AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Travel Credit Cards and Money Questions

Last time I went to AC, I used my Discover Card to book my airline tickets and they sent me a letter that said if I used my Discover in Belize, there would be no transaction fees. Not that many places take Discover. That said, I just brought some US cash down (agree with PP, no ink stains, tears, or major wrinkles in your US cash. Weird rules imposed by local bank two days before my arrival) I never used a credit card. Just US Cash and was perfectly fine.

Travelers cheques in San Pedro are more trouble than they are worth. I bring crisp US currency, no bills larger than a 50. (one dollar bills don't seem to be a problem if they aren't crisp) and I use the ATM if and when the wallet runs out of US currency. I don't fuss too much over ATM transactions fees as they are really "a small thing in a big ship".

OK, so this is what I am gathering:

US cash is perfectly acceptable. Nothing bigger than $50 bill. Am I correct in assuming that most businesses will have prices in both Belize and US dollars?

Get a card that has no Int'l transaction fee. I have an AmEx Platinum that has no Int'l fees, but it seems like this may not be accepted widely?

In conclusion: bring cash, bring a credit card, forego traveler's checks. Correct?

~Bull

Fifty dollar bills will probably be accepted at the larger hotels, airlines and probably tour/dive companies where your total bill might be more than $50. It's the smaller businesses that might not want to accept them.

In most of Belize, prices are quoted in BZ$, but in many businesses related to tourism, you will often see prices quoted in US$. Since the conversion is simple and fixed (2:1), there's no real need to quote in both currencies. If it's not clear whether US or BZ, ask.

Traveller's cheques have saved me on more than one occasion, and I still carry a few. Never found them to be more trouble than they're worth.

There are four or five "big ticket" things that are frequently, and in fact almost always, quoted in U.S. dollars -- hotel rates (but often not restaurant prices at the hotels!), real estate prices, tour rates and rental car/golf cart rates. This is probably because the buyers of these items are usually from the U.S. or other foreign countries. Most everything else that might be used by local residents is quoted in Belize dollars.

But there are exceptions on both sides! If in doubt at all, ask. A taxi driver, for example, might quote a price in Belize dollars but may be happy that you thought he or she meant U.S. dollars.

MisterB please tell me a couple of examples of when travelers cheques helped you, that cash couldn't. I'm perplexed. Thanks.

As for my preference to bring nothing larger than a fifty, I'd really rather not bring anything bigger than a twenty, but depending on how long I might be staying will dictate. Smaller bills bigger wad, bigger bills smaller wad to carry.

Bull, another cool thing to consider is pre-paid VISA cards. I am not a big fan of coming home from vacation to face credit card bills, so I have been using VISA Pay Power on my last few international trips.

There is a small activation fee ($3.95 to $5.95), load up the card in advance with the sum of your choosing and off you go! Just make sure you get a card that does not say "for use in the U.S. only".

You can set up an account on your home computer in 5 minutes. I synch mine to my iPhone and I can find out my balance whenever I want. No transaction fees, just the initial activation fee. Plus, you can re-load for your next adventure!

I've used travelers checks frequently, although not at businesses. Just walked over to the bank, passport in hand, and cashed one or two every few days.

My idea for using credit cards is to make money from the CC company on my purchases....not to find ways to give them more money. Don't pay early and don't pay late....just pay on time and reap their rewards.

Activation fees.....??????? Wow...you must have $$$$.$$ to burn.
Pay them so you can pre pay your money to use??????

That is some crazy way to manage your money.

By the way I've got a toll bridge that's up for sale that you might be interested in.