United Kingdom

Currency and money

The currency in the UK is Pounds Sterling (more commonly referred to as the pound or quid). One pound breaks down into 100 pence (or p). As a rule of thumb the exchange rates to the pound are approximately:

• 1.5 Euros
• 1.75 US Dollars
• 2.5 Canadian Dollars
• 2.5 Australian Dollars

As one of the world's leading currencies, Sterling is widely exchangeable at currency exchanges throughout the world. If you are visiting Scotland or Northern Ireland, see the notes in the separate sections.

Travellers Cheques:

As with the rest of Europe, travellers cheques are not as useful here as in North America. Large Hotels and stores may accept them in lieu of cash, but most places will simply direct you to a bank to cash them. Banks can charge fairly high commission for this, especially if you are converting into a different currency. It is generally cheaper (although less dependable) to get cash from a home debit or credit card using an ATM machine. Because Sterling is a common currency you should be able to use Sterling travellers cheques in other countries, but if you intend to visit several countries it is probably best to get them in Euros.

Credit and Debit cards:

Visa, Mastercard and American Express are accepted almost everywhere in the UK, as are Cirrus and Maestro debit cards. Diners Club, JCB and Discover cards are also occasionally accepted. The main issue for customers from outside Europe is likely to be Chip and PIN, which foreign cards are often not compatible with. In theory customers should be able to sign for their purchases if this is the case, but not all outlets will allow this. In any event signatures will be checked, and if the card must be used only by its owner. The high transaction costs for retailers means that there may be a minimum spend of around five pounds at smaller shops and in pubs, or occasionally a surcharge of around a pound for using a card. Be aware that if a machine retains your card you will probably not be able to get it returned to you - always try to travel with more than one card, and ideally some spare cash in case of emergency.

ATM Machines:

Britain probably has more ATMs per square mile than anywhere else in the world, They will pretty much all accept Visa, Mastercard and other cash networks such as Plus, Cirrus and Maestro, in addition to being part of the UK-based Link network. The vast majority of them are owned by banks and will not make charges additional to those being made by your card issuer, however machines in shops and pubs, and outdoor ones which are not owned by a bank, will make an additional charge, usually of between 1 and 3 pounds. They will tell you either on a notice attached to the machine, or on the screen during the transaction if they are going to do this.

Shop opening

Town-centre shops generally open from Monday to Saturday at 9-10 am, and close in the evenings at 5-6 pm. Most chain stores also open on Sunday from around 10-11 am until 3-4 pm. Many towns have a nominated late shopping day when most stores are open until around 8 pm. Small specialist shops may open shorter hours and often close for lunch.

Convenience stores (corner shops), newsagents and off-licences (liquor stores) usually open earlier (typically around 7am) and close later - usually 11pm in the case of off-licenses. They will be open shorter hours on Sundays.

Supermarkets tend to either keep similar hours to corner shops, or to stay open 24 hours. The exception to this is Sundays, when large stores in England and Wales may only open for six hours, usually from 10 am to 4 pm.

Banks and Post Offices are usually open from 9.30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Increasingly they are also open on Saturdays, typically mornings only, and occasionally also on a Sunday.

Crime and punishment

Police

There is essentially only one type of police force in UK. There are around 90 locally-based forces around the country in charge of more or less all areas of law enforcement. In an emergency they can be contacted by dialling 999 and asking for the police. For non-emergencies just go to the nearest police station or call the local number, which is in the phone book and is usually printed on the side of patrol cars.

Basic laws

The age of consent for sexual activity in the UK is 16 for both straight and gay sex. Where underage sex is reported, it can be treated as a serious offence even if both parties are under 16. If you have a duty of care to somebody (for example you are a teacher or youth group worker) it is illegal to have sexual contact with them until they are 18.

Drinking in public is allowed anywhere in the UK except in places where by-laws forbid it. A few large cities (including Manchester) and lots of smaller towns have by-laws forbidding drinking in the town centres. It is illegal to buy drinks from pubs and clubs and take them out, so you will need to get the alcohol from an off-license.

Drugs are illegal, though that doesn't appear to have much impact on their availability. Class A drugs, including cocaine and ecstacy as well heroin, are treated quite seriously - you can be jailed for up to seven years for possession (although something between a caution and deportation for small quantities seems more likely), and you can get life imprisonment for dealing. Cannabis is a class C drug - you can go to prison for possession, though possession of small amounts is not generally something the police will be interested in. People are still occasionally sent to prison for growing or dealing even fairly small quantities of cannabis, although it does not appear to be a high priority for police, and courts generally prefer substantial fines.