【The Biggest Surprise in the UK? The Only Time I Needed Coins Was for a Public Toilet 🇬🇧✨】

【The Biggest Surprise in the UK?

The Only Time I Needed Coins Was for a Public Toilet 🇬🇧✨】

People often ask me what my trip to the UK was really like, so I thought I’d start sharing my journey little by little with photos and stories 😊

The first thing that completely surprised me during this trip was…

I never used cash. Not even once!!

Seriously — I did not use physical money at all during my entire trip 😂

When I traveled to the UK before, I exchanged Japanese yen into pounds at Narita Airport before departure 💴➡️💷

But this time, thanks to advice from experienced travelers and so many helpful YouTubers, I decided to challenge myself and thought,

“Maybe I really don’t need to exchange money this time…?”

And the result?

I truly never exchanged money once 🤣✨

Even after arriving at Heathrow Airport, I never visited a currency exchange counter.

That meant I completely avoided those ridiculously expensive exchange fees!

Yay!! 🙌✨

For this trip, I prepared everything using my Sony Bank debit card.

I actually use two accounts:

• One foreign currency account where I had already purchased British pounds

• One regular Japanese yen savings account as backup

That setup worked perfectly 💳✨

From the airport into London, I used my debit card for everything — National Express, the Underground, shopping, cafés, souvenirs, even my hotel checkout.

Everything was cashless.

At some point, I realized there was almost no opportunity to use cash at all 😂

BUT!!

If you are planning to visit countryside areas like the Cotswolds, there is one thing you should know ⚠️

The Cotswolds is a beautiful tourist area with lots of restaurants, cafés, and shops, so toilets are usually available there.

However, when you are walking around town, you may need to use a public restroom.

I was so happy to find one…

until I realized the door only opened if you inserted coins 🤣💦

And of course, I had absolutely no coins with me.

Total panic 😂

Luckily, the American couple in front of me kindly held the door open after they finished and said,

“You can use it 😊”

They were so kind!!

The people on my tour were also incredibly helpful, and somehow I managed to survive the great British public toilet challenge 😂

So if you plan to visit small towns like the Cotswolds, carrying a few coins for public toilets might be a good idea 💷

By the way, my UK trip lasted 9 days and 7 nights 🇬🇧

And during that entire trip, the ONLY moment I wished I had cash was that one single time.

That’s it.

Which is why I want to tell anyone planning a trip to the UK:

You really do NOT need to exchange large amounts of cash anymore.

At Narita Airport…

At Heathrow…

Even after arriving in the UK…

I never exchanged money once 😊

If having some cash makes you feel safer, then sure — bring a little.

But honestly, just a very small amount is enough.

After spending 9 days in the UK, my real impression was:

“The UK is basically completely cashless now.” 😂✨

This is my actual experience, so I hope it helps anyone planning a future trip 🇬🇧

And one more thing about banking.

My whole family uses Sony Bank 💳

It’s an online bank, but transfers between family members are super easy and the fees are minimal.

What I especially loved while traveling abroad was this:

If you buy pounds in advance, payments are automatically made directly from your pound account while you’re in the UK ✨

And even if you run out of pounds, as long as you still have money in your Japanese yen savings account, the card automatically pulls from there.

It was incredibly convenient 😊

I’ve never really liked using credit cards too much because I worry about overspending 💦

I personally prefer the idea of:

“Only spending the money I actually have.”

That’s why using a debit card felt perfect for me✨

So if you’re planning to travel overseas someday, having a Sony Bank debit card might actually be a really good option 😊

Anyway, that was my little story about money and cashless travel in the UK 🇬🇧💷✨