Media Blog
Countries That Accept the U.S. Dollar
While our smart readers will exchange funds for local currency well before the trip, it’s important to understand exactly how far the U.S. dollar will travel. In fact, it will travel to a number of different destinations for most major purchases, such as hotels, car rentals, major transportation, and interactions within major cities. However, travelers know that currency rates are in a constant state of flux, and sometimes, the American dollar does not go as far as it might in other countries, or at home. What’s more, rates sometimes change from bank to bank, as well as in different countries, and at different exchange counters.
As a result, smart travelers not only know where American dollars are accepted, but also grab a small stack of foreign currency from places such as XchangeforAmerica, in case that small shop or cute rural farm stand does not take anything but the local currency. Some countries have taken on the American dollar as their official currency, so there is no need to exchange for these countries. However, most still have smaller areas that may only accept that local currency. Finally, some areas offer a “global reserve currency” – which is a secondary currency, deemed safe as an alternative to the local currency. Many places have labeled the U.S. dollar as their “global reserve currency”.
Here is the list of countries that accept the U.S. dollar as alternative currency:
- Belize
- Barbados
- Bahamas
- Burma
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Costa Rica
- Canada
- Cambodia
- Dominican Republic
- Caribbean Netherlands
- Cayman Islands
- El Salvador
- Jamaica
- Ecuador
- Haiti
- Lebanon
- Laos
- Morocco
- Liberia
- The Maldives
- Peru
- Palau
- Panama
- Some areas of Mexico
- Micronesia
- Turks & Caicos
- Marshall Islands
- Nicaragua
- Zimbabwe
- Uruguay
With so many choices, it’s hard to know where to go next! Again, it’s important to remember that these countries take the U.S. dollar in most places, and some prefer the American dollar, as the local economy is highly unstable. However, check your itinerary to make sure you’re sticking to the major cities. If you’re not, or if you think you might spend time in smaller shops, you’ll want to buy some foreign currency.
Sites such as XchangeforAmerica are ready to help you get the right type of money for your target country while you wait on your couch. Make sure you order your currency ahead of time, and preferably in small bills, so you can tip service people or buy items from those cute local shops. You’ll have a much more enjoyable experience when you have the currency that you need during your next set of travels.
Contact XchangeforAmerica today to find out the currency rate, the name of the local currency, and the process for grabbing a small pile of bills to go along with your American dollars. Remember to find out if you can use credit at your destination, or if you should carry cash. Finally, remember to split up your cash, keeping some in a lock box or hotel safe, to ensure you have cash if a worst-case scenario happens during your travels.