currency

[joannas]

Ok - I am normally a very clued up traveller and indeed sell and buy things often in Euros, dollars and UK pounds ...... but our trip in December has me puzzled.

 

If we are visiting the BVI, AVI, Netherlands Antilles etc - will we need to be equipped with at least the three currencies mentioned above - or am I being clueless and some of the Caribbean islands have their own currency?

 

thanks so much for helping an ignorant soul! lol

Joanna

[whatnot]

On most of the islands you can use US Dollars. I don't know about pounds. On the French islands like St Barts, you will need Euros. I never remember having to use a local island currency.

[flygod]

Ok - I am normally a very clued up traveller and indeed sell and buy things often in Euros, dollars and UK pounds ...... but our trip in December has me puzzled.

 

If we are visiting the BVI, AVI, Netherlands Antilles etc - will we need to be equipped with at least the three currencies mentioned above - or am I being clueless and some of the Caribbean islands have their own currency?

 

thanks so much for helping an ignorant soul! lol

Joanna

 

Rule of thumb: if you have money, they'll take it!

 

Seriously, everyone will take US dollars. You may even get a better rate on US dollars than in Euros - we saw a couple of places with things at E30 that said the dollar price was $30 (so far cheaper in dollars).

 

I see you are UK based like us, so I would recommend charging up a foreign currency card like the FairFX one with dollars before you go. (Google it and you'll find them out and if you go via thisismoney.co.uk then you'll get the £10 card issue fee waived too.)

 

If you use your UK credit card overseas, you'll get charged a fortune in currency conversion charges, overseas useage fees etc, with only a couple of exceptions.

 

SD is also in dollars for ironing, excursions and - don't miss - the massages!

 

Enjoy!

[joannas]

brilliant - we can do that - dollars and Euros easy peasy .... just suddenly started worrying about NL Atillean guilders or any other such oddments (not that they are odd to the inhabitants)

 

oh you all know what I mean

 

thanks so much for helping

smiles

Joanna

[vandrefalk]

Some of the islands, like Nevis, use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar -- here is what Wikipedia says:

Six of the states using the EC$ are independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The other two are British overseas territories: Anguilla and Montserrat. These states are all members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.

BVI uses the dollar.

Hope this helps!

Vandrefalk

[Archipelago]

I went to Le Select in St. Barts and paid in dollars and they were glad to accept them . That was the only place that I spent anything except Guadalupe and they also took dollars for some post cards and stamps which I mailed there and no one ever got . :p:confused:

[Jim Avery]

I went to Le Select in St. Barts and paid in dollars and they were glad to accept them . That was the only place that I spent anything except Guadalupe and they also took dollars for some post cards and stamps which I mailed there and no one ever got . :p:confused:

 

Same experience here in St.B. Even got a better rate than if we went the Euro route. To paraphrase the above posts, if you pull out the cash, any cash, someone will find a way to sell you what you want.:D

[DisneyJen]

DJ's DH and I have traveled the Caribbean extensively (from Aruba to Virgin Gorda and most islands in between:p) and we have never had to exchange US Dollars for the local currency.

 

Make sure to ask the price in USD versus the local currency!