Ancillary titan Holiday Extras and its currency partner Caxton have launched a new AI-powered travel money assistant this week to help UK travellers know exactly how much cash they’ll need on holiday.

It follows new research by Holiday Extras that revealed the majority (83%) of UK airport travellers return home from trips abroad with leftover currency, mirroring findings in a recent Visa report.

The study reported that 3 in 5 (60%) of travellers return with foreign notes or coins – often too small to be exchanged back, and often never used again – while 1 in 5 (21%) end their holiday still with a substantial amount of unused foreign currency.

In response to this the teams have developed the new AI assistant in a hope to help holidaymakers better plan for the amount of money they’ll need on holiday, hosted on Caxton’s website.

It works by letting customers select their destination and trip type, then it instantly calculates a realistic cash budget for their needs based on real traveller data.

The Caxton travel money card is available directly alongside the new tool.

“We’ve all come back from holiday with a handful of useless coins or notes,”

said Tom McGarry, associate director of business development at Holiday Extras.

“With our new AI assistant, you’ll know exactly how much to take, and we’ll even give you £10 when you load your card. It’s one less hassle to think about when you’re heading off.”

“This is a fantastic example of how embedded finance and AI can combine to create genuinely useful tools for travellers,”

added Alana Parsons, chief operating officer at Caxton.

“It helps people plan smarter and spend better – with zero guesswork.”

Final thoughts

The launch of Holiday Extras and Caxton’s AI-powered travel money assistant reflects a broader industry shift toward hyper-personalized, data-driven financial tools in the travel sector. While fintech players like Revolut and Monzo have long offered dynamic budgeting features and multi-currency accounts, they’ve largely focused on digital payments and post-spending analytics. In contrast, this tool addresses a persistent gap—pre-trip cash planning—using AI and anonymized travel behavior data, offering a proactive solution to a well-documented traveler pain point.

The timing is strategic. According to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study, 87% of travellers still carry cash abroad, yet most end up with leftover currency. Similarly, McKinsey’s recent travel fintech report emphasized the rising demand for embedded finance solutions that solve specific travel friction points. Caxton’s integration of AI with its existing currency card ecosystem is a move toward such embedded financial foresight—essentially becoming not just a currency provider but a trip-planning partner.

Compared to broader AI travel initiatives like Expedia’s or Booking.com’s itinerary assistants, this effort is far more targeted and transactional—but also more actionable. It doesn’t just offer suggestions; it aligns with spending behavior, card usage, and real-world data to create measurable impact. As AI continues to evolve in travel, the winners will be those who offer contextual, practical tools with tangible ROI for travelers. In this regard, Holiday Extras and Caxton may have just set a new benchmark for smart travel money solutions.