Many of these scams are common in many places around the world. So do not think I am saying these only happen in the UK. However, tourists heading to the UK should pay special attention to these scams. Overall the UK is pretty good when it comes to scams though. Happy travels to where ever you are heading to!
Not a scam so much but a potential trap for the unwary in many of the bigger cities like Birmingham or Nottingham busses cannot give change as all money is kept in a sealed lock box for security, so always have small coins on you to give the right amount. If you make sure you have a couple of pound coins a 50p, 10p, 5p and a couple of 20p's you will be golden as almost all bus fares will be to the nearest 5 or 10 pence.
If a London black cab says they can't accept card at the moment tell them they aren't allowed to be working under TfL rules with a broken card machine and that you are entitled to just get and record their taxi licence number. This will magically fix card machine issues for you most of the time
To be honest, just bring cash. Also I would only take one or two black cab journeys in London, Uber is way cheaper and I would disagree with Wolter in that in my experience they do know where they're going / they have GPS :)
@@dylnm Uber have GPS but they have no city knowledge, so if traffic is bad they'll just sit there, or if you want to know anything about the area they usually have no idea
@@liamtahaney713 i live in a town just outside London and I swear public transport is like paying for a plane ticket🤦🏻♀️ if i'm not alone always go for taxis, much cheaper and quicker
Will be traveling with my 50 years old parents. Do all London buses have seats? or some will sit and others will have to stand? And are they too crowded?
The reason London's black cab drivers seem to know the directions better than others is because they do. In order to obtain their licence to operate they have to pass something called "the Knowledge", which is a training course lasting about three years with at least twelve verbal examinations. In those they are set tests by being given a destination in London and they have to immediately recite the relevant route in order to get from a given point to that destination. This system has been in operation since 1865.
@Gabriel S Possibly, although the drivers have to be familiar with all parts of London and not just reliant on the hope that technology will take them safely through the unknown. They also have to be aware of things such as how to change routes part way through if roadworks or closures are suddenly set up due to things like burst water mains - technology might try to re-route via busy or very narrow sections of the city, whereas the drivers know all the quickest and best routes to use and also the times, streets and places to avoid. London is an old city with a strange layout as a legacy from medieval times, which creates bottlenecks. It is not laid out in a linear network like modern cities. The drivers can also give a lot of good free tourist advice about where to visit or stay in the city.
@Gabriel S I suppose for now the best combo is a knowledgeable driver and a good navigation system...until driverless cars take over. That should make London's rush hour interesting...especially if there's a systems failure or hacking incident. 😂
@@WegrennerX I would agree that Sat Nav routes may be far from ideal, both in cities where they may leave you trying to turn right onto a busy road (i.e. waiting forever unless there are traffic lights) and in the countryside, where you may be sent down a single track road to shave half a mile off the distance by A road. Sat Navs don't know which roads become packed during the rush hour, or the school run, or even if it's half term. But if you're in a strange city, you don't know those things either, and Sat Nav comes into its own and beats trying to drive while holding a street map in one hand.
or the spruced up tap at the end of your pub night.......they will charge you much more then you actually ordered...mostly happen late at night and with people who put their drinks on a tap!
I dropped 100 £ from my pocket without noticing at Tesco in Shepards Bush while paying for groceries, 2 people were quick to point out to me the cash on the floor. God bless them wherever they are.
There are a lot of good people in England in general that will go out of their way to help you in situations like this, although there are a lot of scammers, they are few and far between.
my friend left his wallet on the bus with £80 inside it. Someone handed it in and it was kept for him where there bus would terminate - although there are thieves everywhere you do get some gems.
That's like any place in the world. You get lucky and a nice person with dignity sees and lets you know... Or someone worse is there and takes it. Just chance.
Biggest scam in UK is virgin charging 208 quid for a single fare from Manchester to London . Cheaper to fly to Europe and get a connecting flight to Heathrow. Good video dude
@@ahmadz251 I'm from Belgium but my father works for the railroad here so he gets free tickets for a lot of European countries including England and it really surprised me how expensive the trains are there. We were lucky to travel for free but it's just insane ...
