LannyPC
TUG Member
What would be better to use paying taxi cabs? They do accept USD bills, right?
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Pesos is the best. While they will reluctantly accept USD, the taxi drivers will give you an awful exchange rate.What would be better to use paying taxi cabs? They do accept USD bills, right?
Probably. But at an abysmal exchange rate. They would likely count each dollar as worth perhaps 10-12 pesos whereas the official rate is north of 17 per USD. Just get a stash of pesos from a BANK ATM as soon as you arrive. No point making this difficult. If you pay a taxi or tip a baggage handler in dollars, THEY have to exchange it and will make the exchange from you worth their inconvenience.What would be better to use paying taxi cabs? They do accept USD bills, right?
Mentally, 200 pesos equals 10 dollars. And 20 pesos equals 1 dollar. If you keep this in mind it's pretty easy to do the math in your head most of the time. (i.e. a menu item shown as $220 is 11 dollars). Remember, they use the $ for pesos as well so it can be confusing, but it's pretty clear with context and almost always means pesos. If something is priced in dollars it will usually say US Dollars. The actual currency itself is as easy to use as any currency. It has numbers on it. Unlike US currency, it's size tells its relative value, and the colors are different. Just treat a 200 peso note as if it's a 10 dollar bill, and a 500 peso note as if it's a "25 dollar bill". The smallest bill is 20 pesos. Coins take a bit of time to get used to, so you kind of have to look like a tourist if you want to pay with coins....but you are a tourist!
My method is similar...move the decimal left and divide by 2 (for US currency). So, 300 pesos becomes 30 and divided by 2 becomes 15 dollars.Thank you. Divide by 2 and knock off a zero. We'll practice our new currency skills on the plane ride there to while away some time.
Of course they would, especially when the offer a poor exchange rate like 1:10 or 1:12. This is why it is always better to use Peso.To a cab driver, I would prefer the American dollar. The Dollar is worth more than pesos. No changes my amigo passenger.
Even easier, just look at a 100 peso note as $5, a 500 peso note as a $25 bill, one peso coin is a nickel, 10 pesos is 50 cents and so on.My method is similar...move the decimal left and divide by 2 (for US currency). So, 300 pesos becomes 30 and divided by 2 becomes 15 dollars.
Which one is easier is objective. I find the math easier to do on the fly than remembering each individual note. It is the same result after all.Even easier, just look at a 100 peso note as $5, a 500 peso note as a $25 bill, one peso coin is a nickel, 10 pesos is 50 cents and so on.
True. After a day or two using any foreign currency, my mind stops trying to do a conversion and just uses the currency at hand as it is. in other words if a restaurant bill says 1600 pesos, I just dig out the notes rather than do the mental gymnastics to figure out what it converts to. OTOH, when I see a billboard offering a car for millions of pesos, I'll do the math to get a comparison figure- not that I'm going to buy a car, just to answer my morbid curiosity.Which one is easier is objective. I find the math easier to do on the fly than remembering each individual note. It is the same result after all.
True. After a day or two using any foreign currency, my mind stops trying to do a conversion and just uses the currency at hand as it is. in other words if a restaurant bill says 1600 pesos, I just dig out the notes rather than do the mental gymnastics to figure out what it converts to. OTOH, when I see a billboard offering a car for millions of pesos, I'll do the math to get a comparison figure- not that I'm going to buy a car, just to answer my morbid curiosity.
Here is a printable currency converter. It works either way, USD/MXP or MXP/USD. https://www.moneycurrencyconverter.com/printable-cheat-sheet-from-usd-to-mxn.html
Jim
I look at your example of a meal of 1600 pesos and go 160, then to 80 US dollars just as an example of relative cost.
And also for Canadians, you can get the Amazon Visa(Chase) which has no annual fee and does not charge the foreign fees.
I am pretty sure that the Marriott card and Amazon are the only no foreign transaction fee options for us Canucks