What currency to I take to Cube - £'s or $

Jayney2301

We are going to Cuba for our honeymoon in June and I am very confused about what money we take! or if we should just use our credit card, which is capitol one.

We dont have a big credit limit on this card so should we put extra cash on the card to cover us.. I'm so confused.

Do we take travellers cheques in dollors or sterling or Euro's for that matter!!

Any advice would be appriciated.

Thanks in anticipation.

blindman

Jayney2301 wrote: »

We are going to Cuba for our honeymoon in June and I am very confused about what money we take! or if we should just use our credit card, which is capitol one.

We dont have a big credit limit on this card so should we put extra cash on the card to cover us.. I'm so confused.

Do we take travellers cheques in dollors or sterling or Euro's for that matter!!

Any advice would be appriciated.

Thanks in anticipation.

Several threads on MSE about Cuba also a good forum on Tripadvisor

You can take either cash in £'s or Euros DO NO TAKE $'s

If you CC is backed by a US bank it will not be accepted.

If you are going AI then I believe (I've never done AI) you may never have to pay in Cuban currency inside the 'compound'

Cuba has two currencies
Cuban Convertable [CUC] (for tourists) and the Cuban peso.[CUP]You can get away with paying for street-side stuff (ice cream\fruit etc )using Pesos but unless you look and talk like a local, bars, shop etc will charge you CUC and the local standing next to you CUP.

The Peso is worth only 1\24th of the tourist Convertable.

Jayney2301

I have just read the artical on Tripadvisor and it has told me everything I need to know. Thanks again.

stephb34

Hi we have just got back from a fortnight in cuba, we took cash and my thomas cook credit card as they arent american backed. I wouldnt personally recommend travellers cheques and im not sure if you'll find any that arent american backed. If you are all inclusive unless you are doing lots of trips its very hard to spend any money other than on tips. Most credit cards get 11% extra added onto the cost for the privilege of using it, although mine didnt, maybe worth a trip to thomas cook to get one of their credit cards. We changed our money at the hotel bank and got about 1.28 cuban pesos to the £ while we were there it went from 1.22 to 1.32. Until we managed to change money we tipped in £1 coins but some people did use $. If you do use your credit card it is converted into $ before it is converted into £s.
If you have any excess luggage allowance take things with you to leave behind as the people are so poor and they really appreciate it. I let my 5 year old daughter take all her clothes and what she didnt wear we gave away to the cleaners, waitresses, gardener etc as kids clothes out there are really expensive, not that she's knows she wouldnt have been impressed. 1 man i spoke to had been to the £ shop in england before he went and bought loads of stuff ie ladies tights, gardening gloves, toiletries, kids crayons, pencils etc to give away. When you see their faces it makes you feel very wholesome.
Have you got a worldwide travel adaptor as our rooms used the flat american pin plugs not the round ones. If theres anything else you want to know just ask.