PORT VILA CURRENCY

[Jumping Castle]

Hello there

What currency should we use at Port Vila?  Thinking of getting the water taxi to town and just doing some duty free shopping.

 

What currency for duty free shopping?  Are credit cards safe to use there?

 

Many thanks in advance !

[Dobby_The_Ship_Elf]

The local Vanuatu currency is VATU.

 

 You can use $AU for the water taxi ($5 each way per person).

 

You can use $AU cash in Vila for most shopping however you may receive VATU in return as change.

 

We have used our credit cards there every time with no problem.

 

Remember Pt Vila has the cheapest duty free alcohol in the known universe.

 

You pay and hand over your cruise card to the shop keeper, the goods are packaged and delivered to the ship.  The goods are delivered to your room on the last night at sea for you to pack in your luggage.

 

Even if you are a non-drinker a cheap bottle of booze can be a great Xmas present!!

[Aus Traveller]

We always AUD. A lot of the shops keep a separate till with AUD and can give change in AUD, but of course, don't use large notes. For larger purchases, we used credit cards. At Fung Kuei duty free we use a credit card.

[SinbadThePorter]

2 hours ago, Jumping Castle said:

Hello there

What currency should we use at Port Vila?  Thinking of getting the water taxi to town and just doing some duty free shopping.

 

What currency for duty free shopping?  Are credit cards safe to use there?

 

Many thanks in advance !

 

 

Credit cards are reasonably safe in the bigger commercial and tourist establishments. I would definitely not use them for small purchases at small shops and such like. If you purchase small items with AUD (or USD) you will get a terrible exchange rate and usually the change back in vatu coins which are not much use.

 

The water taxis take AUD, just make sure you know what the price is before boarding.

[Aus Traveller]

Unless you are shopping at places like the pharmacy, all the tourist shops and market stalls have the items price in AUD so the exchange rate is irrelevant. They might sell it cheaper is a visitor as vatu, but I don't think it is worth the bother of getting vatu. Anyway, if the stall-holder has marked the price of the item up to the next dollar, and they get a bit more for their merchandise, I don't care. They need any extra they can get. The only ones I object to are the taxi drivers who try to rip off passengers.

[Jumping Castle]

Thank you so much for all your help!

[joybook]

I've been to Vila twice - once on a cruise and once on private visit for a week. Not once have I felt that I had been 'ripped off'.

Edited July 1, 2019 by joybook
spelling correction

[Aus Traveller]

12 hours ago, joybook said:

I've been to Vila twice - once on a cruise and once on private visit for a week. Not once have I felt that I had been 'ripped off'.

The taxi drivers massively increase their prices when a cruise ship is in port. I don't mind that, they have to make money when they can, but I object to the very high prices they seem to expect. Then when a price is agreed and the passengers get into the taxi, the driver sometimes says "per person".  It is not pleasant arguing and it puts a lot of people off Port Vila. Don't misunderstand me. We have been there probably 30 or so times starting in 1983, so we know it well. 🙂

[Kiwi Kruzer]

12 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

The taxi drivers massively increase their prices when a cruise ship is in port. I don't mind that, they have to make money when they can, but I object to the very high prices they seem to expect. Then when a price is agreed and the passengers get into the taxi, the driver sometimes says "per person".  It is not pleasant arguing and it puts a lot of people off Port Vila. Don't misunderstand me. We have been there probably 30 or so times starting in 1983, so we know it well. 🙂

 

Just like uber surge pricing ...no one seems to complain about that

 

The idea behind surge pricing is to adjust prices of rides to match driver supply to rider demand at any given time. During periods of excessive demand when there are many more riders than drivers, or when there aren't enough drivers on the road and customer wait times are long, Uber increases its normal fares.

[Aus Traveller]

Just now, Kiwi Kruzer said:

 

Just like uber surge pricing ...no one seems to complain about that

 

The idea behind surge pricing is to adjust prices of rides to match driver supply to rider demand at any given time. During periods of excessive demand when there are many more riders than drivers, or when there aren't enough drivers on the road and customer wait times are long, Uber increases its normal fares.

People do complain about Uber surge pricing when it is exorbitant. The different pricing I refer to in Port Vila is a massive increase. A price for a taxi to town from the ship is AUD$15, Apparently on non-cruise ship days it is around $1.20. I am OK with that, but if a driver wants AUD$15 each for four people, that is over-charging - more than surge pricing. 🙂 In Vila, it is not that there are more riders than drivers because (as you probably know) the  'taxis' are lined up. When we have been there and negotiating with a driver, usually a couple of others will come up and berate the driver in their local language. I am pretty sure they are trying to intimidate him not to lower his price.

[MicCanberra]

Supply and demand along with making hay while the sun shines are the two major factors in their price structures.