While we’re on the subject of London - a short hijack if you please?
How do you pronounce Marylebone? I haven’t been able to make sense of the guidebooks’ attempts to represent it phonetically.
Mar-lee-bon.
£200 in one-pound coins would weigh about 4.25 pounds. That’s easy enough to stash in your carry on I would think.
Not even all Brits pronounce this one the same. It’s generally either…
Marlebun (stress on Mar), or
Marrylebun (stress on marry, rhyming with harry, i.e short ‘a’, not like Mary)
Either way, you say the word very quickly and don’t drag out the syllables and don’t ever stretch out the word ‘bone’. It’s always a hastily mumbled afterthought, roughly sounding like ‘bun/bon’.
We have a Chase Sapphire credit card, used almost exclusively for travel, because they don’t charge a foreign transaction fee. You get the benefit of a pretty good exchange rate, plus you don’t get that surprise charge on your next bill for the “privilege” of using the card overseas. The rewards program isn’t bad either.
I haven’t had any trouble using my ATM card in London, at least not at a major bank. No issue with not having a “chip-and-pin” credit card, either.
Have fun!
This helps, thanks, though Mary and marry rhyme for me.
uh oh, not that old chestnut.
Okay, try as in mat, not mate.
And now I am sitting here trying to pronounce Mary with a long A.
I sound like a fool. 
Good idea. I would add prescriptions to that list (in case of medical need, but also because of controlled substances laws).
Not sure where you’re flying out of, but many of the larger airports have ATMs in the departure area where you can withdraw cash in any of several denominations; pounds, euros, I think yen (here in San Francisco). We withdrew a starter kit of pounds and euros last year when heading to London and Amsterdam - worked just fine.
My CapitalOne credit card does not charge a foreign transaction fee, so I will use that when I want to charge. My bank charges a 1% fee to use an outside the network ATM (plus whatever the U.K. ATM will charge). That could be a total of 5% of the amount I withdraw. I could suck that up. I’m also considering doing a bit of research to find a big bank (I bank at a neighborhood bank) that has reciprocity (and therefore no withdrawal fee) with foreign ATMs.
I love all the helpful tips in this thread. Keep 'em coming!
Peedin, the English are a little advanced and you’ll find ATM’s and heaven knows what else all over the place. You seem pretty prepared, but you may wish to also book transport from Heathrow assuming you are landing there.
I can’t add much more, except some of those “Cash passports” (taking over from travellers cheques) will hit you about $30 every withdrawal if not in the same currency.
Open a Schwab checking account. Free ATM access anywhere in the world, and they refund you the foreign banks’ fees.