Last Minute Mexico Question

[CamColt]

Now that we are getting down to the last few days before our cruise we are starting to think of the details. Can you use American money in Mexico?
Thanks for any info?

 

[atakaratemom]

We used U.S. Money at all of the ports in Mexico with no problem whatsoever. My only advice is to take small bills. Most of the pricing was in pesos, even though you could pay with dollars. They told us to use a division of 10 for the exchange rate, (i.e. if it is 660 pesos it will cost $6.60.) Hope that helps!

Mary

 

[CamColt]

Thanks so much!

Thats what I had thought, but DH just questioned it and I couldnt remember actually hearing one way or the other so I thought it would be best to double check.

 

[jlawall]

Best advice..........use your credit card, then you don't have pesos in change to get rid of!

 

[CamColt]

Thaks for the tip. Thats good to know we can use credit cards too.

 

[Serena6010]

Check w/ your credit company first though. Alot of credit card companies charge extra when you are using the card in Mexico. I think it has to do with them having to convert Pesos to dollars.

 

[atakaratemom]

I was warned against using credit cards unless you are sure how it is going to be processed. Apparently some people are charged a big fee for the conversion of pesos to dollars. I would check with your credit card company ahead of time and then make certain how it is handled. I would also be sure and ask the vendor in Mexico handling the charge if there are any extra fees. There was a thread about this I saw awhile back. Some people apparently got unwelcome surprises when their bills came.

Mary

 

[CamColt]

Ew, thanks! Another good tip.

 

[jfis1020]

Just looked at our statements from last week's trip to Mexico. After I fainted (LOL) I noticed that the CC Company charged us $0.75 per transaction in Mexico. I only used my card but three times, so it wasn't a big deal to me. One thing I did do was to have the cashier write on the slip the USD amount as the slip obviously was in pesos, just in case there was any questions.

 

[Vanvmom]

Most of the places we went to took Visa, but not American Express (which is what we use). Our ATM card is also a Visa, and we used it a couple of times. We took small bills to use in Mexico. They LOVE to be paid in US dollars. Make sure you ask if your change will be in US dollars or pesos.... at one restaurant a member of our group paid his bill in US dollars, then bought one more item. They tried to give him change in pesos with the claim that they did not have any US dollars. He promptly reminded them that he had just paid them in US dollars so he was sure they had some that they could use for change. They complied with his wishes. This all seemed worse in PV than at any of the other ports.

 

[eeyorelvr10]

As you probably already gathered, credit cards can/may get expensive. Pesos seem to run about 10 to about 10.50 per dollar. (As of July 30) and banks can run you alot. However, as suggested, take small bills, I usually go to a bank and take out small bills, ones, fives and tens. Makes life alot easier. Most people in Mexico won't take change although in Cabo I found a few people who didn't care.

We utilize the money exchange huts that you can find just about anywhere in town. They will usually give you a little higher than an atm. But for those of you who are Bank of America users - their affiliate in Mexico is the bank called Santander Serfin. Santander's label is red with white lettering. (Don't confuse it with the one with a Swiss flag though or you may get a big surprise!) Anyway, Santander won't charge you a fee. My daughter was in our bank opening up a student checking account just before we left and they told her to stick to this bank and she won't get any charge for using the atm's since they have some kind of understanding. Or if she I understand correctly, the fee is keep to a bare minimum for us B of A users. Anyway, we ended up with a few $20 pesos ($2 Am dollars) so I just put them in a little souvenir change purses and gave them to some people back home s/a dog walker, mail carrier/picker upper, etc as a thank you for watching out for us. So don't fret, may come in handy. Have fun.

 

[Chris Herbert]

Thanks for the useful money tips. I have another question...............is it OK to eat/drink in Mexico? Is there anything we should be cautious of?

 

[Disneyland55]

Most places I went to had no problem accepting US money so I don’t think its that big of a thing to worry about.

 

[DisneyMom13]

Chris - it is ok to eat and drink in Meixco at a restaurant or hotel. They will give you bottled water and the ice is purified. Also, if you stick with bottled beer, you can't go wrong. Just beware of buying things from street vendors. Sometimes they sell fruit and other things, I would stay away from them. We have been in Cozumel 5 times and I have never gotten sick. Just got back from the 7/30 cruise and ate at Victor's on the beach in Mazatlan and the shrimp was to die for. No problems. Hope this helps.
Debi