Pesos

[HubbaBubba]

All up and down San Ysidro you can find better prices than offered in the Mexican casas de Cambios. The one next to McDonald's is not one of the better ones. If you go up to SYB and Bolton Hall, there is a place called Intracam....normally the best and they also have guys outside with reflective vests...if you ask them for a better price, they write it down and give you a small piece of paper...present it to the cashier for a better price.

IE. they had 12.95 on Tuesday last week....guy gave me 12. 96 and the best I saw in Mexico was 12.7 on that day.

 

[Pati]

You have to be a bit more specific than that. For me I get my Pesos by the caseta next to the McDonalds. The first one you see coming back to the US via pedestrian line. I like getting my McDonalds after a long trip. BTW I've often lost or misplaced my Pesos receipt. Phew! I'm not married

 

[Pompal 09.]

US side in SY gives better rates in selling you pesos.

 

[Cynthia rodriguez]

Whenever I've come back with Pesos I've done my best to hide them from just about everyone I know. I don't know about you guys but just about everyone I know knows why a guy goes to Tijuana. And I wouldn't want my buddies to see my Pesos. They would give me a hard time and I'd feel guilty about not bringing them along.

 

[cantcu]

I would never get Pesos. If I showed up at home with that in my pocket I'd be dead! Having more than a few US ones brings suspicion as well.

 

[bleh^^]

hey thanks next time i'm down there i'll check it out

 

[SMOOCHIE GRANDMA]

It is posted in the bank. Maybe at night it is not visible, but always posted on the wall.

 

[rurrsm1656]

there's one caveat at the atm you will not know the exchange rate until after the withdrawal transaction however i use the atms that BofA use in both TJ and mexicali and the rate was ALLWAYS higher

 

[anant]

In some situations it is better to use pesos. In others you're better off using dollars.

As ScatManDoo mentioned, you're more likely to save money paying in pesos when seeing a street girl. Usually you're better off using pesos when paying a taxi, buying tacos, and dealing with small vendors.

However, many large stores give a better exchange rate than do the Casas de Cambio. It goes something like this: suppose the casa de cambio has an exchange rate of 11.2:1 but the merchant gets a rate of 11:6:1 at the bank. The merchant gave give an exchange rate of 11:4:1 and still make a profit on his deposits. Hence, to get dollars, some of the larger merchants give a better exchange rate than do the casas de cambio.

One needs to look at the exchange rate the merchant is offering and compare that to the rate one gets at the ATM/Casa de Cambio (insert whichever one you customarily use) and act accordingly.

Since this is more hassle than most occasional visitors to TJ want to experience I most often recommend just using dollars. But the savvy traveler can indeed come out ahead if he knows when to use dollars and when to use pesos.

 

[Pompal 09.]

It depends on your US bank and the ATM used in Tijuana.

Bank of America has an agreement where a BofA card can be used at both Santandar and SociaBank ATM without any type of ATM fee. (It's just like you were using it at a BofA ATM in the US except you get pesos instead of dollars.) Other US banks have similar agreements with Mexican Banks. (For example, CitiBank and BanaMex have a similar agreement.)

In most situations you will received a better exchange rate using an ATM than you will get at a Casa de Cambio on either side of the border.

 

[The Baron]

That's a great rate, is there a commission or service charge? Or is that a direct conversion?

The only problem is that my WIFE will kill me if she sees a Mexican ATM withdrawal....

 

[Angela]

if you can use the atm you can get even a better rate the rate i got was 12.88

 

[kim.2007]

I used pesos today for my trip and it was a pain in the ass ... Even though it sounds counter-intuitive, I agree with BOTH GQ and ScatManDoo ... I exchanged $150 on San Ysidro at 11.930 pesos per dollar .. I received almost 1800 pesos.

Paying for tacos was 11 pesos per taco. (thus I received almost 1 extra peso per taco, about 8 cents per taco)
Some girls at HK and AB refused to accept pesos, which I found extremely strange because they live in freaking Mexico, so they can spend pesos freely.

Street girls were willing to take pesos, as were vendors, and small stores.

In the end, I had to convince some of my friends to take my pesos when they were purchasing items so I would not bring any back with me to the States. How the hell can I explain to wifey that I have pesos?

Thus, for my use, pesos are a pain in the ass but there is a slight discount. If you live in Mexico or frequent TJ often, then pesos makes sense. As for me, I will stick with US $ next time b/c every time I purchased something I would use a calculator to figure out how much it was in dollars and how much money I was saving in pesos...

Too much mental gymnastics when I should be concentrating on tacos, and women instead.

 

[Teresa]

Last Friday on San Ysidro Blvd. (US side) I got 11.903 pesos for my dollars.
I had seven sessions with street girls (all at either 200p or 300p per session)
The effective exchange rate for room fees and session fees was basically 10:1

So using pesos got me a 19% discount from chicas and their hotels.

At a gas station the exchange rate was 11.50:1
At Ceasar's restaurant on Revolution the exchange rate was 11.60:1
Taco stands were 11:1
levya parking was 11.30:1
So I still used pesos at these places - but the "discount" advaneforum.xxxe was less than 19%.

I still had 1,150 pesos at the end of the weekend (less than $100 worth).
I'll just hold them until I spend them during my next TJ trip.

 

[Alix C.]

I think I've pretty much abandoned the Peso. Is kind of a hassle to exchange my money to Pesos. Then when I come back I'm too tired to exchange Pesos to dollars. I don't really see big benefits in using the Peso.

 

[Wolfy Trax]

The best prices in casa de cambios are on the US side. Near the corner of Bolton Hall and San Ysidro BLVD is a place called "intercam" and it has the best prices. If you use another place make sure it is not commission place.

Use dollars if you want to tip dancers
tacos: either denomination
Bathroom attendant: I normally tip 5 or 10 pesos or 50 cents or a dollar....I feel it allows me "multiple pops"
Using pesos you may find you can get bg's for 500 to 600...sg's for 200.

Have fun!

 

[Benjamin!]

I am gonna transfer my money into pesos for the better value.
Where do you recommend to change $ dollars into pesos?
US Side or TJ side?

Is it a straight conversion or is there a perceneforum.xxxe charge or fee charge?
Also, what do I expect to pay for various services in pesos?

$5 cab fare ?
$1 tip to strippers ?
$1 taco?
Bathroom attendant?
Typical $60 session?

Thanks!