USA travel money guide 2026: dollars, denominations, tipping, ATMs

1Search intent and target audience

UK travellers booking USA (top conversion country). Comprehensive country pillar.

2Keywords (with GSC data)

GSC impressions, position and clicks shown for each keyword. Data from your top 1000 queries (last 16 months). 'Related' = no exact match in top 1000, closest variant shown. 'Not in GSC top 1000' = below export cutoff; consider external keyword research tool for volume.

Secondary keywords:

3Article structure (H2 outline)

1. USA at a glanceCurrency, time zones, plug type, language.
2. Daily budget benchmarksBackpacker £80-120, mid £180-300, luxury £400+. NYC/SF priciest.
3. Cash vs card across the USHeavily card-friendly. Cash for tipping, food trucks, taxis without apps, parking meters.
4. ATM advice in the USChase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo. Avoid in-bar ATMs (worst rates).
5. Tipping culture: the real rules15-20% restaurants standard. Bartenders $1/drink. Housekeeping $2-5/night. Uber/Lyft in-app.
6. Where to buy US dollars in the UKOnline specialists. Request denomination mix (lots of $1s and $5s for tipping).
7. $1, $5, $10 vs $50, $100: what notes to ask forSmall businesses often refuse $100s and $50s. Ask for mix when ordering.
8. State and city cost variationsNYC, SF, LA, Vegas premium. Mid-size cities much cheaper.
9. Common US travel money mistakesAll-card strategy (tipping cash needed). $100 bills (often refused).
10. FAQ6-8 PAA-style.

4Key points and facts to include

• Tipping is THE distinctive USA money topic. Cover thoroughly.
• Small denominations matter — $1, $5, $10 for tipping.
• Bar ATMs are notoriously bad — call out specifically.
• Sales tax not in displayed prices — add 5-10%.

5Live-data injection points

For the tech team. Each point below is where dynamic data from the main Travel FX site needs to be injected into the WordPress post.

6Internal links: commercial pages

Minimum 3 commercial-page links per article. Use descriptive anchor text.

• /buy-us-dollarsAnchor text: "buy US dollars"
• /sell-us-dollarsAnchor text: "sell back unused dollars"

7Internal links: sibling content

Minimum 3 sibling links to other briefs / blog posts. Helps internal link equity.

• /briefs/w9-thu-ny-vs-orlando/Anchor text: "New York vs Orlando"
• /briefs/w1-mon-euros-101/Anchor text: "Euros 101 for comparison"

8External sources to reference / cite

• US Bureau of Engraving and Printing (denominations)
• Brand USA (official tourism)

9SEO metadata

10Hero image direction

Hero: USA scene — NYC skyline, road trip, or southwest landscape.

11Notes and risks

High-conversion. Annual refresh.