East Caribbean Dollar

The East Caribbean Dollar, or XCD, is pegged to the US Dollar, (USD). The East Caribbean dollar is the currency used in the eight states that make up the area known as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.  There are 6 independent states that use the East Caribbean dollar. These are Antigua & Barbuda, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines.

The other two states are the British overseas territories of Monserrat and Anguilla.  Paradoxically, the British Virgin Islands, which is a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, does not use the East Caribbean dollar, preferring instead to use the US dollar as its currency.

The East Caribbean dollar is sub-divided into 100 cents and it is denoted by the symbol $, but often it is referred to as EC$, to differentiate it from the US dollar or other dollar currencies. 

The East Caribbean dollar is issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and is in the form of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 cents and $1 as coins and in $5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars, as notes.

The currency is pegged with the US dollar. 

How to Buy East Caribbean Dollars

If you are on one of the Islands already, some advice on the ease of buying XCD, or USD from ATM’s follows advice on how to convert large amounts of money at the best price today.

If you wish to buy money for a visit to the Islands, you may wish to buy your money online here.

If you are looking to change your XCD for British Pounds Sterling or Canadian Dollars and have an amount greater than 15,000 XCD, then you may like to take advantage of currency conversion at commercial rates better than the banks and without commission or a transfer charge, here. Just sign up for a free currency conversion account and we will convert your East Caribbean Dollars at the best price today.

Anguilla:
Anguilla, despite its size has a few ATM machines, so it is relatively easy to get hold of East Caribbean dollars, but the US dollar is in widespread use here and menus and prices are often quoted in US dollars, so it is easy to get by just using dollars.

Antigua and Barbuda:
Despite the fact that these are two small and relatively isolated islands, credit cards are accepted throughout both the islands and there are also plenty of banks and most of these offer ATM facilities.  In addition, it is possible to use US dollars.

Dominica:
Dominica also has ease of access to currency through ATM machines, although the use of the dollar is also widespread, you may find that in some of the smaller shops, they will only accept local currency.

Monserrat:
Monserrat has only one ATM machine which is located at the Canadian Bank (Royal Bank of Canada).  However, credit and debit cards are also accepted here, as well as US dollars.

Saint Kitts and Nevis:
ATM machines are widely available and it is quite easy to get hold of the EC dollars, or else you can just use your US dollars which are quite readily accepted. 

Saint Lucia and Grenada,:
Saint Lucia and Grenada also have an extensive network of ATM machines and it is possible to use US dollars here as well.

St Vincent and the Grenadines:
St Vincent is slightly more complicated than the other islands, because although there are ATM facilities on St Vincent, they are pretty scare on
Grenadine islands, so if you plan to visit the smaller islands that make up the Grenadines, then you will want to have at least some cash with you.  But that being said, it will also be possible to use your credit cards quite extensively.  To some extent these islands are the playground of the rich and privileged, so cards are readily accepted as well as US dollars.  But for tips and smaller purchases, it is handy to have some cash.

Transferring your pension abroad need not cost you a fortune every month.

If you use your bank to make the pension transfer overseas, it´s likely that you will be much more than you need to in charges, commissions and the currency exchange rate.

As more and more people have chosen to retire overseas, the banking system is set to gain from this migration. However, whether you have a state pension or a private pension scheme, the taxation treatment of your money may be different depending on the arrangement that the UK tax office has with your new homeland. Relying on conversations with friends, who have already moved abroad, is useful. But, take great care to get the right information from the tax office.

If you are a UK resident and choose to retire in the United States, you will currently benefit from annual increases in your state pension. If you choose to retire to places like South Africa, New Zealand or Canada, your pension is likely to remain at the level that it was when you moved abroad.

Variations in tax law may mean that you may also have to pay more tax, or possibly pay tax in both Countries as the money originates in the UK and you are spending it abroad.

Before moving abroad, I suggest you have a word with a Tax specialist in Pensions. They could save you a great deal of money.

Currency Exchange.

Now that you have established what you are likely to receive from your pension while living overseas, it is worth discussing your plans with a currency broker. Currency Exchange dealers can save you a great deal of money when you are making regular monthly payments.

Ratheer than rely on the good nature of your originating bank to keep the costs down and to give you a great rate of exchange, why not go to a currency conversion specialist like fx-foreignexchange, who have a simple system for making these monthly transfers?

