Spending or exchanging Euros at Gatwick

[CalpolOnToast]

Has anyone been through Gatwick recently and know if the shops there tend to accept euros? Particularly JD Sports and InMotion.

Also, do you know if I'd get a better rate changing cash in a city (Nottingham for arguments sake) or at Gatwick?

I'm flying to a non-Euro country but I also have quite a lot of euros cash that I want to change efficiently

Neither take euros as payment at Gatwick.

You would tend to get a better exchange rate changing money beforehand rather than at Gatwick airport.

Under no circumstances should you change money at an airport, especially a UK airport, or take money out of an airport ATM. The rates are horrific.

If you spend Euros in cash at a UK airport shop and they accept it (which I think is unlikely), the rate will be similarly awful.

I suggest that you take your Euros with you and change them for local currency at a bank (not an exchange office) in the non-Euro country when you arrive. If it's a non-Euro country in the EU (Denmark etc) you will get a pretty good rate doing this.

To get money out when in another country, use only ATMs that are attached to what is recognisably a bank. "Hi, I'm your friendly holiday ATM" machines give crap rates.

Otherwise a surprisingly cheap place to change money in a UK High Street can be a pawn shop (Cash Convertors, etc). Go in and ask "If I give you this €100, what will I walk out with?" (to avoid any hidden "service charges" on top of the exchange rate), but in general the gap between the buy and sell rates is often quite small in these places.