local guides only take fresh/crisp money

[kahliasmom]

Back in '08/09 new years cruise we took a tour with a local guide in St. Kitts. My mom paid him but he wouldn't take her cash because the bills were somewhat worn or bent. He was very adament about it. We had to ask someone to exchange bills with us so we could pay him. I remember being in South America and they would only take new or like new bills to exchange also.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? I might do a private tour in Jamaica, so I am concerned about making sure I bring like new bills with me.

[Pushka]

If you live outside the USA and intend using US dollars we are always told to get crisp notes when exchanging currency. That is common around the world. Other than in the USA you cannot exchange torn notes for good ones.

[wwcruisers]

I've never had anyone turn down my U.S. currency, but I don't think I'd try to use any bills that were really old and ratty, either. If I ran across a vendor who was being particularly finicky about the condition of my money, I would just find one who wasn't. :rolleyes:

[Single Malt]

I work in East Timor, were the currency is the US dollar, and they absolutely won't take a US bill with a small head on it (as in the size of the portrait on the bill). Only big-headed portraits for the Timorese. Doesn't matter how much you argue or explain that it's legal tender, they still won't take it.

[icat2000]

This is quite common request. Also they like big heads and to make sure that the US dollars have no rips, tears, and do not have "CB" in their serial numbers.

[Single Malt]

What's wrong with CB?

[Pushka]

I do remember there is a particular series of notes that aren't accepted overseas because that series was involved in a counterfeit scam. I thought it was a particular year.

 

 

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[Pushka]

I would just find one who wasn't. :rolleyes:

 

Good luck with that.

 

 

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[marci22]

I didn't know that. Here, I've had gas station attendants look at those small head bills like they were counterfeit, but they always took them.

[odettemcf]

Back in '08/09 new years cruise we took a tour with a local guide in St. Kitts. My mom paid him but he wouldn't take her cash because the bills were somewhat worn or bent. He was very adament about it. We had to ask someone to exchange bills with us so we could pay him. I remember being in South America and they would only take new or like new bills to exchange also.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? I might do a private tour in Jamaica, so I am concerned about making sure I bring like new bills with me.

 

 

Hey, with specific regards to Jamaica, you'll be fine with US$ notes as long as there not torn and too tatty.

[Familygoboston]

I always like to put myself in the shoes of the folks in other places. If you travel internationally you find that often people will not take old bills, and specify the currency has to be from a certain year or newer. When I think about the instability of some other countries and their currency, I realize that there might be scams or counterfeiting going one or just that they wake up one day and all the bills they are holding are worthless because the government has changed.

 

From this point of view I can see why people would think this way; even though in the US we know our currency is stable and and any denomination or aged bill we have is always going to be worth what we "paid" for it...that's just not true in some places! My husband spent 1 US dollar to buy a Zimbabwean million dollar bill and even then he over paid...he bought it as a souvenir, because it wasn't even close to worth what he paid!:eek:

[AlaskaGolden]

I work in East Timor, were the currency is the US dollar, and they absolutely won't take a US bill with a small head on it (as in the size of the portrait on the bill). Only big-headed portraits for the Timorese. Doesn't matter how much you argue or explain that it's legal tender, they still won't take it.

 

Do the US $1 bills have large George Washington heads yet? I don't think so. Do you use US $1 coins instead of $1 bills in East Timor. They use these mostly in Ecuador.

[Marie51]

I have never had money turned down that was old and tatterd. I didn't know this sort of thing was an issue anywhere.

 

Just a note about Jamaica...........last year I was at the Iberostar resort in Montego Bay and we were shopping in a local market near the hotel where we were staying. A vendor asked my BIL if he would sell his sandals to him. Couldn't believe this but my BIL ended up exchanging his sandals for several items..tee shirt, jewelry that my sister picked out. My BIL said the shoes were old and worn out and he was about to throw them away anyway.

Sorry I got off the original subject.

[cruiseguy1016]

I have never heard of this before. I have been to almost every island in the Caribbean and have never had a problem paying with whatever bills come out of my wallet. We seldom book excursions through the cruise line, choosing to book with private tour operators instead. We pay for most of these excursions in cash and have never had anyone tell us what type of bills they want. As for shopping and paying with cash, the same thing applies. We have never had a vendor question the money that we have given them.

