Leftover Currency · Currency Exchange Guide · Last checked 22 October 2026

Leftover Foreign Currency: What to Do Before You Fly Home

Most trips end with some cash left in your wallet. Some of it is notes of a currency you could take home and use again, and some of it is coins. The airport is your last chance to turn it into something useful, and the rules there have a cost. This page lists what the sources we read say about selling currency back, about coin machines in Japan, about the rules for taking local notes out of a country, and about what India now allows at departure counters. Our evidence for sell-back rates is weak, and we say that where it is. We read these sources in October 2026 and the rules and hours change.

The short version

• Selling back currency usually costs more than buying. One travel guide measured Cebu's airport rates at 5% to 10.6% below the market and said the rates for selling foreign currency back were also uncompetitive. We found no measurement for most other airports.
• A Changi guide said that ChangiFX was slightly better than UOB when buying back foreign currency in Terminal 1, on one undated visit.
• Japan's Pocket Change machines turn leftover foreign coins and notes into e-money, vouchers or donations. Reports describe where they are and what they will give, and give no rates or fees. Haneda and Narita list them both.
• Some countries cap how much local currency you may take out. The Philippines prohibits more than 50,000 pesos without Bangko Sentral authorisation, and India caps rupee notes at 25,000 according to a secondary site.
• India's Reserve Bank allowed residents, as well as non-residents, to exchange rupee notes at forex counters in international departure halls from an April 2026 circular.
• For many travellers, spending the cash at the airport or keeping it for the next trip costs less than selling it back.

Why selling back costs more

A counter lists two rates for a currency: one at which it buys from you and one at which it sells to you. The difference between them is its margin, and the market rate falls between them. When you sell leftover notes, you get the lower of the two. When you then spend the local money, you may face a second margin if you convert again.

We found one measured example for sell-back. THAIest (updated 13 March 2025) measured the Cebu airport counter's buying rates for US dollars, euros, pounds and Singapore dollars at around 5.0% to 5.7% below the mid-market rate, and Australian dollars at around 10.6% below, and said that the rates for selling foreign currency back were also uncompetitive. It was one visit, the guide carries affiliate links, and the author did not give the details of the sell-back rates. At Changi, a different THAIest guide (updated 25 November 2025) said that ChangiFX was slightly better than UOB in Terminal 1 when buying back foreign currency, and gave no figures.

The honest summary is that we have almost no measured sell-back data. What we know is that two guides, at two airports, have not found a good deal.

Option 1: spend it at the airport

The simplest way to avoid the margin is not to convert. Many airports have shops and cafés that take local currency. We have not checked the payment methods at the shops, so we cannot say which accept cash, which accept cards and which prefer foreign notes.

A practical point is that small sums are worth spending and large sums are not worth losing. This is our advice, not a sourced fact. If you have the equivalent of a coffee, spend it. If you have the equivalent of a few days' hotel, compare options.

Option 2: keep it for next time

If you will visit the same country again, keeping the notes avoids two margins. The problem is that notes can be withdrawn or replaced. A guide updated on 29 September 2026 says that India's 500 and 1,000 rupee notes withdrawn in November 2016 are no longer legal tender, and that holding more than ten of them is an offence. That guide is not an official source, but the general lesson applies: check that your notes are current before you store them.

Option 3: coin machines in Japan

Japan's Pocket Change machines accept leftover foreign coins and notes and convert them. A Time Out Tokyo report (28 September 2020) says that they accept yen, euros, Korean won, Hong Kong dollars, Taiwan dollars and Vietnamese dong for conversion into e-money or gift cards, and that other currencies can only be donated. It lists top-ups for travel cards such as Suica and Pasmo, gift cards, and donations to charities. It says that the machines launched at Haneda in 2015 and spread to Narita, Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kansai, Kyushu and Chubu airports and to city shops. It mentions no fees or exchange rates.

An Australian travel article (20 October 2019, modified January 2020) says that the machines accept leftover coins and bills of any value, convert them into digital currency and vouchers, and claims a better rate than other currency exchanges. It gives no figures. The Narita airport page lists Pocket Change machines in Terminals 1 and 2, and Haneda's page lists them in all three terminals. Narita's page describes them as machines that turn coins into points, not as cash exchange.

