Your are right on the mark, supply and demand, Like gas prices, if enough people dont drive and the price goes down, if enough people dont go to the clubs, or fly( happening now, price is way down), or stay in Cancun(unless you are a premier member), the price will go down. So where do you, Steve, think the best place to exchange money is, you have sold me on using pesos( except for tips)? Terry
Terry - I "bought" Pesos at my local Canadian bank before I left and then withdrew more from an HSBC ATM on Isla Majures - I got a super exchange rate using the ATM machine and that's what I would recommend. You need a four-digit PIN. The ATM did not charge me a service fee even though it said it would but my home bank charged the normal "Plus" system fee. Why not tip in Pesos? I used very few US$1 bills for tips (I had brought a few) and tipped mostly all in 20 peso and 50 peso notes. 20 pesos was about $2 Canadian while 50 peso was about $5 Canadian (US$1.60 or US$4.10). It made perfect sense to tip in Pesos and I didn't receive one complaint. In fact, I was likely tipping a bit more using the Pesos than using US $$ but I knew what I was giving in the equivalent of Canadian dollars and I was fine with the amounts. Tipping is a whole other issue that I could talk about for hours but maybe some other time. Onto the soapbox: I am a believer in using the currency of the country I am in and don't fully understand why anyone would insist on using their home currency. When I read people complaining about not getting a good exchange rate from shops, etc., I just laugh. How can anyone really expect a business of any type to keep track of exchange rates and give the "bank" rate? Should they accept (in addition to Pesos) only American dollars? What about the Canadians, Brits, and other Europeans? Should their Loonies, Pounds and Euros be accepted too? I say when in Mexico, use Pesos! Off the soapbox now. Enjoy your trip, whatever you choose to do.
