For safety's sake the bulk
of your money should be carried as traveller's
cheques - preferably of two different types, as
rumoured forgeries make individual brands
difficult to exchange, from time to time.
American Express is probably the best bet since
it has its own offices in Lima and Cusco, is
widely recognized by casas de cambio, hotels,
travel agents and is exchangeable in Peru's most
efficient bank, the Banco de Credito. American
Express also offers an efficient poste restante
service. Master Card traveller's cheques (such
as those issued by Thomas Cook and HSBC) are
exchangeable for nuevo soles in the Banco Wiese
and Banco Latino.
US dollars (preferably cash) are by far the best
currency to carry in Peru - anything else will
almost certainly prove hard to get rid of
outside Lima, and the dollar exchange rate is
the one most keenly followed. Pounds sterling
cash, or even as traveller's cheques, really
aren't worth carrying; you often get a very poor
exchange rate. Damaged dollar notes will not
generally be accepted anywhere, but the same
isn't true of nuevo soles.
Credit cards are accepted in the more expensive
restaurants and hotels of large cities
throughout Peru, such as Lima, Arequipa,
Trujillo and Cusco, and increasingly even in
smaller places (especially Visa) such as Puerto
Maldonado, Huaraz and Iquitos, as well as for
car rental. The better known ones (including
Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club and Citicorp) can
also be used with larger travel companies, but
not to pay for bus or train journeys, or at
cheaper hotels or restaurants. American Express
cards are not that widely accepted. Local
currency can be withdrawn from ATMs at a number
of banks, including Interbanc (Visa), Banco
Latino (Mastercard and Cirrus), Banco de Wiese (Amex,
Citicorp, Diners Club International and
Mastercard) and Banco de Credito (Visa), and
Unicard (Plus). Be careful using the ATMs,
though, they have become a target for muggings.
These banks will also advance cash on these
cards for a small fee - the amount varies
considerably, so check beforehand.
Getting change from your nuevo soles is almost
always a problem. Large denominations should be
avoided; you'll find them more difficult to
change anywhere in South America. It's
particularly hard to change the larger notes in
jungle towns, and even in Cusco and Lima
shopkeepers and waiters are often reluctant to
accept them; if they do, they'll end up running
around trying to find small change, which is a
time consuming drag for both parties. It's best
to break up large notes at every opportunity -
in major shops, bars and post offices. If you
hang on to the smaller nuevo soles notes you'll
have few difficulties in even the remotest
villages.
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