@@myra0224 agree with you on this... train tickets are crazy expensive... was just sharing the way how i got cheap tickets... I loved European train travels because they are so scenic
The maximum price for Manchester to London is 175 pounds which isn't cheap but it isn't 208. Unless it's first class ticket. Why are you misleading people?
Some ATMs have charges for lifting money, if you wander a tad more normally there is a free one very close. In glasgow people have started putting directions with sharpies on the ATM to the nearest free one😂🤷♂️
Yes. I should have put that in. Thanks for this comment. I was in edinburgh last month and the hotel gave us a list of non-extra charge ATMs as the two closest to the hotel charged. Thank you. This is why comment sections exist :) thank you
So interesting to see this from an US perspective. Honestly in London I would never use an Uber or taxi you can get everywhere with the tube or by walking
You try passing through London (in at Paddington, Out at St Pancreas) with a broken wrist & 2 large suitcases... Tube? way to crowded with the broken wrist. Walk? If I'd had both hands & only the one bag not a problem. So I paid for the convenience and made an earlier train than I was trying for...
Traveling with a friend who uses a cane and isn't steady on her feet meant using Uber and Taxis. Also, traveling after knee surgery meant using taxis. I could walk without aids, but my knee got sore quickly. There are times when you just spend the money, because you need to.
@@jenniferandrew3373 when we were in London 2019, we had to use the taxi bcos mum had a bad knee and to be early birds at a tourist site. But when we went to Eastbourne, we rented a car to travel around the country side and small towns and shoppind in Ashford
My relatives in London tell me that one of the most common crimes is people stealing cell phones. Their advise, keep your phone in a zippered, inside pocket or bag, and never set it down on a table.
Yeah dont walk around london with your phone out because people on mopeds will just drive on the pavement and just take your phone while your distracted, there's even a whole BBC video about it
One thing to mention for tourists in London, ask for ID. If someone's coming up to you claiming to be of authority or whatever and you feel even remotely skeptical, just ask for proof of identification. Anyone working legitimately will be more than happy to show you.
If you see a person sitting at an atm covering himself with a blanket,don't use that atm,there is a good chance that person has an atm reader,been caught once never again be warned.
I like to have fun with the pickpockets. I'll buy a bunch of wallets at the thrift store for like a quarter each, fill them with colored paper that looks like the notes of whatever country I'm going to be in, then include a note disparaging their intelligence, family and even their pets. I seem to always know when I've been hit so I'll casually watch them and see if they look inside the wallet before they get out of sight. It's really fun if they do look, especially if they look back at you and you can laugh and point at them!
Keep your cell phones hidden when walking around London and keep an eye out for motorbikes nearby. If you find a bank that has ATM machines indoors then it's safer to use them instead.
If you get lumbered with some Scottish Notes but happen to be in England where a lot of places won't take them (because less common, harder to identify forgeries) go to a convenience store with a self service check out (Tesco Express, Sainsbury's Local) and spend them there. Worth it even if you just buy a 50p bottle of water to get that Scottish £20 off your hands.
I used a Scottish note at a book store in Bath. He was happy to take it to make a sale. So maybe try using those notes in smaller independent stores if that situation comes up. Using that money to buy something you want bests buying something just to get rid of it.
@@darkchia00 As a local I can say I It's usually the smaller independent stores that won't take Scottish Money as a counterfeit note is a relatively larger burden to the business as opposed a bigger company so you did OK getting rid at the Bookshop, especially somewhere as far South as Bath. But yeah, the reason I said a bottle of water from the convenience store was alluding to your point on using it on something useful and Sainsbury's/Tesco's are generally significantly cheaper in the centre of tourist areas.
Tip for ladies: Wear your bag across the body so you can see it, zip up the inner compartment (and don't put your valuables in the outer pocket - and get a small carabiner so you can clip the zipper to the strap for when you're in a crowded place such as the Tube. It only takes a moment for you to undo to get to your stuff, but it's that unexpected frustration that'll disconcert the pickpocket and make them move to an easier target.
