A friend will soon be visiting me in the UK, travelling from America. He only uses a debit card (not a credit card). I don't know yet whether it's a MasterCard.
Will he need to convert $ to Sterling before or on arrival, or would he be able to use his card at ATMs here?
In my experience of using debit cards abroad you can use Mastercard and American express in some machines. HOWEVER, for each encashment he would be charged a fee by his bank and the exchange rate will depend on his bank. That said, we have found that, because banks deal in large sums, the exchange rate was favourable.
He needs to check with HIS bank - and notify them (if necessary) that he'll be spending outside the US. OH travels in Europe and not all ATMS will accept his MasterCard, but they'll accept his Visa.