Currency?

[Jim Lynch]

Dear all,

As a first time visitor to Tobago in July of this year I am begining to think about Car hire and also currency.

Can anyone advise me what is that currency of Tobago and where/when it is best to acquire? Is there any advantage to getting involved with the US $ at the moment at $1.90/£1?

Also any advice on Car hire would be really useful for a family of four (Mum, Dad an 18 and 15 year old). We are staying at the Rex Turtle Beach on Room only.

Thank you all for your help in advance.

Jim Lynch

[Richard Gandy]

Jim

There have been some recent discussions re this point.

The facts are as follows:

The £ has recently been at an 11 yr. high v the US$. The TT$ roughly follows the US$, although not officially linked.

The £ has fallen slightly, but the T/C rate (which is roughly what you get on credit card payment) is still c$1.82. Normally, over the last few years, the rate is nearer 1.55 !!

Whether to wait and take what's going in July is the question. Some commentors say the rise may continue. I am going in 3 weeks, and have pre bought some US$ T/C's to pay hotels who will accept them. My view was that with a rate this high I prefer to take the benefit, as if it dropped I would be disappointed.

With regard to the car, I am not sure if they will take a credit card payment now. Perhaps you are best to e-mail them.

[Jim Lynch]

Dear Richard,

Thank you for your reply. Please forgive my ignorance, what is TT$? I am assuming it is Tobago (something) dollar?

In respect of Car Hire, do you have a Car Hire company over there that you would recommend I use?

Thank you for your help and prompt reply it has been most useful.

Jim

[Wanda]

Hi Jim
for car hire i would recommend using Yes Tourism, you can organise a car to suit your needs via email from UK and then you pay the car hire firm when they deliver the car, and yes the firms do accept credit cards.
Yes Tourism is frequently mentioned on this site as they are very good and very efficient, their email address is [email protected]. We used them at Xmas and got exactly the car we needed at a very good price.

TT stands for Trinidad and Tobago dollar, you can order them in the UK from your bank before you fly (useful for the first couple of days especially if you are flying at the weekend). You can then use US dollars (cash or T. cheques) I would probably take £sterling T cheques as they are easily exchanged at the banks and you don't have to pay commission if you were to buy $US.
Have a wonderful time
Wanda

[Jim Lynch]

Thank you Wanda, I will certainly take your comments on board.

Jim

[Stella Porteous]

I've been reading all the messages re currency e.g Sterling versus U/S travellers cheques and i'm afraid my 'pea brain' is still muddled! HELP! Basically, am i right in assuming that changing U/S t.cheques in a Tobago bank is commission free and that Sterling cheques have a commision charge applied ? And, to sound even more 'pea brained' if changing U/S cheques , does one receive t/t dollars in return or U/S dollar in return? You'd never believe i've actually been there once before,would you!![Can't remember what i did last time money wise] Am i safe to be let out i ask myself! Stella, otherwise known as , 'bemused from Bucks,.

[David Watkins]

Stella,
Basically,use stirling chequesand/or cash.The main reason is the better rate £/TT to £/$/TT and the charges involved in all the changes.The standard charge for TC,s is 10TT's.
David

[Stella Porteous]

Please Forum Readers, tell me i'm not the only subscriber who composes a question, previews it CAREFULLY, at least twice, submits it and then when it's too late ,realises she's posed a daft query? David, Thanks very much for your response to my currency query and thanks for kindly not refering to the 2nd. bit about U/S travel cheques being changed into U/S or T/T cash. This 'dimbo' realised to late that OF COURSE it would be T/T cash. Stella .
p.s I have a nasty feeling that my children will be carting me off to the old folks home a bit sooner than planned. Any nice ones in Tobago?

[Brian Taylor]

you would not wanna go to a home for the age here. sure about that. but believe me, everyone is becoming so relaxed here, that they might not want to get rid of you at all....
about the cars: don't get one of these little open susuki jeeps. it might be fun in the beginning, but for four people it is to small and you can not eveb carry all your beachbags comfortably. talking from experience....
one more thing about the money: whatever you bring, if it is not enough you will get cash from one of the cash machines on credit card with pin or even with ec card with pin. so if your running out of money, don't worry...
be happy and have a safe trip to tobago
steph&ali

[Stella Porteous]

After my original queries i'd finally decided on Sterling t/cheques and some T/T cash. THEN---i wandered through all the previous currency questions in the 'General' section and read that the banks give a better exchange rate than the hotels,i know that's the norm--- All banks would appear to be in the south, and we're at B.W.I in Speyside . Is there a cash machine near to B.W.I? If so, i needn't bother with travellers cheques at all. But--- i've not used a cash machine before [sad, i know but then us oldies are known not to care for all these 'new fangled machines'!] I thought that the credit card companies charged high rates of interest/commission for giving cash via a card. Last time in Tobago we were at Coco Reef and there was a bank right next door,very handy. i always take a credit card with me for car hire and hotel end of holiday bar and pnone bill etc.[i'm sure i've got a pin no. somewhere,just got to find it!] And, horror of horrors, what do i do if the dreaded machine swallows my card!!!!! Stella

[Stella Porteous]

Apologies for comment in the previous entry, i only meant 'SOME' oldies. I know there are plenty of competent ones about. I am too, most of the time, honest.! Stella.

[Brian Taylor]

BWI is nice, but too far from the machines. the nearest to any place other than scarborough is in the black rock area (as far as i know) at the pizze boys. a long way to got, but still easier to reach than the banks with their certain bank hours. in the hotel itself you can pay with cards and in some of the restaurants like jemmas, sharon&phebs(charlotteville) and others you could pay with card as well. and they won't swallow it!!!!

steph&brian

[Stella Porteous]

Brian, thanks for your reply. I think what i might do, is to take a 'few' more T/Ts cash with me plus c.card plus a small number of Sterling travel cheques and then,when we have the car we're sure to hit south at some point i can visit a bank if need be. If i don't change them they'll come in handy for the next holiday!! Stella.

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Stella

There are no cash machines in the Roxborough/Speyside/Charlotteville area, unless one has been introduced very, very recently. See our Banking article for details of all machines that I am aware of.

As far as I know, Jema's is the only "local" restaurant in Speyside that you can use a credit card in. Obviously you can use your card at the BWI to settle your account and probably at the Speyside Inn, but you'll need cash for the other local restaurants. As Steph & Brain say, Sharon & Phebe's in Charlotteville take credit cards (although the last time I was there, in January, the card machine was not working), but cash is order of the day at all other restaurants/shops.

Personally, I would ensure that you have at least two MasterCard/Visa credit cards and make sure that you know the PIN number of each (why not change them to the same number?) or at least that each member of your party has a card. It's hard to say how much cash you will need. A lot will depend upon how long you're at the BWI, but all your 'large' purchases will be at restaurants/shops where you can use your card, so you shouldn't need that much. I'm sure the hotel will cash a T/T if you get stuck, but don't expect the best exchange rates.