Acceptance of US$100 in SA

[Robbotours]

I have noticed on a number of threads that there have been comments about issues with acceptance and changing of US$100 notes in Chille and Argentina.

Are the issues with any particular series (date) and just related to $100's or does this also apply to other denominations. I take it that this shouldn't apply on board the ship.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[greatam]

I have noticed on a number of threads that there have been comments about issues with acceptance and changing of US$100 notes in Chille and Argentina.

Are the issues with any particular series (date) and just related to $100's or does this also apply to other denominations. I take it that this shouldn't apply on board the ship.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

LOTS of counterfeit $100's floating around South America. Kind of goes along with the drug trafficking and money laundering so prevalent in SA.

 

Take your bills if you want-just break them on the ship. I travel to South America for business 4 times per year (am leaving next week for my last trip this season). I have had them rejected at hotels, restaurants and shops. I just don't take them anymore. But on the ship, you will be fine.

[Robbotours]

Thanks very much greatam.

[2travelers]

LOTS of counterfeit $100's floating around South America. Kind of goes along with the drug trafficking and money laundering so prevalent in SA.

 

Take your bills if you want-just break them on the ship. I travel to South America for business 4 times per year (am leaving next week for my last trip this season). I have had them rejected at hotels, restaurants and shops. I just don't take them anymore. But on the ship, you will be fine.

 

We leave in a two days for the BA to Valpariso cruise. Do you think we will have a problem with giving $100 bills to the private tour guides? I just went to the bank to get them so that I don't have to carry so much money with me. Should I go back to the bank and get $50's? We have never had a problem using large bills before, but then, we have never traveleld through South Amaerica before.

Thanks

[rdowney]

We leave in a two days for the BA to Valpariso cruise. Do you think we will have a problem with giving $100 bills to the private tour guides? I just went to the bank to get them so that I don't have to carry so much money with me. Should I go back to the bank and get $50's? We have never had a problem using large bills before, but then, we have never traveleld through South Amaerica before.

Thanks

 

We used $100 bills for our private tours in Argentina and Chile without any problems. That was for four different guides in December and January. On tours that we shared with other passengers, everyone seemed to have $100s. In addition to carrying cash, we took travelers checks that we converted to $100 bills on the ship to pay for tours. For general shopping, we never tried using anything larger than $20.

[2travelers]

We used $100 bills for our private tours in Argentina and Chile without any problems. That was for four different guides in December and January. On tours that we shared with other passengers, everyone seemed to have $100s. In addition to carrying cash, we took travelers checks that we converted to $100 bills on the ship to pay for tours. For general shopping, we never tried using anything larger than $20.

 

Thanks. You just saved me another trip to the bank. We leave on Friday and I still have not packed. I am working today, but I think that I clocked out mentally last week :o . Just can't wait to get there already.

[fredhanson]

One problem I ran into at an exchange ('Cambio') office in Buenos Aires was with a pretty crisp $100 bill with a tiny bit ( 1/4 inch or less) of one corner missing. They wouldn't take it! And they inspected my other bills VERY carefully. Private individuals might be less critical, but why take the chance?

[greatam]

PLEASE break your US $100's on the ship or take $20.00's.

 

I just arrived SCL this morning for my last business trip until November. I wanted money for taxi and incidentals. Go to the ATM in the airport. It's not working (the phone lines are down-happens frequently in SA). I have 3 $100.00 bills stashed. So I go to the exchange to get pesos. NO, NO, NO-they won't take any of the 3 100's. Lady stated the last two months there have been over $500,000 in counterfeit US $100's JUST at and around the airport. Counterfeiting is LARGE business in South America.

 

I called the hotel-they agreed to pay the cab fare when I arrived and add it to my bill (I stay there frequently). But if I hadn't had a relationship with the hotel, I may still be at the airport. I broke one of the $100's at the hotel but I got beat by almost 18% on the exchange. My own stupid fault for not bringing anything other than a few credit cards and $100.00 bills. Next time, it will be NEW $20's.

[A.Emgee]

Greatam gives good advice re: the US$100 bills. Break them up on the ship or bring smaller bills for transactions.

 

For bills of any denomination >$50 please ensure that they are not ripped, overly creased, or have any writing on them. If not, you run the risk of them not being accepted. I saw one British couple getting all sorts of trouble trying to pay for their meal at Sotitos in Punta Arenas (a restaurant very used to cruise passengers) because their $50 bill had a bit of writing on it. The restaurant eventually reluctantly took it (because the couple didn't have any other money on them - also not wise, by the way) but then ended up almost immediately giving it to another tourist patron as change for a $100. In other words, they really didn't want it.

 

Apparently in foreign countries the banks will not take "imperfect" large American bills, no matter how small the defacement.