What this means is that Pocket Change solves the coin problem, not the rate problem. We found no rate for any machine, so we cannot say how much you lose. If you hold coins that no counter will take, it may be the only route. If you hold notes, a counter or your bank may be cheaper, though we did not measure either.

Option 4: India's departure-hall rupee exchange

The Reserve Bank of India's circular RBI/2026-27/05 (A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 04, dated 2 April 2026) says that RBI has decided to allow residents, along with non-residents, to exchange Indian rupee notes at forex counters in the departure halls of international airports, in the Duty-Free Area or the Security Hold Area beyond the immigration or customs desk. A Taxmann article (published 6 April 2026) says that the circular sets no monetary or transaction limits in the part it reproduces, and says that authorised persons must inform customers. The Tribune, via the Press Trust of India, reported it on 3 April 2026.

Two cautions. We have not read the full circular, so a limit or a condition could be in the text we did not see. And we do not know whether a particular airport's counter has arranged to do this. In our airport guides we could not confirm it for any counter, so ask at the counter before you rely on it.

For visitors to India, the RBI FAQ (updated 28 November 2025) as summarised in our Delhi guide says that a foreign passport holder at departures can convert up to 10,000 rupees without receipts and up to the equivalent of US$3,000 with receipts. Keep the encashment certificate and receipts from your exchanges. For residents returning from abroad, the same FAQ says unspent foreign currency notes and traveller's cheques should be surrendered within 180 days, and up to US$2,000 may be kept. We did not check which counters accept surrenders.

Limits on carrying local notes out

Some countries do not want their notes to leave. If you hold a large amount of leftover local cash, check the rule before you pack it.

• Philippines. A consulate page says that taking more than 50,000 pesos out is prohibited without Bangko Sentral authorisation. Gulf News (28 February 2026) gives the same figure. If you have more, spend it or convert it before you go.
• India. Goods Across Borders (verified 5 July 2026) says that leaving India you may take up to 25,000 rupees and US$3,000 without Form A2. It is a secondary site that flags inconsistencies on its own page.
• Indonesia. Cekindo, a business site, says that taking IDR 100 million or more in rupiah out requires Bank Indonesia approval.
• Taiwan. Taiwan Customs' outbound page (marked older version) says that leaving travellers may carry no more than NT$100,000 in Taiwan notes.
• Turkey. One travel site says that there is no official limit in lira but that large amounts may attract attention. That site contradicts itself elsewhere, so treat it as unconfirmed.

In most of these cases the figure is large for a tourist. The rule matters most to someone leaving after a long stay or a business trip. Our guide on cash declaration limits compares the thresholds.

A made-up example

The figures below are invented. They only show how two margins add up.

Say you hold 200 units of a foreign currency after a trip. The mid-market rate is 1.00 home unit per foreign unit, so the market value is 200 home units.

• A counter buys your notes at 5% below the market: you get 190 home units.
• On your next trip, a counter sells you 200 foreign units at 3% above the market, which costs 206 home units.
• Selling now and buying again, therefore, costs 16 home units compared to keeping the 200 foreign units, which is 8% of their value.

The loss is small on 200 and grows in proportion on a larger sum. The percentages are invented, not from a source. They show the shape of the cost: two margins, one on the way out and one on the way back.

Leftovers and the declaration rules

Leftover cash counts towards the thresholds when you leave. If you carry a large sum, the rules in our guide to cash declaration limits apply to your leftovers as well as your spending money.

Two sources show how entry paperwork affects leaving. Our Delhi guide notes that if you declared foreign currency on a Currency Declaration Form on arrival, you should keep the stamped form if you want to take unspent money back out. A Cambodia Airports customs page says that taking out more than US$10,000 needs a permit from the National Bank of Cambodia unless the money was declared on entry. In both cases, the arrival form is the evidence that the money was yours when you came.

Receipts and certificates

When a counter buys foreign currency and sells you local money, ask for a receipt. In India, the RBI's 2011 circular on airport forex counters, reproduced on a tax news site, says that counters placed between the immigration and customs desks may only buy foreign currency and sell rupees, and that they must issue encashment certificates. Our Delhi guide advises keeping the encashment certificate and receipts for any leftover rupees you want to change back. Other countries may have similar paperwork. We have not checked them.

