking, A Theory of Everything. In both towns, you have the chance to go “punting” — you shouldn’t miss it. Grab a bottle of wine (or two) and put a group together for a punt. There’s nothing quite like a relaxing summer boat ride around Oxford or Cambridge to relax you and also to make you feel a bit like Rat from The Wind in the Willows!

Kew Garden (Travel & Entry Fees: Pre-Paid/Included)
One of our favorite early “outings” each year is to hop on a Thames River Boat Tour and head out to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. After four or five days in central London, it’s fun to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and see one of the most interesting botanic gardens in the world. Kew really came of age in the 19th century as English explorers traveled the globe and brought back rare plant specimens to London for study and cultivation. Kew Gardens produced the first tropical fruits in England, which became extremely important for sailors who often succumbed to scurvy while traveling. The vitamins in citrus fruit help keep the sailors healthy. But Kew also has Queen Charlotte’s summer palace, and the Treetop Walkway: take a few minutes to climb the stairs and look out over the London suburban countryside from the sky! And whatever you do, make sure you try the orange juice at the Orangery: fresh squeezed each day, it is the best OJ we’ve ever tasted … seriously!

After we’ve had our fun in the garden, we’ll head to the Original Maids of Honour Tea Shoppe for an afternoon “cream tea.” You’ll definitely want to try their eponymous confection, the “original Maids of Honour” pastry, but if you’ve never had afternoon “cream tea,” complete with rejuvenating hot tea and a scone that’s been slathered in delicious clotted cream and jam, well, you’ve been letting the best in life pass you by! You’ll want more tea-and-scone afternoons after this one, and let’s face it: after all the miles we’ve walked in London and in Kew, the calories won’t matter.

Additional Excursions in 2022

Harry Potter Studios Tour

Did You Say Harry Potter? (Optional Extra Trip: £50-75 depending on tour options)
Caught that did you? The fact that there’s Harry Potter sites to see in Oxford? Well, what about the Warner Bros. Studio in Watford Junction, which has an amazing tour of Harry Potter sets, props, costumes, and all the Butter Bear you could ever ask for?! That’s right: you can sate every one of your HP desires by taking one of the tours. We went two years ago and had way more fun than we thought we would, and then last year, the tours had gotten so popular that they were sold out for all of July by the time we got there. If you want to do the Harry Potter Studio Tour, you’ll want to book early. We can help you do that and get a group together. It’s way more fun with friends!

But That’s Just the Beginning …
While we’ll do some of these things together as a large group, there are so many other wonderful day or afternoon excursions you’ll want to enjoy. It’s a simple trip to grab the train at Paddington and hop over to Windsor for an afternoon to tour Windsor Castle and see the town. Or if it’s Henry VIII you’re interested in, go to Hampton Court Palace. The tour of the palace is wonderful, but you can actually the hedge-row maze for free! If Stonehenge and Bath are more your speed, then there are very inexpensive coach (bus) tours that pick you up in Central London and spirit you around to cool places, all in a day. Students over the years have really enjoying putting together afternoon or all-day-Saturday trips to Stonehenge-Bath-and-Oxford.

If you’re interested in “the Continent,” then now’s a great chance to go. From London’s 4 airports, it’s easy to grab a cheap ticket on RyanAir or ValueJet to Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, or really anywhere in central Europe. Put a group of 3 or 4 together and get a room for the weekend. Since we don’t have classes on the weekends, you can escape on Friday afternoon and stay until late Sunday. You’ve got your passport, you’ve got friends, why not see more of Europe, Ireland, or Scotland?? Now’s the chance!

Travel 2024

Sep 10, 2021 // by wpbanks // Travel // Comments Off

Good news: we’ve finalized the flight plans for the Summer 2024 trip.

In the following message, you will find (1) an explanation of our air travel plan, (2) details about the flights you should book, (3) instructions on ordering your tickets, (4) information about alternatives to these preferred flights, and (5) some additional flight-related suggestions.

