TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums Cayman Islands Grand Cayman currency

We will be visiting Grand Cayman for the first time in February. (we are time share owners in St. Maarten and would rather be there but .... ) Can anyone give us information about the currency? Would it be more economical to use a credit card, dollars, or exchange into their currency?

Marie

We too are or should say were timeshare owners. We visited Grand Cayman in November and it was beautiful. We used our credit card for pretty much everything since our card does not charge us for the conversion. When not using credit we used US Dollars which is worth less than the GC dollars. Change was usually give back in GC dollars. Credit Card in my opinion is the best way to go. Enjoy Grand Cayman it is really a beautiful island!

Thanks for the info, Daisy.

The US -Cayman dollar exchange rates have been fixed for decades at 1.25 US to 1 Cayman dollar. That eliminates all the hassle and games of currency issues like SXM with the Euro to dollar.

I recommend getting some local currency for small purchases. It's respectful, local merchants shouldn't have to deal with credit card transactions and commission fees when you buy some water, soda, etc.

Just back a couple days, love it there. Lots of progress and improvements over the years, except for the awful airport! Kind of the opposite of SXM.

One thing to add. All restaurants add a 15% tip as a separate line item. Another difference from the games of St Martin, more like St Maarten.

Have a great time! My wife enjoyed Grand Cayman more than sxm. If GC had some nude beaches, I would agree with her!

All good tips. Thanks, DandM!

We were in GC last September and will be back again in May. CC use is fine but we got into the habit of getting some decent food at roadside stands and needed cash for that. ATM's are a perfect source for local currency...not an issue