So you're back from holiday and have a fistful of Dollars (or dinars, or whatever) left over, that you want to turn back into real money.

Or at last you've got a buyer for that Spanish apartment you never found time to visit, and you're wondering how best to turn the Euros into pounds.

Or your long lost uncle Sid (the black sheep of the family) has suddenly surfaced in Bali and has sent you a belated wedding present in the form of an enormous cheque - but it's for Indonesian Rupiahs. What can you do with those?

And when you're next in your local bank and you mention your currency conversion dilemma to the cashier, and she says "Oh, we can sort that out for you" it seems convenient to let the bank deal with it.

Wrong, wrong, wrong! We're all so busy (or lazy) that we are often tempted to take what seems to be the easy way out, instead of shopping around. As a result, we throw away money. In the case of currency, your bank will take a nice fat commission on the deal and you'll just get whatever rate they feel like giving you on the day.

There is a reliable way to maximise your return on currency exchange transactions...

Simply carry out your foreign money exchange transactions through specialist currency brokers Foreign Currency Direct. Instead of being processed by a harassed bank cashier, you'll benefit from the specialist currency knowledge of your personal account manager, who will explain your options in plain English and give you as much help as you wish.

And here's the bottom line - you'll pay no hidden fees or commission when you sell, and you'll receive the best exchange rates in the UK. We really do offer the best exchange rates. That's why we were named the provider of the "Best Exchange Rates" in Sunday Times surveys for 2006, 2007 and 2008. We're still waiting for the 2009 report, but we expect to remain on top.

So next time you have foreign currency to exchange, don't say a word to your bank. Just phone us. The experts.