In London, particularly if you want to go to a west end show, many theatres hold “day seats”; go to the box office early in the morning for it opening, cue up and you’ll save £££! Day seats normally are front row and, depending on what theatre, you can get a ticket as much as £20
DariaSparrow sort of yes, sort of no, last time was in NY actual box offices at the theatres didn’t do day or standby seats. Definitely an option Broadway should adopt as not many tourists can afford box office or TKTS rate seats, and sometimes TKTS seats aren’t that great. When we went to TKTS, seats weren’t great, and from having sight and mobility difficulties, it was difficult to enjoy the show. When Mamma Mia was at the Winter Garden, I paid $100 and the seat was terrible!
@@Mad11paine Not sure if NYC's theater district still does the following, but way back in 1999, I was able to see "RENT" for $20 by participating in a lottery on the sidewalk just outside the theater where "RENT" was running. I hadn't known about the raffle/lottery beforehand, so that was a cool surprise! I'm a native New Yorker and had seen plenty of plays and musicals up to my teens -- when I used to go with my parents. Once I hit the work world full time in my 20s, I made little money to be able to afford nighttime Broadway shows, and lived too far away to bother to come into the city to see those lower-priced Saturday and Sunday matinees. But by my 30s, while no longer living in NYC, I realized my dream of landing a legal-industry job smack dab in the middle of the theater district and was desiring to see "RENT" specifically. I was in the first row, and "Mimi" scared the heck out of me jumping to the front of the stage (lol), but I had a grand ol' time with a bunch of strangers also seated at the front of the orchestra section. My neck hurt from looking up a lot, but I didn't care. I got to see "RENT" with the original cast for only twenty bucks. Two regrets to this day, however, are never seeing "CATS" and, back in the late 1970s, "A Chorus Line" -- and back then I was attending a high school within four measly blocks (not four avenues -- which in Manhattan is, like, eight blocks) of the theater district. Oh well ...
Please everyone dont hold your phone close to pavements edges looking onto the street as in London and all other city because thugs in scooters snatch them out your hand - keep your valuables safe and you will Love the UK
Something to note is the UK Bank of England have introduced new plastic £5 and £10 notes, and shops aren't supposed to accept the old paper ones, but I recently spoke to American travellers who had gotten their currency in the US before they came and had been given old money so couldn't use it. Just get money out when you come here, also visit Northern Ireland!
James Gillespie It’s also worth mentioning that if anyone, tourist or not, has old style notes, take them to any bank and they will exchange them for new ones for free 🙂
I only had a bad experience in the UK once in the early 1990s when we went on our first class trip to England. Imagine a London taxi driver just driving away from a group of 13-year-old kids only to scam them out of two pounds change... what a scoundrel. What I also would mention - it is not a scam, but quite a hassle. In my home town Vienna if you want to call a taxi it just takes a few seconds on the phone: you tell them your location, they tell you the minutes it will take, all very efficient. When I called a taxi in London for the first time, it took about fifteen minutes - they needed all my data and credit card information only to send someone! And it was not the best part of London, so this was one of the few times I felt quite unsafe and exposed over there. Thanks for another nice videos! :-)
@@Sean-tn5nv Don't know, maybe it depends on the area you are in and on the company. It was in 2008 I think at Willesden Junction quite late at night, by the way.
Ronik with the £2 change the driver may have thought you were giving a tip. If you're expecting change stay in the taxi until the driver gives you the change them get out
@@LittleMissProcraftinator Definitely not. The whole trip was very short, two pounds in the early 90s would have been an exorbitant tip. And read carefully: we were 13 year old kids!! He took advantage of our inexperience.
I'm from the UK and live near manchester, travel to London a few times a year and I have never had any problems myself. I agree with the bank scams, those are so common, as are phone bill scams and car break ins. But the UK has generally less scams than other European countries. This is interesting though as I hadn't come across them myself. In London you can get the 12.5% table service charge refunded if you don't want to pay it
Good advice on ATMs here, I'd also add that when looking for an ATM there are some private ones that will charge you a fee (usually £2-£3) for withdrawals. Always look for one that says 'free cash withdrawals' above it to avoid this.
