Some of us are a bit old fashioned and we like to arrive at our holiday destination with a bit of local cash! (Matron says she doesn't trust credit cards abroad....)

Obviously there are quite a few bureaux de change and banks that will swap your sterling for the foreign money you before you go, but where you do the deal will have a huge impact on exactly how much cash you get!

With "commission-free" deals now pretty much standard, the exchange rate is the key factor when it comes to working out who offers the best value. (A great site for showing current exchange rates is xe.com)

The excellent MoneySavingExpert.com also has a page that lists the best rates, which is updated daily.

Just type in how much foreign currency you need and it will calculate what each company will charge once all fees are deducted.

It offers two prices - one if you collect the money yourself, and a second that includes delivery! Simple eh?

However, their table shows that if you want the best overall prices, you need to be near central London!

Thomas Exchange Global is currently doing the best deals on euros and US dollars, but the downside is that you have to collect the cash from one of its two West End branches!

Travelex is the cheapest mainstream player, though again, to get the best rates you have to pre-order your money online and then collect it from a Travelex bureau at an airport or port.

But if that is too much hassle, Marks & Spencer offers you the best deal on the high street.

It was charging just under £140 this week to pick up €200 at the exchanges it has at 100 of its biggest stores. Delivery is free for more than £500, but would you want to carry that much cash? (unless you were planning some sort of dodgy foreign deal?)

If you want the money delivered, Travelcare is currently the cheapest; their courier delivery is free.

You need to be aware that MoneySavingExpert.com only features companies with a big web presence, although these tend to be the cheapest.

You also need to know that some banks charge those customers who buy currency using a debit card, usually 2% or at least £2.

Those that do are:

• Abbey
• Alliance & Leicester
• Barclays
• Cahoot
• Co-op
• Lloyds TSB
• Smile

• First Direct
• Halifax
• HSBC
• Nationwide
• Natwest
• RBS

Hopefully the above will make it all that bit easier!

British Airways; flying the flag but losing your bag!