US money accepted???

Will we need to exchange US dollars for the currency of Curacao or will US dollars be accepted at most stores? Are credit cards accepted?

Hi EGcruisers...in researching, i had the same question and found this website helpful. Hope it is helpful to you too.

Short answer: yes, US dollars are accepted most everywhere. :)

http://www.curacao-actief.com/index.php?id=865

I was in Curaco last month and had no problem using US dollars. I did ask in advance if my change would also be in US dollars...and it was. I made sure I had smaller sized bills which made receiving change back in US $ easier.

Thank you. Not having to exchange money makes it a lot easier.

This is kind of a pointless question.

US dollars are accepted most anywhere in the world, at least on this continent. The question is "at what rate?". Usually, though not always, at a rate lower than the bank one: as always, you pay for convenience.

The correct question and useful answer would be "at what discount (or premium) to the current bak rate are they accepted?"

I've never had any issues with US dollars anyplace on a Caribbean cruise. There are two exceptions: Some places will not accept torn bills or bills in poor condition. Also, carry small bills so you can pay with as close to exact change as possible as many places give change only in local currency.

This is kind of a pointless question.

US dollars are accepted most anywhere in the world, at least on this continent. The question is "at what rate?". Usually, though not always, at a rate lower than the bank one: as always, you pay for convenience.

The correct question and useful answer would be "at what discount (or premium) to the current bak rate are they accepted?"

You hit the nail on the head (so to speak). Many places that accept U.S. dollars have poor exchange rates. Can't really blame them, how would we like to be paid in foreign currency? This question comes up a lot. I always wonder why we think other countries should happily take our foreign currency:confused:

You hit the nail on the head (so to speak). Many places that accept U.S. dollars have poor exchange rates. Can't really blame them, how would we like to be paid in foreign currency? This question comes up a lot. I always wonder why we think other countries should happily take our foreign currency:confused:

There is a big difference between the Caribbean and other areas of the world. For the most part the Caribbean is heavily dependant on Tourism for the bulk of their economy on most islands. The majority of the tourists are from the US on many islands and many of the non-us tourists are prepared to spend dollars there. I know our UK friends do. The goods in most of the shops there are priced either in US dollars only or in both US dollars and the local currency on most islands.

This differs considerably from cruising in other parts of the world, Europe for example, where it would be unusual for a small local merchant to take US dollars at all and where larger businesses might only take dollars reluctantly.

Does anyone know the current exchange rate for US TO Curacao currency?

Does anyone know the current exchange rate for US TO Curacao currency?

Curacao's official currency is the Netherlands Antilles Guilder sometimes called the Floren and abbreviated ANG or NAFI. The currency is not widely traded on liquid markets so you are not going to get a quick liquid rate like you would for major currencies like the Euro, Canadian Dollar or Pound Sterling. I don't even see it listed on the foreign exchange listings I frequently look at.

However, if you google it (Google: convert 1 dollar to ANG) you'll get an exchange rate of 1 dollar = 1.75 ANG. A look-up on some currency converter app on my iPhone shows a rate of 1.8536.

As I said above I don't pay much attention as we always spend US dollars there. We're not buying expensive stuff, just a day at the beach, so it's not worth it to buy Guilders or Floren at the bank. the beach exchange rate was close enough - the sign there says admission was 5FL and chairs 3.50 and they charged us $5/pp for chair and admission combined. I guess if I was buying something really expensive, although I can't imagine doing that there, I could use a credit card to get the MasterCard exchange rate.