The receipt also helps you work out what the counter paid you. If it shows the rate, you can divide it by the mid-market rate and see the gap.

Which leftovers are worth the trouble

This section is our reading. It is not a sourced fact. The sums at stake after a normal trip are usually small, and the main costs of sell-back are the margin and your time at a queue before a flight.

• Large notes of a common currency are the easiest to sell and the least likely to lose much. Coins and damaged notes are the hardest.
• Notes of a currency you will use again are best kept.
• Notes of a currency you will not use again are best spent, if you can, on food, water or small purchases airside.
• Very small amounts of coins can go into a charity box or a coin machine. The saving from any other route is likely to be less than the cost of the time spent.

If you have a card with a foreign balance, or an app account, check whether you can use it instead. We have not checked any such product here.

How to check a sell-back rate

This is our advice, not a sourced fact.

1. Look up the mid-market rate for the pair on the day you fly.
2. Ask the counter how much it will give you for your exact notes, after every fee.
3. Divide the amount you get by the mid-market value of your notes. A result of 0.95 means 5% below.
4. Ask a second counter or bank if the queue allows.
5. Keep the receipt, and do not sell notes that are torn, stamped or old, because counters may refuse them.

What we could not confirm

• A measured sell-back rate at any airport other than the one Cebu comment.
• The rate or fee on a Pocket Change machine.
• Whether a given Indian airport counter exchanges rupee notes under the April 2026 circular.
• Whether any limit sits in the full text of that circular.
• Which Delhi counters, if any, accept surrenders of unspent foreign currency.
• Whether torn or stamped notes are refused at any counter.

A simple plan

1. A week before you fly, add up what you have left in each currency.
2. Spend small sums on the trip, and keep notes you will use again.
3. For coins, look for a coin machine or a charity box at the airport.
4. For a larger sum, ask at the counter for the final amount and compare it with the mid-market rate.
5. If you carry a lot of local notes out, check the cap for that country first.

FAQ

Can I sell back all my foreign money at the airport?
Counters usually take common currencies in good notes. We did not confirm the rules for coins or damaged notes.

Is the sell-back rate worse than the buying rate?
One guide at Cebu said that the sell rates were also uncompetitive. We found no figures for most airports.

What do Pocket Change machines give?
They give e-money, gift cards or donations. Reports give no rate or fee.

Can I take pesos or rupees home?
The Philippines prohibits more than 50,000 pesos without authorisation. A secondary site gives 25,000 rupees for India.

Can residents of India exchange rupees at the airport?
An RBI circular of 2 April 2026 allows residents, as well as non-residents, to exchange rupee notes at departure-hall forex counters.

Sources and how we checked them

Checked on 22 October 2026. Where we say something is confirmed, an official source says so directly or at least two sources agree. The sell-back evidence is thin, and several sources are travel guides with affiliate links.

• THAIest, travel site, Currency exchange rates at Mactan Cebu Airport, updated 13 March 2025, and Currency exchange at Singapore Changi airport, updated 25 November 2025.
• Time Out Tokyo, news, These kiosks turn foreign currency loose change into gift cards or electronic money, 28 September 2020.
• The Aus Review, travel article, Pocket Change: Japanese machine helps you save while travelling, 20 October 2019.
• Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport Passenger Terminal, airport operators, money exchange pages (undated).
• Reserve Bank of India, official, circular RBI/2026-27/05, 2 April 2026, and FAQ on miscellaneous forex facilities, updated 28 November 2025.
• Taxmann, tax news site, RBI allows INR exchange for residents at airport forex counters, 6 April 2026, and The Tribune via Press Trust of India, 3 April 2026.
• Philippine Consulate General in Sydney (undated), Gulf News (28 February 2026), Cekindo (undated), Taiwan Customs (marked older version, updated 19 October 2026), and Goods Across Borders (verified 5 July 2026).

Editorial note: The counter, rate and airport information in this guide is editorial and is not paid for. Rates and fees change, so confirm the final rate at the counter before exchanging.