Holidaymakers spend £260m to access cash According to a poll by www.sunshine.co.uk, the online travel agent, around two-thirds of Britons retrieve cash using a credit or debit card while abroad, with five separate withdrawals being made on average. The average charge for a single withdrawal was found to be £2.75, meaning those travellers who do use their cards spend around £13.75 on each trip. According to the Office of National Statistics, there were 36.2 million overseas holidays taken by British travellers in 2011 - approximately 28.6 million of which were taken by adults. The research would therefore suggest that around £263.46 million was spent by Britons to access their own money. In his most recent guide to holiday spending money, Nick Trend - Telegraph Travel's consumer correspondent - advised travellers to continue to use their debit card to access their cash on holiday. The exchange rates at most bureau de change are far less favourable, and some banks charge a fee for each individual purchase made using a debit or credit card. However, he recommends taking out between £150 and £200 each time, rather than making several smaller withdrawals. Another option for travellers is a prepaid currency card, which you credit with a fixed amount of sterling or foreign currency before travelling and for which you usually have to pay a registration fee. Nick Trend recommended them for gap-year travellers, as they can be topped up by a parent or friend back in Britain.