Best Place to Exchange Money in Cancun

Where to change money in Cancun

Cancun has plenty of casas de cambio (exchange houses), and Frommer's notes that their rates vary; it also warns that hotel desks usually give a poor rate, so keep those for emergencies.

• Casas de cambio in town - Rates differ from one exchange house to the next, so check two or three boards and ask exactly how many pesos you will get before handing over cash.
• Banks on Avenida Tulum (downtown) - Lonely Planet describes Avenida Tulum, Cancun's main north-south avenue, as lined with banks, and Frommer's places banks downtown along it. Use the machines inside the branches, as the US State Department advises.

Changing money at the airport

Cancun International Airport (CUN) is run by ASUR. Terminal 3 handles only international flights, while Terminals 2 and 4 take both domestic and international services, and each international arrivals terminal has cash machines. Frommer's advises against changing money at the airport, above all at the first booth you reach, which it says gives a worse rate than those in town.

ATMs and cards in Cancun

The US State Department says credit cards are widely accepted in Mexico but that cash machines there may charge high fees, so check your own bank's overseas charges too. It favours machines inside banks and flags skimming devices as a particular risk in tourist areas; the UK Foreign Office suggests withdrawing in daylight, inside shops or malls, and avoiding large sums. Pesos (MXN) are the right answer when a Cancun cash machine or card reader asks which currency to use: that way your card issuer, not the machine's owner, sets the rate.

Paying for transport in Cancun

Taxi drivers take US dollars, but Frommer's says at a less generous rate than for pesos, so carry peso notes for fares. Ride-hailing is contentious: the UK Foreign Office reports that licensed taxi drivers, in protests against Uber, have set up roadblocks near the city's hotels, pulled tourists out of Uber cars and made some travellers miss flights. If a protest is announced, take your hotel's advice on avoiding it.

Good to know

• The peso shares the $ sign with the US dollar, and prices are sometimes written Mex$ to tell them apart, so check which currency a price is in before you pay.
• The state tourism board puts the usual tip for good service at 10 to 15 per cent, and Lonely Planet suggests 15 per cent in restaurants where service isn't included. Check bills for an added 'service fee'; porters get about 30 pesos a bag.
• The UK Foreign Office warns of fake police trying to fine tourists, notably drivers of hire cars, and of some genuine officers extorting money. Keep your money and passport, ask for ID and a written fine to settle later, and note the badge and patrol car numbers.
• Cash worth more than US$10,000 must be declared when you enter or leave Mexico.