Airport Currency Exchange in Australia: Who Runs Each Counter

Which operator runs which airport

Sydney Airport's currency exchange is run by Travelex, confirmed both by Travelex's own store sitemap (ten separate counter positions inside the T1 International terminal) and by a direct link on Sydney Airport's own homepage navigation to a Travelex partner page. Perth Airport shows two Travelex counters — T3 Qantas departure and T1 international landside departures — per Travelex's own store listings, though Perth Airport's own website wasn't able to independently corroborate this the way Sydney's did this round. Adelaide Airport likewise shows two Travelex counters, T1 arrival and T1 domestic departures, again confirmed from Travelex's own listings rather than the airport's own site directly.

Melbourne and Brisbane are the exception: Melbourne Airport's own currency-exchange page names Prosegur Change directly in its own page title, and Brisbane Airport's homepage embeds a Prosegur-hosted widget script for its currency-exchange feature. Neither Travelex nor Travel Money Oz — the two chains with the largest suburban footprints — holds the in-terminal counter concession at either Melbourne or Brisbane. Assuming the same brand runs every airport is the most common error to avoid here.

Sydney: Travelex, T1 International

Travelex's own store sitemap lists ten counter positions across Sydney Airport's T1 International terminal, spanning departures check-in, gate areas, both piers, arrivals and the baggage hall. Sydney Airport's own homepage links its currency-exchange navigation item directly to Travelex's partner ordering page, confirming the arrangement from the airport's own side as well.

Melbourne and Brisbane: Prosegur Change

Melbourne Airport's own currency-exchange page carries the page title "Prosegur Currency Exchange | Melbourne Airport – 0% commission & Best Rates," and its own copy states: "Don't miss out on 0% commission, when you order online!... When you order your travel money online, you can bag some savings with 0% commission and our best exchange rates on over 50 currencies. You can then collect your order for free at one of our branches before you embark on your journey." Brisbane Airport's homepage embeds a currency-exchange widget script served from the same Prosegur network, under the file name widget-currency-bne.min.js.

Perth and Adelaide: Travelex

Travelex's own store sitemap lists two counters at Perth Airport (T3 Qantas departure and T1 international landside departures) and two at Adelaide Airport (T1 arrival and T1 domestic departures). Neither airport's own website was able to independently corroborate the arrangement this round the way Sydney Airport's homepage did, so treat the Perth and Adelaide presence as confirmed from Travelex's own listings specifically.

Is airport currency exchange more expensive than the city?

No published comparison from a consumer body or regulator sets out a dollar or percentage figure for how airport pricing compares to city-branch pricing in Australia — that specific statistic doesn't appear to exist as a citable source. What can be said, based on the operators' own published terms, is an inference rather than a separate statistic: an airport counter is by definition a walk-up purchase, since a traveller at the gate can't wait for a Click & Collect order to process, and every operator checked — Travelex, Travel Money Oz and Melbourne Airport's own Prosegur page — states that its walk-up or in-store rate is different from (and, in each case, worse than) its online-ordered rate.

That inference is the honest version of the airport-versus-city question: the mechanism that makes an airport rate less favourable is the same mechanism that makes any last-minute in-store purchase less favourable anywhere, not something unique to airports as a location.

Ordering ahead instead of buying at the gate

Every operator running an Australian capital-city airport counter also runs an online ordering channel with the same or nearby collection points. Travelex, Travel Money Oz and Melbourne Airport's own Prosegur page all describe collection windows of roughly one to three hours for online orders, meaning a traveller with even a short lead time before their flight can order ahead and collect at the same terminal rather than transacting at the counter itself.

If you're moving more than travel spending money

Airport counters, like every currency-exchange chain, are built for travel-sized cash amounts, not for moving savings, settlement funds or a lump sum tied to a relocation. Migratio's guides on sending a large amount overseas and on buying foreign currency in Australia more broadly cover the options once the amount involved goes beyond what makes sense to carry as banknotes.

Does Travelex run currency exchange at every Australian airport?

No. Travelex runs the counters at Sydney, Perth and Adelaide airports. Melbourne and Brisbane airports' currency exchange is run by Prosegur Change instead.

Is it cheaper to exchange currency at the airport or order online first?

Every operator checked — Travelex, Travel Money Oz and Melbourne Airport's own Prosegur-run page — states in its own terms that its online-ordered rate is different from its in-store or walk-up rate. Ordering ahead and collecting at the airport uses the operator's online rate rather than its counter rate.

Can I order foreign currency online and collect it at the airport?

Yes, at airports where the operator offers Click & Collect — Travelex and Travel Money Oz both publish collection windows of roughly one to three hours for online orders, which can be timed to a flight.

Which company runs Melbourne Airport's currency exchange?

Prosegur Change, confirmed directly on Melbourne Airport's own currency-exchange page, which carries Prosegur's name in its own page title.

How much cash can I bring through an Australian airport without declaring it?

There's no upper limit on the amount, but AUD 10,000 or more in combined physical currency, Australian or foreign, must be declared to the Australian Border Force when crossing the border.