Because it´s simple, it´s cheap! You instruct your bank to transfer the monthly pension payment to fx-foreignexchange. At the end of the month, the presiding rate of exchange is applied to the pension amount and the money is converted into your destination currency. The money is then transferred to the bank account in your new home country without commission or transfer charges. Often, if fx-foreignexchange have a bank account in your destination country, there won´t be any receiving charges either.
It´s efficient and cost-effective.

To speak to someone about making a regular monthly payment abroad just call the UK, 0044 1480 458400

In these difficult times, you need all the help you can get just to keep hold of your hard earned money.

• You may be in business and have a need to regularly pay suppliers abroad.
• You may be an expatriate and have a need for a regular monthly payment to be transferred overseas.
• You may have decided to emigrate and have a need to move nearly all of your savings.
• You may have just decided to buy that, longed for, holiday home abroad and have a need to transfer your savings as a deposit.

Whatever your reason for moving money abroad and having to exchange the currency to another type, you need to choose your currency dealer wisely. This is mainly because there are usually seemingly small charges applied to the currency exchange deal AND some foreign exchange brokers will not give you the best rate available.

Yesterday, I even heard of 2 different banks who offered a client a rate of exchange that sounded competitive and confirmed that there would not be any charges by them for the transfer or at the receiving bank. In both cases, this was completely untrue! The clients dutifully told their managers to make the transfers. When they received their exchanged money, charges had been applied at both the sending and receiving banks in addition to a completely different rate of exchange being applied!

When each client visited their banks for an explanation, it was like the bank managers were reading from the same script. Both offered the lame excuse that they merely processed the exchange of currency. After that, the rate of exchange was applied by the dealing room whenever they got around to doing the deal. No explanation was offered to explain the charges.

If these people had used a professional currency exchange dealer, they would have had a contract with the rate of exchange on it and a full explanation of charges applied if there were any. They would have known exactly how much they would receive.

Why use a bank when you are protected by this form of contract? If you regularly make payments abroad, or need to make a one-off currency exchange try fx-foreignexchange.com. You will be dealing with professionals.

One property market that doesn’t seem to have run out of steam is Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Dubai has opened it’s arms to property investors and now, it appears that Abu Dhabi is quietly doing the same.

Buildings are being constructed at an alarming rate, ever skyward, along with the prices. Tales are told of some properties being sold on 12 times before the property has even been handed over by the builder! With a property market like this, it’s easy to fall prey to the silver-tongued salesman with promises of vast profits in weeks.

The truth is, it really is happening. I spoke to one of my colleagues the other day who is noted for her conservative approach to parting with her own hard-earned money, and she has even bought a property on the hope of selling it before completion.

However, she does have an advantage. She can buy her Dirhams, or AED as we know it, just when the rate against the pound and the Euro suits her. She waits until the rate peaks between the pound and the Dirham, then buys as many Dirhams as she can. Over time, she has made the difference of 5%. In real terms, this means her property will be 5% cheaper than it may have been if she traded at the lower exchange rate.

If you are considering buying abroad, it is advisable to have a chat with a professional currency broker to see which methods of buying foreign currency will suit you best. The advice will cost nothing, but may save you thousands as it has for my colleague.

Get the best currency exchange rate available today… Just call our Head Office on +44 (0) 1480 458 400 if outside the UK, or 01480 458400 ( in the Uk) and we’ll quote you the best exchange rate for Euro, usd, gbp, aed and more. Alternatively, fill in the short form below, and we will get back to you with the best foreign currency exchange rates.