Our Air Travel Plan

As we discussed at previous information sessions/by email, each participant will need to book their ticket individually. Although you will book your ticket individually, we’d like everyone to book the same group flight if possible. Those who fly with the group will benefit by having an airport shuttle to pick us up from the airport and take us (and more importantly our heavy bags) to our London flats (apartments). Some exceptions can be made, of course: for instance, people who are going to be somewhere other than North Carolina in July might want to fly directly from that location rather than returning to ECU before departure, while others may have air miles on carriers other than American Airlines (which is what services Gville). But if you book a flight that’s different from the booking provided below, you’ll have to either take a train from the airport to the city, and few train stations have escalators, which makes traveling with luggage rather frustrating, or you’ll need a taxi/Uber, which will cost around $120 each way. You may want to ask yourself if you’re really save much money if you have to add taxi/train costs on once you land. Aside from that practical matter, it’s just nicer to travel in a group, when possible. If you are going to fly separately, though, please see Section 4 below.

To make it possible to travel together, we’ve selected flights for which there are still lots of open seats. Nevertheless, it’s important to book your flight soon; we may have 10-12 travelers in our group, and we want to grab all our seats before others take them!

Flight details (a.k.a. “Book this itinerary!”)

Here’s a summary of the itinerary that you should book as soon as possible. If you wait to book, you might see that the times for these flights are adjusted slightly; this is normal for the airlines to modify schedules by up to 30 minutes. Just makes sure the flight numbers and dates are correct and know that if that’s correct, you’re on the right flights::

Outbound: Greenville to Charlotte to London-Heathrow

American: AA5788 (PGV-CLT)
Departs Greenville 14 June 2024 @ 6:04 pm
Arrive Charlotte 14 June 2024 @ 7:25 pm

American: AA734 (CLT-LHR)
Departs Charlotte 14 June 2024 @ 11:10 pm
Arrives London-Heathrow 15 June 2024 @ 12:10 pm

Inbound: London to Charlotte to Greenville

American: AA731 (LHR-CLT)
Departs London-Heathrow 7 July 2024 @ 9:15 am
Arrives Charlotte 7 July 2024 @ 1:05 pm

American: AA5788 (CLT-PGV)
Departs Charlotte 7 2024 @ 4:20 pm
Arrives Greenville 7 July 2024 @ 5:34 pm

If you want to take a different flight to Charlotte and meet us there and then fly with the group from CLT, please feel free to do that, especially if it saves you money. In that case, just make sure you’re on the right CLT-LHR flight # above and we’ll meet you in Charlotte. 😊

How to Book Your Tickets

The best way to book your ticket is directly through American Airlines website: https://www.aa.com. You can go through Expedia or Kayak or another reseller option, but the prices — at least at the moment — are not any better, not once you dig in and realize that the price those discount sites show you do not include everything. In my experience, when you book with the airline directly, you get better service should something go wrong, but if you like to live risky …

When you get to the American site, you can search for the trip as such:

Choose MAIN CABIN: When you search for flights and get results, you’ll see that you have two options with American. You can choose “Basic Economy” or “Main Cabin.” There’s usually a $100-200 difference but it is absolutely WORTH IT to book the Main Cabin. With Basic Economy, you have to pay to check your back ($100 each way), while Main Cabin includes one bag in the price. It costs $100 to check a back internationally, so you’ve not saved any money in the end; you’ve just delayed when you spend it. Likewise, Basic Economy does no give you a seat assignment until you get the airport – trust me, you do not want to risk that because if you don’t have a seat, the airline may very likely give your spot to someone else

REMEMBER: the flight numbers are everything! Make sure those are correct with the flight you book. The times sometimes shift depending on how the airlines modifies flight schedules, sometimes but up to an hour, so don’t be surprised if your time if 5 minutes or 10 minutes different from when I took the screenshot below. As long as the flight numbers are right, we’ll all be together on the same flight. Once you’ve selected the outbound and return flights, your screen should look like this:

Once you have selected both flights, to London and back, you should see a screen that looks like this one:

As you go through the process, you’ll see that you’re asked to enter your traveler information. This is very important: it MUST match what’s on your passport, so be sure you enter this information correctly.

2015 Flight Passport

Eventually, you may be asked to enter your Passport Number, so be sure to have it handy. If you haven’t gotten it yet, that’s fine. You can add that information later. As you go through the process, you’ll see that you’re asked to enter your traveler information. This is very important: your name MUST match what’s on your passport, so be sure you enter this information correctly.