Never seen that in the UK (I live here!), but plenty in 3rd world countries (India etc.), where ironically the amount you are being overcharged you probably wouldn't bother to pick up if you dropped it! UK taxis are better licensed and regulated
You ever considered going to the city of lincoln on England. Its a wonderful city. All though its not a weeks worth of stuff to do, it makes a great 2 day trip, plus there's loads of classic seaside resorts around. Its full of local tourism.
Took a tour of the entire UK with CIE tour then stayed a week in Mayfair in London at the Chesterfield...Next April.will be going to Southampton for a few day then taking a cruise to Norway.
Great advice! The only negative experience I've ever had traveling abroad was the evening we were accosted by a group of young teenage boys in Dublin. It was alarming for sure.
we were accosted by a group of young teenage boys .......pick out the one with the mouth, the one who does all the talking.....then pick out the biggest one ............if they threaten you , punch the mouthy one first, then the biggest one next...once those two are on the ground, the others will leg it. .......
The point about people selling old tickets is good. But be aware, it's very common in parts of the UK to give your ticket to others for free if you no longer need it.
You have seen them, just didn't recognise them. After living in London, I: 1. Had my bike stolen after leaving it inside a pub for 1 minute. 2. Saw more begging gangs than I can count. 3. Saw many obvious pickpockets hanging around Picadilly Circus and Oxford Street. 4. Nearly got robbed by a gang in Hackney while using my cellphone in the street.
Pro tip: Pickpockets will often watch people near a prominent "Beware of pickpockets" sign. Upon seeing this sign many people will instinctively tap and check the pocket they are keeping their wallet in. Don't do it.
When I was new to London, my family once took a black cab from central London to a suburb which was a fair distance but well withing Greater London area. The driver told us we had to pay a big supplement on the meter fare because he would have to go back to central London empty. This was many years ago. I swore then I would never take a London black cab again and to this day, I haven't.
As a U.K. bus driver I refuse to take Scottish money, we’re actually told not to take it, if we do and it turns out to be a fake it comes out of our wages, apparently Scottish money is easier to fake and it’s not worth the risk
Watch the price for travelling between the airports and central London. Local train services are often a lot cheaper and use the same route. Also, use the Tube from Heathrow.
Just watch out for the 'lost' tourist with a large map if you are sitting at a table in an outside cafe. They will spread it out over your phone, purse, valuables etc and will scoop them up when they collect the map. Happens all over the world though too.
Great video. However! The official advice is ...Do NOT give money to beggars. There are assistance programs for the homeless run by charities like shelter, mind, ect who are better placed to know how and who to assist. Giving money is more likely going to end up in the bank accounts of drug gangs and you will be feeding the addictions of vulnerable people and your well intentioned"gift" will in fact be prolonging their problem.
The charities are just a drop in the ocean, there is a real problem with homelessness and charities can't help much, they may offer people drop in centres where they can get a shower and a cup of tea or a subsidised (not free) meal but fact is there are tens of thousands of genuine homeless in London. But there are also many Roma gypsy beggar gangs, as well as crackheads. If you live here you will know who is genuine and who isn't though, if they are actually approaching tourists they are most likely scammers.
It's better to have an old or battered suitcase than sparkling new luggage when travelling by coach or train. The only time someone tried to walk off with mine, I happened to have a fancy-looking case. Actually an old lady pointed to my case and asked a young man to help her with it, then walked off down the platform. That was a scam that she used to repeat at Banbury.
Luckily as a solo traveler to London a few years ago, i could get away with not needing a backpack or anything when out and about. That was a conscious decision to avoid getting robbed or something. I did use to live there, but it had been many years. Only take a backpack if absolutely necessary. I miss it over there.
Some ATMs are rip off for paying charges etc....and look out fake scamming on ATMs as well. Also looks for scooters around London as they looking victims to rob as they are professional on it
For me, the biggest scam in the UK is at the car rental places. They'll offer to sell you a tank of fuel at a lower price so that you can bring the car back with an empty tank. In reality, it's hugely unlikely that you be able to arrive back with a completely empty tank. They know you'll pay for the fuel and then just give them more fuel for free. It's a rip off and should be stopped.
