Getting Dominican Pesos
I almost forgot about this very important topic. You have to decide up from whether to bring US cash or use ATMs. If your plan is to use ATMs, make sure you have multiple cards that you can pull from. You do not want a problem with one institution to rullen your trip. There are multiple banks in Sosua. I personally like Scotia Bank’s
ATM which is inside the Pharmacy beside the Texaco on the main road.
Scotia is a large Canadian bank, therefore I trust this bank. This
ATM also allows you to withdraw up to 10,000 pesos. Some ATMs in the DR only allow 4000 pesos per transaction. Remember you will pay fees per each transaction, so you may want to keep the number of transactions to a minimum.
One thing to watch out for is Skimming Devices. I have a close friend who works in Banking Fraud Prevention. There has been multiple reports of Skimming Devices being installed on ATMs in Boca Chica. He has not seen a similar incident in Sosua, but it is probably just a mater of time.
Note: If you do not know what a skimming device is, please educate yourself. This is used quite often by thieves in the United States. I do a quick scan for skimming devices before I use any
ATM.
Now if you carried cash on you, you need to change your money to pesos. There are many guys on the street in Sosua shouting "Change. Change." DO NOT CHANGE MONEY FROM A GUY ON THE STREET. ONLY CHANGE MONEY FROM GUYS IN BUILDINGS!!!
Many of these guys try to slip counterfeit pesos in your stack. This is a common problem, but if you are dealing with an actual business in a building, you can always return to the store. The best place to exchange money is at Western Union. They normally have the best rate. The one thing to remember is that they require you to show your passport. They track where money came from to protect themselves.
One more thing.
DO NOT ACCEPT ANY BILLS LARGER THAN 1000 PESO NOTE. You really want a variety of bills. Most of the small businesses do not have change. And don't expect the chicas to have change either.
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