Send me an email at BANKSW [at] ECU [dot] EDU to say that you’ve booked your ticket and what your itinerary is (Group from Gville; Group from CLT; or On My Own). If you are traveling on your own, please send a copy of your itinerary so that we know where you are and how we might best make plans to meet you once we’re all in London. We instructors will be three bundles of stress between now and the time that every student has booked a ticket. Please settle our nerves by telling us when you’ve booked.

If you want to share a seat with someone you know from the program, then just book your flights at the same time and choose seats together.

Alternate Bookings

Some of you already have plans to travel on different days or from different airports. You might need to book flights different from those listed above for one of these three reasons:

You plan to be somewhere other than Greenville before our departure date, and you prefer to fly from where you are rather than coming back to Greenville to fly out with the group. Note that the direct flight from Charlotte is currently more expensive than flying from Greenville. If Charlotte is closer for you, you can just meet us at the gate in Charlotte (and of course book just that leg of the flight). But if you’re in eastern NC, there’s really no financial advantage to driving over to Charlotte. Just fly out of Greenville with the rest of us!
You plan to go to Europe before our program or stay in Europe for additional travel after the trip ends (lucky you!)
You wait too long and there are no more available seats on the specified flights.

In each of these three situations, the process of booking your flight remains the same, but, of course, the specific flights will differ. If you’re departing from an airport other than PGV (Greenville) (e.g., if you’re going to be in New York, Atlanta, Virginia Beach, or Peoria), you might want to search for the best fare from your location. If possible, try to get a booking in which you will be landing at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) before the group’s arrival time (12:00 pm). If you do that, we should be able to meet up in Heathrow so you can ride with us to the flats.

If you plan to travel in Europe (post-trip), note that you can book an “open jaw” flight (that is, a flight where you arrive in one airport, but return from a different airport —e.g., Greenville to London, then tour Europe by train, then Madrid to Greenville). The airline websites provide instructions for booking this type of flight. If you’re on the continent, an open-jaw booking may be cheaper than returning to London first. The exception is often Paris; if you’re visiting Paris, it may be cheaper to return to London and fly out the next day. I’m always happy to talk with you about travel if you’d like some suggestions.

IMPORTANT: If you plan to use an alternative booking, PLEASE let me know as soon as possible! I’ll keep a list of everyone’s booking status and knowing who is where will go a long way to easing my mind that we’ve not lost someone.

Additional Suggestions and Comments

Become a member of the American Airlines frequent flyer miles program! It’s free, and this flight will give you almost 10,000 frequent flyer miles right from the start. (That’s nearly halfway to a free domestic flight, and almost 1/3 of the way to a flight to the Caribbean!) You can book your ticket first, then sign up for the miles program; as long as you’re a member before you board the plane, you can count the miles.
Reminder: use the exact same name for your flight booking that you have on your passport. No nicknames or abbreviation! I go by “Will” but my passport says “William” so that’s what I put when booking a flight.
Some of you may not be sure yet whether you’d like to travel after the program. It’s possible to book your tickets, arrive in London, decide that you’d like to stay longer, and change your return flight by paying a change fee. That fee is something like $200 plus any increase in the new booking. So it’s possible to be spontaneous, but if you know for sure that you’d like to stay longer, you’re better off booking the extended itinerary from the start.

That’s it for now! Please, please let me know (banksw [at] ecu [dot] edu) when you’ve booked your ticket. We’ll sleep better knowing everyone’s successfully booked. Summer is a busy travel time for London, and the earlier we’re all booked, the more likely it is that we can travel together. This is especially true if you’re planning to fly out of Greenville, since it’s a smaller plane and there are fewer seats available.

Have questions or need help? Just ask. We’re going to have a great trip!

Travel 2019

Mar 21, 2019 // by wpbanks // Travel // Comments Off

Good news: we’ve finalized the flight plans for the Summer 2019 trip. The cost this year is consistent with the last few years, so that’s good news. But you will want to act quickly because these costs rarely go down, but they will certainly go up as more seats fill on the flights!

In the following message, you will find (1) an explanation of our air travel plan, (2) details about the flights you should book, (3) instructions on ordering your tickets, (4) information about alternatives to these preferred flights, and (5) some additional flight-related suggestions.