Emigrating to Australia on your own steam
The first step in emigrating, is to find out if you are eligible to live in Australia. You can do this by contacting your nearest Australia High commission who will be able to assist. They will send you the relevant information regarding your application process.
You should allow a minimum of 12 months for a successful application to be processed. It is absolutely crucial that any paperwork submitted to Australia House is done so correctly or your application will be returned to you, and you will, unfortunately, have to re apply. Fees will also vary dramatically depending upon the visa category you are applying under. With police checks, medical records, government fees, and more, the cost of the application can sometimes be a considerable expense.
Use an emigration specialist consultancy
A migration agent is like using a lawyer to represent you in court. They will initially give you a free consultation and will let you know straight away if you are eligible for migration. If you are, they will begin to advise on the fees and time limits involved. They will then advise you of all relevant forms, references and documents that you will need to obtain for them to submit the application on your behalf.
If you choose to use an agent your migration process can be a lot quicker. In some cases, they may even save you money as you can be certain that your application will be submitted correctly the first time. It certainly will take a lot of unnecessary stress away from the migration process. For that reason alone, we would strongly recommend to anyone who is considering emigrating, to use a Migration Agent.
Buying your Australian Dollars.
Whether you are buying your Australian Dollars with British Pounds, American Dollars, Euros or any other foreign currency, it pays to shop around.
The standard route, involved beating a path loyally to your local bank and asking them to make the money transfer on your behalf to Australia. This generally involves a few costs that you won’t have to bear elsewhere. You are likely to be charged extra for making the currency transfer, and for your Australian bank to receive the funds. In addition, a high street bank doesn’t necessarily give the best foreign exchange rate which is the biggest difference between the bank and a foreign currency exchange specialist.
Consider this:
Your bank offers you a rate of 2.10 Australian Dollars to £1. You buy £150,000 worth at that rate, believing that it’s the same everywhere and you end up with 315,000 Australian Dollars, before they have taken their commission!
OR, you use a global currency exchange specialist and they give you a better rate of 2.1549 Australian Dollars (as it is today) to £1, giving you net proceeds of 323,235 Australian Dollars for your £150,000.
Net result, you have saved yourself £3,821 ( or 8235 dollars) to spend on something else when you get to Australia like a second hand car, tax and insurance! No effort was required. It didn’t take any longer. You just end up with more money.
Save money when emigrating, buy your Australian Dollars here, or just visit the site to view the latest rate.

Buying Property in Thai Baht.

Buying Thai Baht at the best currency exchange rate is a relatively simple exercise. Call your broker!

However, buying Thai Baht at the best exchange rate in order to buy property in Thailand, as a foreigner. That’s not such a simple task. Choose a broker who understands the Thai property system as there is a specific Act, the 1991 Condominium Act, which applies to non-residents who aim to buy a condominium in Thailand.

If a non-resident person wishes to transfer money into Thailand to buy a property there, they must obtain a Foreign exchange Transaction Certificate for each payment. This certificate comes from the beneficiary bank and every certificate will need to be shown to the Land Department in order to register the title of the condominium. As an aside, the currency exchange transfer instruction needs to state that it is for the purpose of buying condominium.

There’s a catch though. If you transfer money into Thailand for this purpose, you need to ensure that each currency exchange is for US$20,000 as a minimum, otherwise you would need to obtain a credit note from the bank instead.
Transferring money to Thailand:
1. The money must be T/T (Telex-Transferred), with a document identifying the name of the purchaser in the form of either the sender’s or receiver’s name. For example:

Mr. Jones wants to buy a condominium in Thailand. He has his own account at an overseas bank to buy the condominium, he has to instruct the overseas bank to issue the document in his name as the sender of that amount to his (savings) account in Thailand, or any law firm (with the permission from the particular firm) after which the appointed company will buy that condominium for him,

(or)

It is possible for the buyer to ask a third party to transfer the money for him to buy the property by identifying himself as the receiver. This could be done by using a currency exchange Company such as fx-foreignexchange, who would offer the best rates at that moment for buying Thai Baht and would then organise the money transfer to Thailand.

2. The purchaser has to include the transfer instruction indicating that the purpose of this money is to buy a condominium unit.

The bank that receives money in foreign currency will issue the document (Foreign Exchange Transaction) which contains the following information:
- The transferred amount in foreign currency
- The transferred amount in Thai Baht
- The name of money sender

In order to get the best currency exchange rate in Thai Baht, whether selling Australian Dollars, US Dollars, GB Pounds, AE Dirhams or Euros, contact the experts, Fx-Foreignexchange.com and they will quote the best rate for the Baht today.
+44 (0)1480 458 400

Looking to buy, or sell AED’s?

• Get the best exchange rates through us.
• We have an office in Dubai for UAE dirham currency conversion.
• Save money through us. Currency transfers are usually made for free. We offer better exchange rates and we will be pleased to quote to handle your regular money transfers in AED, euro, dollars, pounds and more.
• Secure money transfers made using our treasury provider, Barclays Bank.

Live currency exchange rates for the UAE Dirham, aed, are shown in the table below. They are updated every 12 minutes and display the mid rate between the buy and sell rates. If you would like a quote for the best foreign currency exchange rates today, please contact us.

Global Currency Exchange Network: No commission and No transfer fees.

Is it safe? See our Security & regulations information.

