practical tips for travellers
currency
Just in case you wouldn't know: the legal tender in the United States is the U.S. Dollar. But Americans not only pay with dollars, so-called plastic money is widely accepted and so are traveler checks. All you ever wanted to know about the famous "Green Bill" is in here.
American money is based on the decimal system. The basic currency unit is the dollar. 1 Dollar equals 100 cents. All the bills, $ 1, $ 2, $ 5, $ 10, $ 20, $ 50, $ 100 etc., are the same size and have the same colour. The coins, 1-cent, 5-cent, 10-cent, 25-cent and 50-cent have different sizes. They are respectively known as penny, nickel, dime, quarter and half-dollar.
You can exchange your country's currency for USD at most major airports, banks and private exchange companies. Hotels as a rule do not provide a currency exchange service.
Most banks are open Monday to Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m..
USD Traveler Checks are still the safest way to travel with large amounts and they are accepted at most locations.
Credit Cards are widely accepted by hotels, shops, restaurants and car rental companies and if you have your Credit Card's PIN code you are able to get cash from ATM's (cash dispensers in the USA.)
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