Best Place to Exchange Money in Cebu

Where to change money in Cebu

Most visitors change money in Cebu City, in the big malls and around Cebu IT Park, or on Mactan Island in Lapu-Lapu, where most of the resorts are. Check at least two counters before exchanging, and keep hotel and resort desks for small top-ups. No individual business was confirmed by two independent sources, so none is named here.

• Cebu City malls and downtown - The widest spread of counters and bank branches on the island; look at the posted rate and ask about commission before you change.
• Cebu IT Park - An office and restaurant district in the city with bank branches and cash machines in the surrounding blocks.
• Mactan Island, Lapu-Lapu - Easy for resort guests, but compare a hotel desk's rate with a city counter before changing a large sum there.

Changing money at the airport

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) is on Mactan Island. Its authority, MCIAA, lists cash machines and money changers among the passenger services but gives no names, locations or hours, so take only what you need there for the trip to your hotel.

Taxis and ride-hailing cars cover the run to Cebu City and the Mactan resorts. In January 2025 a Metro Cebu metered taxi started at PHP 50 and added PHP 13.50 a kilometre, plus PHP 1 a minute while waiting (Cebu Daily News, July 2025). The fare order of 28 September 2026 set a provisional national taxi flag-down of PHP 65, but none of the reports we found gave a separate Cebu figure, so go by the meter and the fare guide inside the cab. The FCDO's advice is to use taxis from reputable firms or to book a transfer.

ATMs and cards in Cebu

The big local banks, BDO, BPI, Metrobank and Security Bank, publish no fee for foreign cards on the pages we checked, so this guide gives none. Look for a fee notice on screen before confirming. On top of whatever the machine owner takes come your own bank's charge and any margin in its exchange rate, the three costs set out in an Inquirer report drawing on Wise figures.

When a terminal asks you to pick between pounds and pesos, pick pesos. GCash, the main e-wallet, has a GTourist option for foreign visitors that lasts 30 days and can be switched on only after you arrive in the country; it is useful for paying by QR code where cards are not taken.

Paying for transport in Cebu

The fare rise of 28 September 2026 took effect nationwide, The Freeman reported from Cebu, so it covers Cebu's jeepneys too: PHP 14 for the first 4 km on a traditional jeepney and then PHP 2 per kilometre, or PHP 17 and then PHP 2.40 on a modern one. The same order put city buses at PHP 15 ordinary and PHP 18 air-conditioned for the first 5 km. Pay jeepney drivers with coins or small notes.

beep, the stored-value card used on Manila's rail lines, says buses and public vehicles across the country increasingly accept it, but we found nothing confirming which Cebu routes do, so do not count on it here. Ride-hailing apps show the price before you book; national base fares for app cars are PHP 55 (hatchback), PHP 65 (sedan) and PHP 75 (SUV).

Good to know

• Pesos in cash: PHP 50,000 is the most you may carry into or out of the Philippines without BSP authorisation, and any foreign currency over USD 10,000 has to be declared.
• Before flying: eTravel costs nothing, is completed in the 72 hours before arrival and produces a QR code that some airlines ask for at boarding. Use etravel.gov.ph only.
• Hotel and restaurant service charges must by law go to the staff, shared equally, so read the bill before leaving anything extra.
• Island boats, markets and beach stalls are likely to be cash only; leave town with enough pesos for the day.
• Fares quoted here took effect on 28 September 2026; check the fare guide in the vehicle.