Going to the Dominican Republic end of May - can anyone give me some advice which currency to use? thanks.?

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Paulette A

Whatever you do...don't let anyone take your bags... and don't tip them US$5 to get your bags back like I did either. My mom chewed me out! And I felt like an idiot for doing it.

They have a lot of people who just come up and grab your bags (maleteros/baggage handlers)... they just start walking out. They are not airport employees. Grab them and say "no gracias!" and get your bag back from them.... before they walk out.

As to what currency.. they have the Dominincan "peso" , I'm not sure what the exchange rate is.. people will take US currency though. Be careful. The exchange rate is pretty uneven. The dollar is worth A LOT there.

Happy Feet

Hi Jen1!,
The currency here in the Dominican Republic is the PESOS, the actual exange rate is 1 US = 33 RDS(pesos).
Now the best way when travelling is to carry some dollars (to pay at the airport (10us/pp entry tax) and to keep some for when your leaving to pay (again) at the departure (20us/pp).
For the time of your stay with us, you can take local currency at the ATM cashier or pay with travel-cheques (Excursions).
For the souvenirs it is best to pay in Pesos and don't forget to discus the prices before buying or using (for ex.) a taxi or any other services. Don't carry to fancy jewels (ladies) and enjoy this beautiful country! I hope this helped.
Happy Feet

stu07

i just return 2 weeks ago great great holiday, the emailer HAPPY FEET who has answered your question lives there and is good for asking advice,
myself and my partner took a mixture of US Dollars and Dominican pesos, however we got ripped off on the exchange rate in the UK, I MEAN THIS, dont take pesos with you take some dollars, and the rest you can exchange when over there, there are hundreds of exchange booths and we got 54 pesos to 1 UK pound in the UK, when we got there i exchanged somemore and got 64pesos to 1 UK pound, so you see if you are exchanging a few hundred pound you are saving an awful lot, dont get caught out like i did.

garrisonbight

The dollar is a common currency but the best exchange rates are ALWAYS at the banks and not the Cambios.

~*â™¥*~Ashley Star~*â™¥*~

I agree with Paulette A and what she said. That happened to us as well, where guys who came up and grabbed our bags and started walking fast while we were walking fast trying to catch up with them. If you do decide to do any tipping make sure u only use $1 bills. Definately keep the currency rate in mind and how to convert it. Since the US dollar is worth more in the DR, ppl/vendors are going to try and get more USD out of u if possible. Be sure u kno how to convert from USD to DRP. And if u go to the hotel desk to get cash, it will be in DRP. Hope this helps!

djpaul8114

AMO 45

American dollars are widely accepted and actually preferred!

TiNkSzDoPe

well im from there and $1 is 32-34 pesos so everything is waayyy cheaper there. but they dont use coins there its not accepted, and try to avoid motorcycle rides there kinda dangerous. 10$ is about 300 pesos there. also u can go to a place to exchange money there and u get peso.

ctelly22

Use the US dollar it is worth more. Also make sure before you buy anything that they can give you change back in US dollars not pesos. Some people will pretend they don't have dollars but as soon as they realize they will lose your business they will pull them out. Also make sure you are aware of the exchange rate and are able to convert it, so they won't be able to cheat you.

Sanmigsean

Since the currency of the DR is pesos, I would suggest using those. Why in the world would you use anything else? Would you try to pay for something in the USA in Euros or Pounds just because they are stronger currencies?

Also, the dollar is NOT worth a lot there. Just because you get 33 pesos for one dollar doesn't mean you can buy more with them. You will get less for 33 pesos in the DR than you will with one dollar in the US. The dollar is one of the weakest currencies going at the moment. The ratio of exchange has nothing to do with the strength or weakness of a currency.

If there is a preferred currency other than the peso, it would be Euro and not the dollar - but since the peso is freely convertible, it is silly to assume a Dominican would prefer one dollar to having 33 pesos. If they get 33 pesos, then can go buy a dollar any time they want.

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