Local Tip
Take pesos from a machine inside a bank branch, not a street-front ATM on Quinta Avenida, where Lonely Planet reports card cloning, and keep small notes for taco stands.
Where to change money in Playa del Carmen
Centro, which Lonely Planet places between the ferry terminal and Calle 8, is the tourist core, with Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) as its spine. Touts are persistent there, the guide warns, so ignore anyone steering you to a counter.
- Globo Cambio desks in Playacar's RIU hotels (Avenida Xaman-Ha) - Globo Cambio, a casa de cambio authorised by Mexico's Finance Ministry, listed lobby counters in six RIU resorts along Avenida Xaman-Ha in October 2026 (Playacar, Tequila, Lupita, Yucatán, Palace Riviera Maya and Palace Mexico), open 10:00 to 22:00 daily and taking Visa and Mastercard. They mainly serve RIU guests; the listing does not say whether outsiders can use them.
- Cash machines inside bank branches - Lonely Planet's advice for Playa is a machine within a bank branch, not one on the pavement. A bank may want you to hold an account before changing notes, Mexperience warns. Mid-month and month-end paydays bring long queues, and some machines run dry.
Changing money at the airport
Playa del Carmen has no commercial airport of its own. The usual way in is Cancún International (CUN), which Quintana Roo's tourism board describes as Mexico's busiest airport for international passengers, with direct flights from Europe. Lonely Planet's suggestion is to draw pesos from a cash machine there as soon as you land.
From Cancún's bus station, the ferry firm Ultramar says buses leave for Playa every 30 minutes.
ATMs and cards in Playa del Carmen
More small businesses now take cards, but Lonely Planet says Playa still runs largely on cash, and taquerias and corner shops want small notes. It reports card cloning and counterfeit notes here and singles out the Fifth Avenue machines as ones to avoid. When a Playa card machine asks whether to charge pounds or pesos, pick pesos, as MoneySavingExpert advises, so your own card issuer converts.
Paying for transport in Playa del Carmen
The licensed taxis in Playa are white and green. Lonely Planet says drivers often ask tourists for more than locals, so fix the fare before getting in; in April 2026 it put a trip within Centro at M$50 at most, so have small peso notes ready. BiciPlaya, the lime-green bike-share scheme, costs M$129 a day through its app.
For Cozumel, ferries sail from the terminal at the end of Avenida Benito Juárez, about 100 metres from Playa's bus station according to Ultramar.
Good to know
- Most Playa restaurants expect 10 to 15 per cent, by Lonely Planet's reckoning; menu prices should already include tax and service, but some places quietly add a tip to the total, so go through the bill.
- A distraction trick reported in Playa: a pair offers to clean something off your hair or back while your valuables disappear. Refuse politely and walk on.
- The Foreign Office urges particular care after dark in downtown Playa del Carmen, as in Cancún and Tulum; keep to busy, lit pedestrian streets.
Key Areas in Playa del Carmen
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Exchange bureaux, banks and cash machines, as mapped by OpenStreetMap. The map loads only when you ask for it.
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Playa del Carmen travel money FAQ
Where is the best place to exchange money in Playa del Carmen?
Choose your own counter rather than following touts on Quinta Avenida. If you are staying at a RIU resort in Playacar, Globo Cambio has lobby desks open 10:00 to 22:00. For pesos on a card, Lonely Planet favours a machine inside a bank branch, or withdrawing at Cancún airport when you land.
Which airport serves Playa del Carmen?
Cancún (CUN) is the main gateway, with direct flights from Europe, and Lonely Planet suggests getting pesos from a cash machine there on arrival. Ultramar says buses run from Cancún's bus station to Playa every half hour, and Playa's bus station is about 100 metres from the Cozumel ferry pier.
Are the cash machines on Fifth Avenue safe to use?
Lonely Planet advises against them, citing card cloning and fake notes in Playa, and recommends a machine inside a bank instead. The Foreign Office's national advice agrees in spirit: withdraw by day, in a shop or mall, and avoid taking out large sums at once.
Checked October 2026. Fees, fares and opening times change, so check locally before relying on them. Sources: Caribe Mexicano (Quintana Roo tourism board) · GOV.UK (FCDO) · Globo Cambio · Lonely Planet · Ultramar (ferry operator) · MoneySavingExpert
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