Leftover Foreign Currency? 6 Things to Do With Coins and Bills After Your Trip

1. Save It for Your Next Trip

This is the simplest option and, if you're likely to return to the same country, the smartest one. You avoid all conversion fees entirely. The money is worth exactly what it was when you brought it home.

This works especially well for currencies you travel with regularly. If you visit Europe every year or two, keeping 50 to 100 euros on hand means you land with cash ready to go. No ATM hunt after a long flight, no exchange counter markup.

A few things to keep in mind if you go this route:

• Store bills flat in an envelope. Crumpled, damp, or torn bills can be rejected by some businesses and exchange services.
• Check for currency redesigns. Some countries periodically retire old bill designs. The UK replaced its paper notes with polymer ones. The EU has been phasing in new euro bill designs. Old versions usually remain legal tender for years, but eventually they can only be exchanged at central banks.
• Coins are harder to exchange later. Most exchange services (including banks) refuse foreign coins entirely. If you're going back, coins are worth keeping. If not, your options are limited (more on that below).

2. Exchange It Back Through an Online Currency Service

If you're not going back anytime soon, selling your foreign currency through an online exchange service is usually the most cost-effective way to convert it back to US dollars.

Services like CEI Currency Exchange let you mail in your leftover bills and receive USD back via check or direct deposit. The exchange rates are significantly better than what you'll get at an airport kiosk or most bank branches, typically within 1 to 3 percent of the mid-market rate.

The process is straightforward: you place a sell order on the website, mail in your foreign bills, and receive your dollars once the currency is verified. Turnaround is usually a few business days after they receive your envelope.

The main limitation is that most services only accept bills, not coins. And there's usually a minimum amount (often around $50 equivalent) to make the transaction worthwhile after shipping costs.

3. Deposit It at Your Bank

Some US banks and credit unions will buy back foreign currency, though the service is less common than it used to be. Large national banks like Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Chase offer foreign currency exchange for account holders, but the rates vary widely.

The convenience factor is real. If your bank offers it, you walk in, hand over your bills, and the equivalent USD shows up in your account. No mailing, no waiting.

The downsides: bank exchange rates tend to be worse than online services (expect 3 to 5 percent below mid-market), and many branches need to order the conversion rather than handling it on the spot. Some banks only exchange major currencies like euros, pounds, and yen. Try to exchange Costa Rican colones or Croatian kuna at a bank branch and you'll likely get a blank stare.

Call your branch before showing up. Many locations don't keep foreign currency exchange supplies on hand and will need advance notice.

4. Use a Multi-Currency Debit Card to Avoid the Problem Entirely

This isn't a solution for currency you already have, but it's worth mentioning because it prevents the problem on future trips.

Cards like Wise let you hold multiple currencies in a single account. If you convert $200 to euros before a trip and only spend $150 worth, the remaining euros sit in your Wise account. No physical bills to deal with. You can spend them on your next Europe trip, convert them back to USD at the mid-market rate (with a small fee), or just leave them until you need them.

This approach also solves the "last day spending spree" problem, where travelers try to burn through remaining cash on things they don't actually want just to avoid bringing it home.

5. Use an Airport Coin Kiosk (Coinstar or Similar)

A few international airports have kiosks that accept foreign coins and convert them to gift cards, charity donations, or (less commonly) cash. These are not the same as regular Coinstar machines at grocery stores, which only handle US coins.

The conversion rates at these kiosks are poor, typically 15 to 25 percent below the actual value. But since coins are nearly impossible to exchange anywhere else, getting 75 to 85 cents on the dollar is better than the alternative: a jar of unusable coins collecting dust on your shelf.

If you're passing through a major international airport (Heathrow, Frankfurt, Dubai) and have a pocketful of local coins, look for these kiosks in the departures area. Some let you donate the value to charity directly, which at least gives the coins a purpose.

6. Donate It

If the amount is small (under $20 equivalent), donating might make more sense than spending time and effort converting it back. Several organizations accept foreign currency donations:

• UNICEF Change for Good: Collects foreign currency on many international flights. Flight attendants pass around envelopes during the last hour of the flight. Check if your airline participates.
• Airport charity collection boxes: Most international airports have collection bins near customs or baggage claim for leftover currency. The funds typically go to local charities or children's organizations.
• Your local library or school: Some schools use foreign currency and coins for geography lessons, cultural displays, or world language classes. Call and ask before dropping off a bag of random bills.

Donating won't put money back in your wallet, but it turns leftover currency into something useful instead of letting it sit in a drawer for years.

What NOT to Do

A few options sound reasonable but end up costing you significantly more than they should:

• Airport exchange counters. Converting leftover currency at an airport exchange booth (Travelex, ICE, etc.) typically costs 8 to 15 percent of the value. On a $100 exchange, you might lose $10 to $15 in markup. If you have time to mail it to an online exchange service, you'll get a much better rate. Read our airport exchange vs. bank comparison for the full breakdown.
• Hotel exchange desks. Even worse rates than airports in most cases. Hotels mark up currency exchange by 10 to 20 percent. We covered this in detail in our guide on why you should never exchange currency at your hotel.
• Letting it sit forever. Currency loses purchasing power over time due to inflation. That 50 euro note you brought home in 2020 buys noticeably less today. If you're not going back within a year or two, convert it sooner rather than later.

How to Minimize Leftover Currency on Future Trips

The best strategy is to come home with as little foreign cash as possible. A few habits that help:

• Withdraw smaller amounts more frequently. Instead of pulling out $200 worth of local currency on day one, take out $50 to $75 at a time. You'll fine-tune your spending as the trip goes on and avoid a big surplus at the end. If your debit card charges per-withdrawal fees, consider switching to one that doesn't. Our debit card comparison covers the best options.
• Use cards for large purchases. Hotels, restaurants, train tickets, and museum entries are usually card-friendly. Save your cash for the small stuff: street food, taxis, tips, and markets.
• Spend down cash on your last day. Pay for your final meals, souvenirs, or transportation with cash and put the rest on a card. Fill up on snacks at the airport with whatever's left.
• Use a multi-currency card like Wise. Any unspent balance stays digital. No physical currency to deal with afterward.

The Bottom Line

If you're going back to the same country, keep the cash. If you're not, sell it through an online exchange service or your bank while the bills are still in good condition and the denomination is still current. For coins, donate them or feed them to an airport kiosk. And on your next trip, carry a debit card with no foreign transaction fees and withdraw smaller amounts so you come home with less to worry about.

The one thing you shouldn't do is leave a pile of foreign currency in a drawer for five years. Every day it sits there, it's losing value to inflation and getting closer to a potential redesign that makes it harder to exchange. Deal with it while it's easy, and put that money back to work.