How much cash should I really bring?

It varies widely by country and length. Bring enough for arrival plus a few days' small spending, and top up locally if needed.

Should I give my child money?

Depending on age, a small amount in their own wallet can be a nice money lesson, within reason.

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Money for Family Trips Abroad: Smart Use of Cash, Cards & Exchange

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With kids, the "money" side of a trip is easy to put off, yet it is a headache to fix once you are stuck abroad. Where to exchange? How much cash? Will cards work? Here are the basics our family uses for preparing and mixing money on the road.

What you'll learn

The right answer when a terminal asks "Pay in your home currency?"
What is actually added on top of a card payment abroad
A realistic split between cash and cards
Where to change money without losing much
The parts that only matter when you have children with you

1. "Pay in yen?" — the answer is usually no

Let me lead with the single most useful thing in this article.

Pay by card abroad and you will often be asked whether you want to be charged in your home currency or the local one. The terminal may helpfully display the amount in yen.

This is Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), and as a rule you should choose the local currency.

The reason is the exchange rate. Card issuers themselves advise that the rate applied under DCC is frequently worse than the rate the card company would otherwise use. Seeing the figure in your own currency is reassuring, and that reassurance is usually being paid for somewhere you cannot see.

On a single purchase the difference may be small. Across a week with a family of four — meals, entry tickets, souvenirs — it adds up. Choosing "home currency" every time can cost a meaningful amount over one trip.

💡 Remember this: when the terminal offers JPY alongside the local currency, press the local currency. The moment you are most likely to get it wrong is at a till with a restless child, so agree it with the family before you go.

📎 Sources: for how DCC works and why its rates tend to be less favourable, see the official guidance from card issuers and banks (Sumitomo Mitsui Card / Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos / SMBC Trust Bank PRESTIA). Treatment varies by merchant and issuer.

2. What gets added to a card payment

Even paying in local currency, you are not billed at the raw market rate. The card network's reference rate is converted with the issuer's overseas handling fee added on top.

That fee differs between issuers and is revised from time to time. A difference of a few percent matters across a whole trip, so check your own card's terms for the overseas handling fee before departure and decide which card to lead with.

While you are there, check your credit limit too. Hotels abroad often place a deposit hold on the card, which reduces what you can spend. Between rooms for a family and a possible medical advance, the headroom disappears faster than you expect.

3. Carry both cash and cards

Even in largely cashless countries, travelling with children leaves situations where cash is required.

Public toilets — frequently paid, and without coins you cannot get in
Coin lockers — for luggage and a folded pushchair
Street food, markets and small shops
Tips, where that is the custom
Ticket machines and small bus fares

Paid toilets are the pressing one with children. An adult can wait; a child often cannot. I would go as far as saying keep local coins in a pocket at all times.

Larger amounts are safer on a card. Keep cash in small amounts, split across more than one place. Simply not carrying everything in one wallet lowers the risk substantially.

4. Where to change money

Rates and fees vary a good deal by venue. As a general shape, this holds up:

Airport bureaux, at home or on arrival: convenient, rarely favourable. Change only what you need for the first day
In-town exchange offices: often better than the airport, but they vary widely — check the posted fee, not just the rate
ATM withdrawals in local currency: the rate is comparatively transparent, but there is the ATM operator's fee plus your issuer's. A cash advance also accrues interest, so check in advance whether you can repay early

At an ATM too, if asked whether to dispense in yen, choose local currency. DCC exists on cash machines as well.

💡 With children: making a child stand and wait through an exchange transaction is its own trial. Bring just the first day's cash from home and sort the rest once you have settled in.

5. The parts specific to travelling with children

You will be paying while watching a child, so decide your payment method before you reach the till
Choose a wallet that is hard to drop over one that is quick to open — your hands will be full of child and pushchair
Pocket money, if you give it, works well as a small amount of local currency in its own little purse. It teaches the value of things
Carry two cards or more, kept separately, so one blocked card does not halt the whole family's plans

📌 Last updated: July 2026. Exchange rates, fee levels and issuer practices all change. Always confirm overseas handling fees and limits with your own card's terms and official sources. This article recommends no particular card or financial product.

FAQ

Q. If I am asked to pay in yen, which should I choose? A. Local currency, as a rule. Card issuers themselves note that DCC rates tend to be less favourable than the rate the issuer would apply.

Q. How much cash should we bring? A. Think in terms of use rather than a total. With children, never running out of coins for paid toilets, lockers, street food and tips matters more than the headline figure. Cards cover the large purchases.

Q. Is changing money at the airport a bad deal? A. Airport bureaux are generally not the most favourable, but arriving with no cash is its own problem. The first day's cash at the airport, the rest in town is a practical compromise.

Q. How many cards should we carry? A. At least two, kept in different places. Fraud checks abroad can block a card without warning, and one card leaves you stuck.

Useful for planning

PR: contains affiliate links.

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