Currencies - Cross Rates

Remember to let us know whether you wish to buy or sell dirhams:

cforms contact form by delicious:days

The UAE dirham and international money transfers

About the AED:
AED, or dhs / dirhams, is fixed to the US Dollar. As a result, the recent decline in the value of the US Dollar against the Euro and the GB Pound has had an obvious effect on the AED rate when trading currency in Europe.The UAE dirham (AED) is divided into 100 fils. Coins are in 5, 10, 25 and 50 fils and AED 1. Notes are in denominations of AED 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000. $1 = 3.6722AED and currently £1 = 7.2504AED.

Currency exchange between Dubai and London:
With the opening of the Gatehouse Bank Plc in Central London, a fully compliant shariah bank, there is likely to be an influx of interest in exchanging AED´s for Pounds.
There are no restrictions on the import and export of money into, and out of, Dubai.

Everyone holding a residence visa in Dubai is allowed to open a bank account and to import and export funds, although it’s unusual for people to bring funds into the country with the current excepion of foreign funds being used to buy property in Dubai. Accounts held overseas are of no interest to the fiscal administrations in any of the states. No declarations of currency are required when entering any of the territories, so travellers can move currencies in and out without restriction and in any form that they choose.

International bank transfers are something the Dubai currency exchange brokers handle comfortably. The money transfers out of Dubai have long been a lucrative business, particularly since the property boom began in recent years. The large number of expats who have moved to Dubai regularly exchange their money, and make transfers abroad to their home country.

How to transfer aed and get the best exchange rates:
All the retail banks will transfer money to any destination and in any currency. Many people find it convenient to use their own bank to transfer money overseas, but there are plenty of currency dealers offering this service, so shop around to obtain the best currency deal. The main factors involved in transferring funds overseas are the exchange rate offered and any commission charges plus the money transfer charge. The rate quoted by a high street bank may look attractive, but if the combined charges are high, you might be better off with a company like fx-foreignexchange. In addition, many overseas receiving banks will make a recipient charge. Using fx-foreignexchange, there will not be any receiving charges in most cases.

Different transfer systems are available, and the speed of transfer is the main determinant of the charge levied. The methods are postal, bank-to-bank, telex, telegraphic and SWIFT (or similar titles). For an explanation of currency terms, visit this page.

If you intend to send significant amounts of money abroad for business transactions, such as buying a property, or making a payroll payment on a monthly basis, ensure that you’re given the commercial rate of exchange. The tourist rate or standard rate that you see quoted in your newspaper or posted on the bank’s currency exchange board can be considerably bettered for large exchanges and transfers.

Fx-foreignexchange have a currency trading office in Dubai.

Get a quote for the best aed, eor, gbp currency exchange rate today, just call +44 (0) 1480 458 400
or simpy fill in the form:

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Get the best currency exchange rate available today…

Just call our Head Office on

+44 (0) 1480 458 400 if outside the UK,

or 01480 458400 ( in the Uk) and we’ll quote you the best exchange rate for Euro, usd, gbp, aed and more.

Alternatively, fill in the short form below, and we will get back to you with the best foreign currency exchange rate.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

See today’s currency exchange rates for aed, usd, gbp, pounds here.

Emigtaing is a huge decision. Once the decision to emigrate has been made, most of the decisions are a little easier… there just happens to be more decisions than most people expect.One decision most people forget about, until the last moment, is how to transfer all of their money from one country to their new home country. It’s understandable. We are all busy with selling the car, finding a school, selling the house and packing. It’s not until a large amount of money needs to be transferred, that most people start to wonder just how much their bank is making by charging a commission, charging for the transfer and the slightly more expensive exchange rate. By this moment, most people have already made a few currency exchanges and sent small money transfers for the new car, or the rental house deposit and some living expenses.

Global Currency Exchange Network is a currency exchange specialist. It’s all we do! There’s no transfer charge in most cases. There’s no commission at all! All we do is exchange currency to the tune of over £335,000,000 last year. It’s all done at the best currency exchange rates available at that moment which is why people who emigrate come to us to save money.

If you are starting the process of emigrating, just let us know well in advance and we will be able to carefully tailor the transfer of your money using a range of options including spot deals, forward contracts, limit orders, just to name a few. For more information on these terms, go here.

If you have already moved, and are making regular overseas pension transfers, or just sending a small sum on a regular basis, it’s likely that the bank is taking a large percentage of the amount transferred. If you allow us to make the currency exchange and the transfer, we could make a considerable difference to the amount you receive each month.

For a free quote, just call us and we will explain how you can get the best exchange rate. We can be reached on 0044 (0)7802 520370, or email us here.