Also, you don't have to get British pounds because almost everywhere takes cards, unless you feel the need to do so, but make sure your debit cards don't charge you a foreign transaction fee on top of the conversion rate (great tip about the conversion thing -- I didn't know that when I first visited the UK). For Americans, the best thing you can do is set up Apple Pay or Google Pay on your phone and use that since we don't typically have Contactless cards and almost everywhere in England loves contactless. Plus, it's safer than using your card as the card number on your phone is special to your phone so if someone gets it, it won't match your actual card number, AND the best part is you avoid the awkward situation of having to sign for the transaction and the awkward searching for pens because they just don't do that there. Also, even if you set-up a PIN number on your credit or debit card it most likely won't work because our systems or different, and they don't do debit cards in the UK. Finally, you can use Apple Pay/Google Pay for the Tube instead of using an Oyster card and you can save a ton of $$/pounds (8 pounds versus 14-20, just for not having a paper ticket) if you use contactless when taking the train from Gatwick to London or on some other parts of the train lines that accept contactless.
To be honest it’s not uncommon for someone to leave a valid day bus day ticket for example at a bus stop for you to pick up or they might offer you it before you get on the bus. I see it a lot in my city (Leeds)
Another brilliant video! Thank you! I am not planning trips to all the places you cover but it is just so interesting to see you talk about the locations! It actually has made me think and actually add some of the locations that you've covered to my list of places I want to visit! More video clips of your family! It always puts a smile on my face to see them!!!
As an English citizen I can confirm your tips are bang on. Would love to meet you Mark if you ever do any talks or meets in England as I really enjoy your videos!
I had my wallet stolen on the train in San Francisco. The best thing I did was call the police and they filed a report. They couldn’t do anything for me but when I went to fly home and didn’t have my information for security, I had the police report and I was processed quickly. Had I not had that it would have been a headache.
The UK is indeed much safer than the murder mystery shows would have you believe. As a Brit I do however have some concerns about visiting America. I've seen Murder She Wrote, so I know that Americais very murdery.
I travel with a security purse and backpack. These have clips that can be used to secure the zippers which make it much harder for a pickpocket to target you. Since they want an easy target, they probably won't bother. My backpack also has a clip that can be detached at the bottom of one of the shoulder straps that allows it to be secured to a chair or table leg when eating out (another scam to look out for).
Good video! Especially because you gave credit to Cab drivers instead of tax fraud companies as Uber or Lyft! These companies have to be boycotted by every responsible tr5aveller (as Airbnb has to, too).
They are about 3 times as expensive which is why locals don't use them anywhere near as much anymore. If you're getting around the city, walk, use buses and tubes over cabs... Uber if you are feeling lazy.
They can be more expensive BUT far far safer for single travellers. They are heavily regulated and their drivers are checked for criminal records. The few extra £s are worth your safety. If it’s not late at night then an Oyster card and public transportation is very cheap. The cabs are cool though.
You just made my day by talking about religious orders and being next to storm troopers. The empire will always have my vote. Seriously, that's good on advice on the ATMs. It also sounds like you just need to be uber diligent to prevent pick pockets.
Was in London last year. Went in May. Luckily did not see any of those petition scams in the city - though in Westminster Abbey there were police all over the place so I would not think they would dare to scam someone. Lots of people on trains so I would put my bag in front of me to be sure no one will take it. Saw beggars but they never bother you. Had a wonderful time and i would advise to get around as early as possible because when the clock strikes 11AM there are so many people
While not a scam as such, rail tickets can be a very expensive sometimes. For example most of the time the price of a single nearly the same cost as a return, which is an issue if you aren’t doing a round trip. Also off peak and peak times can really inflate prices for longer journeys!
As a Brit the ATM scams are probably the main problem you will come up against. If it looks like it's been tampered with in any way just move along, I see plenty that have been fire damaged or look like someone has tried messing with the reader so just go somewhere else. ATM's are all over so just look for the next one. Enjoy your trip over here
Something else to watch out for is beggers hanging around "tourist maps". The big boards you see in cities with "You are here" in a big red dot and arrow. As soon as they see a tourist looking at it, they're over to offer their help. Some are actually excellent and very helpful as they know the city. Others are just chancers and pick pockets. Either way, they'll all want something off you.
