Where to change big dollars in Egypt

For payments and purchases in the resorts of Egypt, dollars are more often used than the local currency pounds. Price tags in tourist shops and street vendors of souvenirs, prices for excursions, payment for services in hotels, massages, spa treatments and other tourist services, all this is usually announced in dollars, and payment is accepted directly in cash in US dollars without conversion into Egyptian pounds. Accordingly, if you are going on an all-inclusive vacation to Egypt, you will most likely have minimal cash expenses, and it is quite possible to do without exchanging dollars for local currency at all. However, for a comfortable cash payment, you should have small money in your hands, starting from one-dollar bills, because not everywhere you will be ready to sell, for example, a magnet for $ 1, if you only have a large $ 100 bill.

Unfortunately, small bills are rare in Russian banks, and most often round multiples of 50 or 100 are issued during the exchange. Fortunately, it will not be difficult to exchange large dollars in Egypt, here's how it can be done:

• Change at the airport. The easiest and most reliable way is to pay for a visa on arrival at the airport with a large bill, and get change in small dollars. Officially, a visa on arrival at the airport in Egypt costs $ 25, although in fact tourists are often divorced and required to pay $ 27. Accordingly, you have a chance to get a lot of small bills here. Sometimes, in the form of change, they may try to slip Egyptian pounds to you, but you can safely refuse them and ask for dollars.
• Exchange for purchase and payment. When buying excursions, paying for tourist services or goods at markets or tourist shops in the form of change, they will most often try to give you local pounds, but you can ask for change in dollars. Only you need to agree on the currency of delivery in advance of the purchase, because if you do not do this and give your money to the seller, he will certainly want to give you change in pounds, and at an unfavorable rate for you. So remember the rule: first, agree and discuss everything, and only then give the money into the hands of the seller.
• Exchange during the exchange. If you decide to exchange a small amount in dollars for Egyptian pounds, then it is quite possible to try to make an exchange and a change at the same time. However, in our experience, not all exchange offices and banks are willing to do such operations. We had to go around several points, and in the end, only the street money changer agreed to it. For more information about where it is profitable to change the currency in Egypt, we told here.
• Contact other tourists. You can apply for a change to other tourists from your hotel. After all, holidays in Egypt usually take place within the walls of the hotel and on the beach, where everyone gets to know each other. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask fellow countrymen, whose rest is already coming to an end, if they need to get rid of small bills. By the way, so you can buy pounds at a favorable rate.