I am going to Cuba in June, where i should exchange the money? and how much monay i need to have with me?

Question

I am going to Cuba in June, where i should exchange the money? and how much monay i need to have with me?

Answer 1

If you use your credit card in Cuba, there is an 11% surcharge added to your bill. This is charged to make up for any exchange differences. I always take cash and keep most of it in the safe in my room. I only use a credit card for the deposit when renting a car.

Answer 2

Exchange your money only in offical money exchance office

(named CADECA) or banks. Some hotels exchange money but the rates in banks and CADECA are better.

Having said this, don't use US dollar , neither US traveller cheques or Visa processed or issued in the USA.

Read more  details on money and the dual currency system

http://www.havana-guide.com/moneyinhavan...

Best practice is to carry enough cash with you.( Canadian dollar, Pound Sterling or euros will do) In Cuba cash is king. I advise you to take one or best two credit cards but be sure they arre not issued by a US bank.

How much money you need, depends a lot on yourself .

A taxi ride +/- 1 $ /km , a beer 1 cuc( +/-1.2 $)

a meal 5 - 12 cuc , a cocktail 2 - 3 cuc , a softdrink 1cuc.

Cover charge shows/ nightclubs 10 - 25 cuc.

But , the street music, the friendship, the sun and the fun are free in Cuba.

Have a nice trip .......enjoy !

Havanalover

http://www.havana-guide.com

Answer 3

You will be using CUC convertible pesos.  You can exchange your Canadian, Sterling, Euros or other currency, definitely not U. S. at the airport when you arrive or at your resort.  How much you need depends on you.  Assuming you are staying at an All Inclusive resort where most costs are covered,  If you take tours figure about 80-90.00 Cdn, 40-50 Sterling for each tour per person.  Allow about 10 CUC per person  each day for tipping, just a guess.  you can check the approximate rate at the site below.    CUC have no value outside Cuba so use them all up before you leave or save some for your next visit.

Answer 4

While in Cuba you will be using CUCs (Cuban Convertible Pesos). You can get these only in Cuba once you arrive. Use only banks or offical 'cadecas' (money exchange desks). They can give you CUCs in exchange for Canadian dollars, British pounds, Euros, and probably some other currencies, but if you try to exchange US dollars they'll charge about an extra 10% due to the Cuba/US situation.

Around Havana (including within Havana's international Jose Marti airport) you will find ATMs which accept Visa cards, so you can draw out CUCs from these if you prefer (though if you're using a Visa credit card rather than a Visa debit card, you will most likely be charged interest by your bank from the moment you draw out the cash.)

Before you leave Cuba, change all unused CUCs back to your local currency (though typically the banks and cadecas have only US and Canadian dollars and Euros available), because outside of Cuba I don't know of anywhere that will exchange CUCs. But remember that when you fly out of Cuba there is a tax which you must pay (I believe this is still 25CUC per person), so keep enough CUCs to pay for that, or pay it first, then find somewhere in the airport afterwards to exchange your remaining CUCs back to your preferred currency.

I can't really advise how much you'll need, but don't expect to be able to use credit cards. Apart from in hotels, credit cards are not widely accepted, even if the logos are on the door. In my experience, costs in Cuba as a tourist are similar to being a tourist in the States, due to Cuba using the CUC as tourist currency, and having a separate currency for the Cubans themselves. In my experience as a tourist, Cuba is more expensive than other Latin American countries such as Mexico and Brasil. (I live in the UK.)

Answer 5

Richard and Havanalover gave you good information.

Some can get by with about $600 CAD for 2 weeks....but it all depends on what you're planning to do.

It's not super expensive in Cuba. It all depends on the day trips you are planning. Some activities are more expensive than others.

Don't take so much cash with you....take your credit cards. If you need extra, you can always withdraw with your cards.

Have a wonderful time in Cuba.