I will never forget when I went to Aruba in 1988 and in Miami I got a chunk of the Aruban currency the Florin. When I got down there they told me that they don’t accept that crap and that’s exactly what they said. They wanted the U.S. Dollar.
I'm so glad you mentioned the conversation scam and credit card scams. I'm in Ireland and say this all the time. If you convert your paying 2.5% extra for the privilege and the conversation rate that your bank offers. Always pay in local currency and if possible always use cash. It's also illegal for shops to accept credit cards without signature on it which seems to be the norm with Americans.
The trains here are incredibly expensive here compared to the rest of Europe. If you can I'd strongly recommend buying a rail card which gets you one third off your ticket.
What a shame you didn't post this video sooner. A few weeks ago I arrived at Bristol airport and needed cash to pay the driver of the bus to Bath. I was in a rush and used the Money Corp ATM. I didn't know anything about this conversion problem and finally had to pay 50€ to 60€ more than expected. It turns out that Money Corp has got the monopoly for Bristol airport as well as for Gatwick airport and they are real sharks!!! I go to the UK at least once a year and this was the first time something like this happened to me. I enjoy watching your videos very much. I sometimes look for videos of places I know and always agree with the information provided. Thank you very much for your work.
I used to work in one of the UK's large retail banks. I can confirm that you shouldn't take up the offer of a card transaction in you home currency: # the exchange rate will be set by the shop and will not be at the advantageous rate of the card scheme. # if your bank applies a fee for foreign transactions, you will still be charged that fee even if it's in your home currency. # when a transaction is done abroad, it will be converted into the currency used by the card scheme for its internal money movement. So even if you do a transaction in your home currency the transaction will still be changed into other currencies before it hits your home bank.
Yeah, though most banks will accept old coins for exchange no matter how old. Some might require that you have an account with them, so tourists are probably out of luck there.
@@derpimusmaximus8815 I got back one of the old 1 pound coins in change, and no one wanted to take it as legal tender. I went to a bank branch to ask about it, and they had me go to a currency exchange. I received back around 80p, which was a lot better than nothing.
@@derpimusmaximus8815 Tourists probably won't be issued with the old notes/coins in the first place. I used the old pounds at the post office for about 6 months after they weren't allowed in shops.
Exactly. The *actual* Imperial soldiers are the Queens Guard at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Literally, they're real soldiers, not a tourist attraction.
Generally if you're getting tickets for anything make sure you buy them through an official source, so for events, concerts or theatre shows you can use Ticketmaster or the theatre's website. Most venues also have a phone number where specially trained staff can book for people with disabilities. For trains You can use Train line, train pal or a rail operator's website (I.e. LNER, GWR or Grand Central for trains to and from London) as well as the machines and ticket office at the station.
The way to escape beggars that works for me is to say in a medium loud voice "NO EENGLISH," then turn and quickly walk away. That usually leaves the beggar stunned for a second and allows an escape. I'm told this probably works for me because my ancestry is Veddy pale-skinned Briddish. so your mileage may vary.
When I was in Manchester this summer the cabbies and corner shop clerks were asking really inappropriate questions. I was with my boyfriend, his sister and her boyfriend, and they said they do say things to couples like "Did you get some jiggy jiggy?" or "Is that your girlfriend? Do you get jiggy jiggy with her?" This was asked in a cab with my boyfriend, me and his disabled parent. Very awkward and I refused to go into the corner store after that, too.
There used to be a big problem with unlicensed cabs, particularly at transport hubs. They will approach you and negotiate a price to take you somewhere, at too high a price. At some point they may then insist on more money or not take you all the way to the destination. Worse things can also happen. I’m not sure that this still goes on now that Uber is available but still watch for it.
Pick pocketing doesn't necessarily happen too much outside of London. It's not too bad at all. It's Just mostly in London where you have to be careful. Most of the time they want your gadgets instead of the money as they're worth more. My dad's wife had her phone stolen.
NEVER take the black cabs off the street the money meater goes up so fast and they take the long way round so you spend much more money, if you in manchester use "metro taxis" (i dont now if they have them anywere els in the uk) but there way more reliable
