Why U.S. Dollars?

[mmmbelows]

Hate to break it to the self-loathers but travel enough and you'll come to the realization that America doesn't have a monopoly on that.

Anybody follow the news of the foreign tourists in Yellowstone last week. They took a bison calf into their car because they thought it was cold, drove it from the herd to the ranger station to give it to the rangers to warm it up. The rangers ticketed them for being dumb asses and molesting wildlife. Sad ending is the rangers spent a week trying to get the baby back into the herd but the herd now shunned it so the rangers ended up putting the calf down.

 

[JamesBon92007]

When Americans come to Canada and charter a dive they are expected to pay in Canadian dollars. however in Cozumel all the dive outfits only accept U.S dollars. Why is it different? Why do they not request Pesos ?

Have you tried searching in Spanish? At least on some sites, if you search in English you get prices in US Dollars. If you search in Spanish you get pesos. But yes, some only have prices in US dollars.

Try: "Bucear en Cozumel precios"

 

[DjDiverDan]

Anybody follow the news of the foreign tourists in Yellowstone last week. They took a bison calf into their car because they thought it was cold, drove it from the herd to the ranger station to give it to the rangers to warm it up. The rangers ticketed them for being dumb asses and molesting wildlife. Sad ending is the rangers spent a week trying to get the baby back into the herd but the herd now shunned it so the rangers ended up putting the calf down.

I can't tell you how relieved I was to learn that it wasn't an American Dumbass who did that. It was a Canadian Dumbass. And if you are a Canadian who's ashamed of the Canadian Dumbass, you can take some comfort in the fact that he was an immigrant to Canada, from India, I think.

 

[Mossman]

I don't get the issue. When you pay with your Canadian credit card, won't the credit card company handle the exchange automatically and give you the bank rate?

 

[ggunn]

I have never been anywhere in Cozumel that refused to accept pesos. But they do convert their USD prices at less favorable rates.

I paid my dive shop and incidentals hotel bill last week in pesos at a reasonable exchange rate.

 

[Rick Murchison]

>snip<... Spend Dollars outside the tourist area where everything is priced in Pesos and your gonna get burned by the exchange rate that business wants to offer... >snip<

Depends on the day & the place. If one is astute & has a pocket full of both, the exchange rate can work in their favor. Currency is fickle stuff, it's value - especially outside the US - can fluctuate wildly, and quickly. One day a few years ago, I happened to be in Kenya when there was a local currency 'scare' - I produced a $5 bill in the local market & simply said 'Whoever will give me the most carved animals for this gets it." I had to have a buddy help me carry my purchase.
Rick

 

[covediver]

Not sure if this is still the case, but when I was in Galapagos a few years back, the Ecuadorian dollar had the same value as the US dollar so the currencies were interchangeable. This was done as an austerity move to bring inflation under control.

One advantage for Alaskan types, given the current level of the Canadian dollar, is that the value difference when online ordering from Canadian shops pays the shipping charges.

 

[BRT]

You should order from Mexican shops. There is a bigger difference between the currencies there.

 

[Gdog]

Was in Canada a few weeks ago, paid in USD, no questions asked. Same thing a year ago on dive trip to Canada.

 

[cvchief]

Was in Canada a few weeks ago, paid in USD, no questions asked. Same thing a year ago on dive trip to Canada.

Well sure. They would be happy to get something with buying power for a change.... *snicker*