Us acceptable currency ?

Do I need to carry Grand Cayman currency or is US ok ?

US is accepted

but remember the conversion

your $10 US is $8 CI, your $20 is $16 CI (street rate)

most of the prices you see will be in CI

Thank you Captain BJ .. I think I will get about 20 US changed to buy a few small items . Bigger purchases can go on the credit card.

No problem using the US Dollar. It's not worth as much and most places have things priced in CI.

Just ask, "How much in US?"

LuLu

No need to exchange. It's not going to save you money. You give them $20 US and they give you $16 CI, so if you pay for something in CI or in US you're going to pay the same amount, it's just that the price will appear less in CI.

Unless you want to have the CI dollars to collect or something, USD works fine.

Depending on the store, you might get change in CI, though, so have smaller US bills if possible.

'technically'

10.00 USD = 8.20000 KYD (this is fixed . . . does not change)

but in practice .. "on the street" ... 10 = 8 is what is used (makes the math MUCH easier)

there is no reason to try to exchange currency if dealing in small amounts . . .

for a larger purchase, if you have cash, you might save by going to a bank and getting the ACTUAL exchange rate.

10,000 = 8,000

vs

10,000 = 8,200

You wont get 0.82 at the bank on any exchange barring a LARGE wire transfer.

Don't bother going to the banks. Just pay with small US$ bills, accept change in Cayman currency. And spend those small Cayman bills.

Do not expect US$ change anywhere in Cayman. You're not in Kansas anymore. I wouldn't travel to the US and expect a random merchant to be able to provide change in any given foreign currency. Don't expect that here.

I know the airport has a charity collection box where you can drop any miscellaneous Cayman currency. I think, but am not sure, that there is a similar option near the port at the Royal Watler Terminal.

You wont get 0.82 at the bank on any exchange barring a LARGE wire transfer.

 

Don't bother going to the banks. Just pay with small US$ bills, accept change in Cayman currency. And spend those small Cayman bills.

 

Do not expect US$ change anywhere in Cayman. You're not in Kansas anymore. I wouldn't travel to the US and expect a random merchant to be able to provide change in any given foreign currency. Don't expect that here.

 

I know the airport has a charity collection box where you can drop any miscellaneous Cayman currency. I think, but am not sure, that there is a similar option near the port at the Royal Watler Terminal.

EXCELLENT point!

Do not expect US$ change anywhere in Cayman. You're not in Kansas anymore. I wouldn't travel to the US and expect a random merchant to be able to provide change in any given foreign currency. Don't expect that here.

You're right, you wouldn't expect that in the States, but you're also not going to be able to pay with foreign currency for the most part in the US (other than the occasional Canadian small coins masquerading as their south of the border cousins).

However, the difference is that you can pay in Dollars in most touristy places in the Caribbean, and you probably can even expect to receive change in US dollars at many (though certainly not all) locations at other stops on the same cruise or elsewhere in the Caribbean. You are correct that it's a good point to make explicitly that this is uncommon in Grand Cayman.