[isujim]

I have never heard of this either..........In 24 cruises we have never run in to this in any port.......

 

However.......just to be on the safe side........clean and crisp it is:)

[kahliasmom]

Thanks for the replies. The bills offered to the tour guide in St. Kitts weren't torn, just a little old and worn. My poor mother was in a panic but having traveled to Ecuador I remember they only took crisp bills there. The exchange of money for services, was after the tour took place. I could not move on to a different vendor. Glad I was able to inform others that never heard of this before. I am going to the bank today to ask for new bills.

[derf5585]

Note to self

Pack Money Laundring Equipment.

[cruiseguy1016]

Thanks for the replies. The bills offered to the tour guide in St. Kitts weren't torn, just a little old and worn. My poor mother was in a panic but having traveled to Ecuador I remember they only took crisp bills there. The exchange of money for services, was after the tour took place. I could not move on to a different vendor. Glad I was able to inform others that never heard of this before. I am going to the bank today to ask for new bills.

 

I guess the vendor can't be too picky then, can he? "Sir, if you wanted a specific type of bill, you should have told me BEFORE the tour. This is the money I have. Take it or leave it."

[Coolcruise02]

The only place in our travels that the condition of the US bill was in question was the airports in Lima and Buenos Aires to pay the departure/entrance fees. No place in the Caribbean or Europe has ever inspected my money.

 

I guess too me a newly printed US bill looks more counterfeit than an old one. Not sure what their thinking is on that.

[sail7seas]

I have never had money turned down that was old and tatterd. I didn't know this sort of thing was an issue anywhere.Just a note about Jamaica...........last year I was at the Iberostar resort in Montego Bay and we were shopping in a local market near the hotel where we were staying. A vendor asked my BIL if he would sell his sandals to him. Couldn't believe this but my BIL ended up exchanging his sandals

 

for several items..tee shirt, jewelry that my sister picked out. My BIL said the shoes were old and worn out and he was about to throw them away anyway.

Sorry I got off the original subject.

 

 

Any idea what was special about the sandals the fellow wanted them?

 

 

 

Note to self

Pack Money Laundring Equipment.

 

 

ROFL........ LOL :D

 

[6rugrats]

My poor mother was in a panic but having traveled to Ecuador I remember they only took crisp bills there.

Yes, and they will only accept crisp new bills in Peru also. Where there is a large problem with counterfeit money, they want absolutely pristine US dollar bills.

[scottbee]

If you live outside the USA and intend using US dollars we are always told to get crisp notes when exchanging currency. That is common around the world. Other than in the USA you cannot exchange torn notes for good ones.

 

Other than a few countries like Panama and Ecuador (where the US$ is the legal tendar); why would someone exchange pieces of paper with pictures on them for other pieces of paper with pictures on them?

 

Pieces of paper is the status of the US$ in a country where the US$ isn't legal tender; and its value is based on what people will pay for it (just like artwork)

 

If you want to have no issues in Jamaica, have you considered just getting Jamaican currencY?

[kahliasmom]

I guess the vendor can't be too picky then, can he? "Sir, if you wanted a specific type of bill, you should have told me BEFORE the tour. This is the money I have. Take it or leave it."

 

Yes. That would have been a good response. I'm not quick to think of things like that to say in those situations, unfortunately.

[PennyAgain]

I've run into the 'worn and tattered' US$ issue in several countries, but most especially in Japan where I treid to excnage some rather ordinary looking US$ in 20's and 50's for Japanese Yen. No deal.

 

They wanted brand new US $ that had not been folded.

[Marie51]

Any idea what was special about the sandals the fellow wanted them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROFL........ LOL :D

 

 

We don't know why he wanted them but in looking around we noticed that many of the vendors were barefoot. Also we saw a guy wearing a Yankees baseball cap. My BIL asked him if he is a Yankees fan, and he said "I don't know who they are". At that point we figured he got the cap in a trade.