Pesos???

Ok, so I was looking at the menu at the Vallarta Zoo as I plan on going to this when I get into port on March 11th. Ive attached the menu, please tell me these prices are in Pesos??? Because I would Never ever pay that much for any food. Thank you in advance....

Yes indeed it is Pesos. Mexico use the $ sign for Pesos. Otherwise you will see US$ mentioned.

Thank you so much. I am so glad to hear that. Lol

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Yes, those prices are in Pesos. $50 Pesos is about $3.75US.

Yes indeed it is Pesos. Mexico use the $ sign for Pesos. Otherwise you will see US$ mentioned.

Sometimes you will see Dllrs$ for US money.

Whew..... thank goodness lol.

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Do you recommend taking pesos to Mexican Riveria, or do US$ work everywhere?

Do you recommend taking pesos to Mexican Riveria, or do US$ work everywhere?

I always use dollars. They are accepted by all merchants and peddlers who deal with tourists. You may not get the best exchange rate, but unless you are buying big expensive items, it only amounts to a few pennies.

Most of the stores have the exchange rate programmed into their cash registers.

As mentioned dollars are often but not always accepted, ans not ot always for a good exchange rate. Also donot expect change in dollars but in Pesos. So donot bring bills higher then 10 or 20 in that case. Shops like Walmart gie a good rate, but also change in Pesos.

Get some pesos now, the rate is killer if you're exchanging dollars. Almost 15 to 1.

Get some pesos now, the rate is killer if you're exchanging dollars. Almost 15 to 1.

I disagree....but only for those on a cruise ship that are unlikely to return. We buy Pesos before each trip, and always have some left over (for our next trip), but if someone is visiting for the first time, and may not return again for years (if ever), it can be difficult to cash Pesos back into $US. Bring $US, small bills, and expect to lose a bit when purchasing. In all likelihood, change will be given in Pesos. No problem, just spend them first. To me, it makes little economic sense to save pennies by shopping with Pesos, only to come home with several dollars worth of Pesos that will be hard to exchange. This advice is not valid, however if you plan on purchases in the hundreds of dollars...then, Pesos are the best bet. Just my $0.02P worth.

What's so hard about exchanging the money back? Any bank will handle that exchange.

Also, my point was that, if you plan on buying pesos for an upcoming trip, the rate is excellent right now. How long that lasts is anyone's guess. Personally, I always get local currency for where I am traveling and never have had any problems ordering it or exchanging it when I get back, if any is left.

What's so hard about exchanging the money back? Any bank will handle that exchange.

 

Also, my point was that, if you plan on buying pesos for an upcoming trip, the rate is excellent right now. How long that lasts is anyone's guess. Personally, I always get local currency for where I am traveling and never have had any problems ordering it or exchanging it when I get back, if any is left.

Laurie, you obviously do not live in a small town. We travel to Mexico twice a year, and we do buy Pesos from our small town bank. However, they charge us an exchange fee, as well as a delivery fee. It takes 4-5 days for the Pesos to arrive, and our bank will NOT buy them back! So much for your statement that "Any bank will handle that exchange". You are correct in that this is a great time to buy Pesos, and I have just done so for our next trip in May. My point is that for cruisers to buy Pesos in advance, especially if they only expect to have a few drinks and a couple of meals, the hassle, and the fees involved will most likely be more than the few pennies lost by using $US rather than Pesos.

Obviously, I'm talking about where I live, as any bank in Tucson will exchange not only pesos, but almost every type of foreign currency. There also is no fee charged here, but the exchange rate is not quite as good as when I get them in Mexico at the ATM. BTW, there also are a number of ways to obtain foreign currency online, but I've never done that and likely never will. Between Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, to just name a few, currency exchange is easy.

I got euros onboard ship last cruise via the ATM. My credit union refunded fees so I think,for me, ATM is the way to go.

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I was in Mexicali about a month ago and the exchange rate was 9.5 peso for every dollar. Damn 15 is pretty good, but we never exchange we just use USD.

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I was in Mexicali about a month ago and the exchange rate was 9.5 peso for every dollar. Damn 15 is pretty good, but we never exchange we just use USD.

