Unused holiday currency 'to hit £902m'

HOLIDAYMAKERS are returning from trips abroad with an average of almost £30 in leftover foreign currency, research shows.

The unused currency built up by UK travellers will have reached an estimated 902 million by the end of the year, according to a survey by Visa.

It found that almost a quarter of holidaymakers had at least 50 in foreign currency at the end of their holiday, representing about 10 per cent of the typical holiday budget.

Yet while almost two thirds of Britons taking holidays overseas bring their unused currency home, just 5 per cent exchange it when they return.

The 36 per cent who don't bring any currency home tend to use it all up on the last day or spend the remainder at the airport shop, with just 4 per cent donating their unused cash to charity.