How much money to take to Saudi, and where to change it

Saudi takes cards almost everywhere now. Mada, the domestic network, is accepted in places you would not expect, and contactless is normal. So my honest answer to "how much cash do I need?" is less than you think.

But not none, and I have been caught out by that.

What still wants cash

• The small shops around both harams. Prayer mats, dates, gifts, the man selling umbrellas. Many take cards. Enough do not.
• Taxis you flag down. The apps take your card. A street taxi wants riyals.
• Tips. Porters, drivers, the person who helps with your bags at the hotel.
• Sadaqah. Whatever you intend to give.

For a week I take somewhere around 500 to 1,000 riyals in cash per person, depending on how much shopping is planned. That is roughly £100 to £200. Take more if you are buying gifts for a long list, and you probably are.

Where to change it

Not at the airport. Airport counters are the worst rate you will see on the whole trip, usually by a wide margin. Change a small amount there if you have nothing at all, and no more.

Not at your hotel. Convenient, and priced accordingly.

Exchange offices near the haram give the best rates. There are dozens of small صرافة offices around both mosques. They compete with each other, which is why the rates are good. Most close after Isha, so do it during the day. It is worth walking past two or three; the difference is small per note and noticeable across a week's spending.

ATMs are fine. The rate is close to the real one. Check what your own bank charges for a foreign withdrawal first, because that is where the cost usually hides, not in the exchange rate.

The Saudi Now panel on this site shows the live GBP to SAR rate and what each of these options typically costs you.

What to do before you fly

Tell your bank you are travelling, or your first purchase will be declined and you will spend an evening on the phone instead of at the haram. Most app-based banks handle this automatically now. The older high-street accounts still do not.

Take a card from two different banks if you can. One declined card in Makkah on a Friday is an annoying afternoon, and I only started doing this after having one.

The bit people get wrong

The riyal is pegged to the US dollar at 3.75, and has been for decades. It does not move. What moves is the pound against the dollar, which is what changes your rate week to week.

So there is no clever timing to be done on the riyal itself. If the pound is strong, you get more riyals. That is the whole of it, and it saves a lot of worrying.

One thing worth carrying

Small notes. Breaking a 500-riyal note for a 10-riyal purchase is awkward everywhere in the world, and the shops around the haram are busy enough without it.