 

 

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The exchange rate a month ago was about 14.6 :1. If you got 9.5....you were just ripped off! The current exchange rate is about the best we have seen in the past 10 years. We can understand cruisers wanting to avoid the hassle of exchanging money (or just using an ATM). But for those of us who live in Mexico for any length of time, we find that using Pesos is not only easier, but makes everything a lot cheaper. I imagine there are still some places in Puerto Vallarta that would give you 10:1 if you used dollars.....which means you would be overcharged by more then 40% on a purchase.

As to where to get Pesos, we get all of ours out of Mexican ATMs (they generally offer the best exchange rate and are convenient). In 10 years of spending winters in Mexico (about 2 months every year) we have never exchanged any money at a bank or change place.

Hank

Bought some things at Calimax in Ensenada a few days ago. Paid in USD, change in Pesos. Exchange rate was 14.6-1.

Things have loosened up a bit. For a few years we couldn't get change in Pesos.

Street vendor rate is 10-1, easier math.

Bought some things at Calimax in Ensenada a few days ago. Paid in USD, change in Pesos. Exchange rate was 14.6-1.

Things have loosened up a bit. For a few years we couldn't get change in Pesos.

 

Street vendor rate is 10-1, easier math.

To put that 10:1 rate in perspective, you can give me US dollar bills and will give you about 60 cents for each of those dollars. The "easy math" for the vendor is making a 40% + Profit on the rate of exchange plus additional profit on any item sold. :)

We always have a bit of a laugh when we fly into Puerto Vallarta for the winter. Since we have a lot of luggage we use the airport taxis (they are more expensive then the regular yellow taxis that are out on the street). Vouchers for the airport taxis are sold inside the terminal and the official rates are clearly posted. So, for example, the rate to the zone that includes our Condo might be posted at 240 Pesos. When we get to the voucher booth they will normally say "it is $25 US Dollars to our Condo." I simply say "we can pay in Pesos and hand them 240 Pesos which is about $16.50 US Dollars. They simply assume that most "gringos" are a bit naïve and will happily pay in dollars.

If one did not have any Pesos, they could simply walk a few feet to a nearby ATM and get Pesos.

Hank

Sorry, but the 10:1 myth (in my experience) is just that, a myth. In 15 trips to Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta in the past 6 years, I have only been charged 10:1 one time! That was in Yelapa where (at the time), they had no roads and no electricity. Everything was brought in by small boats.

Once in a great while, a vendor may "fudge" a bit on the exchange rate, but in my experiences, and the experiences of those that I know, 10:1 just does not happen....unless, I guess, if you are wearing your "rube" sign. One will normally get a fair rate from the vendors. As I have stated before, we normally carry both $US and $P, and always try to pay in Pesos, but on occasion, we've not had sufficient Pesos on hand. When we fly into PV, we always have Pesos left over from our last trip, so no problem buying the Cab ticket, or paying for the first few beverages.

The exchange rate a month ago was about 14.6 :1. If you got 9.5....you were just ripped off! The current exchange rate is about the best we have seen in the past 10 years. We can understand cruisers wanting to avoid the hassle of exchanging money (or just using an ATM). But for those of us who live in Mexico for any length of time, we find that using Pesos is not only easier, but makes everything a lot cheaper. I imagine there are still some places in Puerto Vallarta that would give you 10:1 if you used dollars.....which means you would be overcharged by more then 40% on a purchase.

 

 

 

As to where to get Pesos, we get all of ours out of Mexican ATMs (they generally offer the best exchange rate and are convenient). In 10 years of spending winters in Mexico (about 2 months every year) we have never exchanged any money at a bank or change place.

 

 

 

Hank

Pretty much every exchange we saw there was 9 to 9.75:1. I don't know if it has to do with being a border city but that was the going rate there. Of course the wife bargains for a better rate.

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At the moment Walmart gives 14,30. At Banorte I got 14.20.

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Pretty much every exchange we saw there was 9 to 9.75:1. I don't know if it has to do with being a border city but that was the going rate there. Of course the wife bargains for a better rate.

 

 

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The official rate of exchange is currently better then 14.7:1. This means that using a bank ATM should get one a rate of about 14.5 - 14.6. This is one of the best rates we have seen in years, but it has been a long time since the official rate of exchange was worse then 12:1 (you would have to go back to 2008). So if your wife is settling for 9:1 we think you need to take over the money changing duties :) She is actually giving away nearly 50% on every transaction.

Hank