Converting to Pesos

[dmpannke]

Just curious, we are traveling on Carnival Miracle to Mexican Riviera.  If we wanted to get some pesos, where is best place to do that?  Does the ship do that? 

[riffatsea]

Hi,

You don't really need pesos in that area of Mexico.

IF you want some you never want to change money on any ship!!

You can get pesos from an ATM in Mexico or you can use a Cambio(change desk) in any Mexican city. You could also get some in your home town from a bank that offers currency changing facilities.

"Best place" depends on the fees that your own ATM card bank will charge or not charge.

I have a card that doesn't charge any fees for using foreign ATMs.

[57redbird]

If you're a AAA member, check with them.  Here in WA state, for our last Mexico cruise if you bought at least $200 USD worth of pesos, there was no transaction fee.

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, 57redbird said:

If you're a AAA member, check with them.  Here in WA state, for our last Mexico cruise if you bought at least $200 USD worth of pesos, there was no transaction fee.

No fee, but what was the conversion rate...a bad rate is the same as charging fees, or perhaps worse, depending on the exchange rate and the amount exchanged.

 

"No fees" is very misleading...

[57redbird]

41 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

No fee, but what was the conversion rate...a bad rate is the same as charging fees, or perhaps worse, depending on the exchange rate and the amount exchanged.

 

"No fees" is very misleading...

I can't remember but it was decent....in the past we exchanged money at a Cambrio in Puerto Vallarta  ---- got our pesos but the ATM kept hubby's card ---- thank heaven mine was still usable.  Also learned our lesson to not exchange money at one of the places at the airport ---- horrible exchange rate both coming & going.

[Mike45LC]

In Mexico, there is a chain of stores names OXXO -- these are like 7-11s in the States.  I sometime pay for snacks/sodas at OXXO with a US$20 and take my change in pesos.  They use a "decent" exchange rate of 18 pesos per US$1.  Although the official exchange rate is about 19.10, OXXO is fee-free.  My US$20 is treated as 360 pesos, instead of 382, a cost to me of US$1.15 for the exchange.  The OXXO cash register is set up to work with US$.

 

If I want to change US$100, I use a money changer.  But OXXO is just as good.

 

[Ine]

Also Walmart gives a good exchange rate. However of course they donot change US$ 50 or higher when you buy a small item. It is a service they are not a bank.

[Rosefloater]

On 11/11/2019 at 5:39 PM, Mike45LC said:

In Mexico, there is a chain of stores names OXXO -- these are like 7-11s in the States.  I sometime pay for snacks/sodas at OXXO with a US$20 and take my change in pesos.  They use a "decent" exchange rate of 18 pesos per US$1.  Although the official exchange rate is about 19.10, OXXO is fee-free.  My US$20 is treated as 360 pesos, instead of 382, a cost to me of US$1.15 for the exchange.  The OXXO cash register is set up to work with US$.

 

If I want to change US$100, I use a money changer.  But OXXO is just as good.

 

OP - since your first stop will be Cabo, there is an OXXO just off the marina. When you get off the tender, turn right just before Senor Frogs and continue walking between the buildings. OXXO is at the end of the tunnel. I usually buy a bottle of water and/or an ice cream, pay in dollars and get change in pesos.

[CanWeGoYet?]

On 11/11/2019 at 5:39 PM, Mike45LC said:

In Mexico, there is a chain of stores names OXXO -- these are like 7-11s in the States.  I sometime pay for snacks/sodas at OXXO with a US$20 and take my change in pesos.  They use a "decent" exchange rate of 18 pesos per US$1.  Although the official exchange rate is about 19.10, OXXO is fee-free.  My US$20 is treated as 360 pesos, instead of 382, a cost to me of US$1.15 for the exchange.  The OXXO cash register is set up to work with US$.

 

If I want to change US$100, I use a money changer.  But OXXO is just as good.

 

thank you so much!  I am wanting some pesos in case I want to take the bus back from the botanical gardens in PV.  And waited too long to get pesos here, they all want at least 2 business days & have to be  ordered in advance.  

[wilmingtech]

I've been around to cities all over the world and I have always found that getting foriegn cash through the ATM is the easiest/cheapest way to do it if you have a card that doesnt charge ATM fees.  Check with your bank and also make sure ATM fee at the machine is reasonable.  

 

I've always found that the exchange rate at the ATM is exact for the day you make the transaction.

 

You can get as little or as much (Typically from 20 to 500usd) as you need and dont have to babysit it from home all the way to your vacation spot.  Especially helpful if you are going through multiple countries.

 

Also having the XE currency app on your phone is helpful for figuring out the exchange rate and your spend of foreign dollars.

[SelectSys]

I agree with the use of an ATM for obtaining currency in Mexico.  One more thing to consider are the fees charged by the local ATM as well.  I prefer using Banamex in Mexico as they only charge me 33 pesos for making a withdrawal.  Bancomer fees were 3 times higher last time I checked.  While this won't change anyone's life, I don't like being ripped off by fees when a known cheaper alternative exists.

Edited November 25, 2019 by SelectSys

[glrounds]

Most of the vendors you're going to be dealing with in most of the cities that Carnival ports at are quite used to Americans and the USDollar. When it comes time to pay ask them what the exchange rate is (they know it very well) and they'll give you your change in Pesos using that rate. Right now that rate is roughly 18 to 1 and based on the current stability of the Mexican government that amount isn't going to vary much.

[Hlitner]

We get all of our Pesos via bank ATMs.  Cruisers might want to consider just doing that at their first Mexican port.  If you have an ATM/Debit card that does not charge fees it is even a better option.  We currently get about 18.6 pesos to the dollar here in PV.

 

Hank