Souvenirs in Mexico

Hi,

My wife and I are cruising to Mexico in March. Can we use credit cards, american currency or do have to pay in pesos when making purchases?

Thanks

prince 34

We used cash in November. They always accept American currency. They will give change in pesos. But, everthing seemed to be rounded to whole dollars anyway at the shops at the port. So no change needed.

I'm pretty sure you can use credit cards but the fees are higher so you end up paying more.

US Dollars are fine, at least at the normal tourist places. If you use a credit card, it will be run in pesos.

we would never use CC in ports. too many horror stories. None of which happened to me. Take small bills. 1,5 and 10s

Most places will gladly accept use dollars but the exchange rate can be kinda harsh. The current rate is 20 pesos to $1 USD. Its not uncommon to see that at 15 or even 10 to 1 at touristy places. Some places have a menu in both USD and pesos, compare the prices. Alcohol also impairs ones ability to exchange money correctly. Ironically most places will accept credit cards and you will get the best exchange rates with your CC, some credit cards may charge a foreign transaction fee. If you do plan on using a credit card, do tell your bank/cc company in advance where you will be a when. We've never had a problem, but we do mostly use cash.

Unless you're going far away from the port just use dollars. One time I tried to buy a coke near the port in pesos and they didn't even know how many to charge me...they had to pull out a calculator.

We’ll use USD in larger places, Pesos in the small places including mercados and food carts.

There’re several USD v Peso threads on the Mexican Riviera board.

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They actually prefer US dollar to Pesos. Its a free trade country and they/merchants get more or make more if you pay by US dollar. Credit cards, dont use them at a ma and pa shop or hole in the wall store. to much of a risk that a shady shop after you leave the store will re-run a transaction on last swiped card for more money.

We always bring USD in small bills and have been accepted in souvenir shops

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We're from Canada so we bring pesos. I also enjoy the art of the deal when buying souvenirs and pesos give more flexibility.

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In most places USA currency will be widely accepted and you can use credit cards in most restaurants and box stores.

Keith

US$ are accepted in general, apart from some small shops etc. Check with them before ordering. However change will be in Pesos and the exchange rate will not be in your favour. Walmart will give a decent exchange rate.

Creditcards are accepted but not in so many places, often shops put a surcharge on it, cash is much better.

When I use a credit card out of the US, I use my Capital One card that does not charge a currency exchange fee. I keep it for that purpose.

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When I use a credit card out of the US, I use my Capital One card that does not charge a currency exchange fee. I keep it for that purpose.

 

 

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Perhaps you mean no "foreign transaction" fee. "Currency exchange" rates (I.e., the cost of a peso, euro, USD, etc) have varying profit amounts built in.

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Perhaps you mean no "foreign transaction" fee. "Currency exchange" rates (I.e., the cost of a peso, euro, USD, etc) have varying profit amounts built in.

 

 

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I’ve noticed that our no fee card and the card that charges 3% end up being almost the same. Free or No Fee always look better.

We try to avoid using our credit card in Mexico on cruises. For a one day stop makes not much difference whether you use USD or Pesos. Over a 5 port cruise we figured we lost a total of $6 when using USD. Not enough to worry about too much.

I’ve noticed that our no fee card and the card that charges 3% end up being almost the same. Free or No Fee always look better.

 

We try to avoid using our credit card in Mexico on cruises. For a one day stop makes not much difference whether you use USD or Pesos. Over a 5 port cruise we figured we lost a total of $6 when using USD. Not enough to worry about too much.

Yes, that's how the "money changers" bait/switch. Advertise low exchange rate but with high transaction fee. Folks need to do the math.

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Thank you all for the info, looks like we'll be carrying a few dollars to pay for our souvenirs.

Credit cards work fine in Mexico

We always use a visa credit card so we have something to track our spending with. There are foreign country fees but they’re minimal. And you can also find cards that don’t have any.

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we would never use CC in ports. too many horror stories. None of which happened to me. Take small bills. 1,5 and 10s

What horror stories? Most people have more problems in the good old USA with CC card problems.

Tell me some of these horror stories?

Lets talk about the options. Regarding credit cards, many charge a "foreign exchange fee" which varies by card. Some cards like the CapitalOne MC, Andrews FCU Global Trek Visa, AMEX Platinum, and Chase Sapphire cards do not charge any foreign exchange fees and will actually get you the best exchange rates. In Mexico, the currency of choice is the Mexican Peso (which you can get out of ATM machines). But in most tourist ports (on both coasts)..many of the merchants and restaurants will accept US Dollars are various exchange rates (some good, some dreadful).

Just a word about using your Debit/ATM card. Some banks charge fees to use your card...especially in foreign countries. Other banks (such as ours) do not charge any fees. But all Debit cards do have a 1% hidden International Transaction Fee which is built into the exchange rate. But if our have a Debit/ATM card that does not charge withdrawal fees, you will get the best rates using those cards to get Pesos as it gets you the current wholesale rate of exchange less the 1% fee (built into the exchange rate).

So what does this really mean for most cruisers? Not much. Most cruisers do not spend enough money on land to be concerned. Even if you lost 5%...that would only mean $5 per $100 in expenditures. So, unless you are making a major purchase just do what is convenient and write off any fees as the price of travel.

As to all the stuff you read about using credit cards....well we live in Mexico for 10 weeks a year and have no problem using our credit card or Pesos. But since we do live in Mexico....we always use Pesos unless some silly bar (or merchant) offers an exchange rate better than the real exchange rate (we have only seen 2 bars do this in the past 12 years).

And here is a shocker for those who rely on newspapers for their information. There are approximately 2 million Americans who happily live in Mexico :). In our area (Puerto Vallarta) it is estimated that there are 50-60,000 happy Canadians and Americans living around the Bay of Bandaras. Unlike many places in the USA, DW and I have no issues when we walk home late at night...other then falling off a sidewalk. Is Mexico a perfect place for tourists. Nope....but its darn close if you live in the right place....or visit the proper ports. Even "Travel and Leisure" lists Mexico as one of the better places to go in 2018.

Hank