As a general rule: If something is priced in Dollars (tours, nightclub entry) then use Dollars. If something is priced in Pesos (everything else) then use Pesos. If you don't do that you'll be subject to the sellers own conversion rate which is not regulated and always in their favour - often substantially. Many still use a rule of thumb of 10 pesos to the dollar when it is actually 13. Those from the US may prefer to use Dollars exclusively due to familiarity, but for those from the UK it wouldn't make sense since both currencies would be unfamiliar.
We got a stack or $1 bills for tipping, most places can do that for you as that's the way they get them
We basically do what Steve mentioned. But if I was coming from the UK then I'd just do peso's. They are all waterproof plastic bills so like was mentioned, you can keep 20's and 50's in your pocket all day to tip for drinks and lunch without concern for them. We just save any extra for the next trip.
We got a load of 20 peso bills for tipping and then a mix of dollars and pesos for the days and nights out, and dolllars for the Boobs Cruise lol
We got all our money in pesos last time (apart from money for Steve's cruise) and it was a nightmare trying to break the notes down to smaller bills. Ordered from Thomas Cook (had the best rate then) and all they had were really large ones like $100s, $200s and $500s. Reception happy to change a few for us during our first few days, but then they either ran out or got fed up of us asking. This time we've got mostly US$ for in-resort stuff, and MXN$ to pay for meals and the off-resort days we've got planned. If you're planning trips into the hotel zone bar scene I'd definitely recommend picking up a load of US$. Prices there seemed to be always quoted in US$ and much less of a headache just paying in that currency than trying to figure out what it'd be in pesos! Got ours from M&S. Mainly because the bureau de change is open after hours so we can pick it up after work. They also keep at least US$500 in dollar bills at any one time, and were able to give us MXN$50s which is a hell of a lot better to change down than $200s!
Last time i ordered half my currency in Pesos and half in dollars but i found the pesos confusing so this time I'm just going to get dollars. Mostly small bills for tipping. and at least if I dont spend all of it I can put it down fo rthe next time I travel to the states. Marks and Spencers has pretty decent rates at the moment and they don't charge comission.
i had someone explain it very nicely to me one time.... "when we visit your country, do we transfer our money into US? No, we get Canadian... so get the currency of the country you are visiting.. its respectful". I just thought it made sense after that... in your case.. why deal with the pound, the US $ and then the Peso?? Cheers and have a great vacation!
Don't worry leanne, we'll help you lose your money at the shops but with sue who will get you the best deal. Worse comes to worse I look like a big scary mexican so I'll help you haggle. :huepfen021:'
Just to be clear, M&S may not charge commission, but they surely markup the rate. That's how companies make money on FX... and some are a little shady when they advertise "no fees" or "no commissions" when if you read the fine print they'll tell you that they make money by marking up the rate. If you look at the rates on the M&S website and compare them to the interbank rate on your favorite finance website, you'll see that the M&S rates are not the same...they are marked up. Just food for thought. There are lots of sneaky ways to make money on Foreign Exchange.
