For many years, traveling to a foreign country meant getting some cash in that country’s denomination and potentially some traveler’s checks.
I remember during my earliest international travels that getting more popular money, such as pounds sterling, French francs or German Deutsche Mark, was easy. Most larger banks carried a supply of it (I should mention that I lived in one of the boroughs of New York City at the time, which may have helped me find banks that had such cash. Had I lived in a small town, that may not have been the case). For my first trip to Japan, though (it was the mid-1990s), I think I had to make an appointment at AAA and tell them ahead of time how many yen I wanted.
In this age of credit cards that are accepted around the world and touchless everything, Joe and I have taken to going to countries where we don’t even bother exchanging anything ahead of time. When we get to our country of choice, we use an ATM to get a few dollars for smaller purchases, but everything else is paid for with a card.
The only exception in recent years was when we went to Cuba in 2016. Not surprisingly, most places didn’t take U.S. credit cards; it was cash only. But we knew this ahead of time, and the company that was supplying us with our tour guide and custom itinerary made sure that we stopped at a Banco Nacional de Cuba so we could exchange our dollars (or Euros) for CUPs (Cuban Pesos. Those are no longer in use).
All that being said, there are roughly 180 types of currency in the world used in 195 different nations (as recognized by the United Nations). And yet some of them, for varying reasons, can be used, not only in their respective country of origin, but also in other countries, as well. Euros, of course, are used in 20 different countries. You may know that American dollars are accepted in some parts (usually the more touristy parts) of Canada and are often accepted for small purchases in Cuba, as well. Or that the Danish Crone can be used not only in Denmark but also Greenland (and the Faroe Islands too, but they’re a territory of Denmark, so that makes sense). The South African Rand can be used in South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland.
But wait, there’s more! Going back to U.S. dollars, there are some countries that not only accept them but use them as their own currency. It’s said it’s because the U.S. dollar is thought to be a stable currency. So several territories and countries, particularly in the Caribbean, the Pacific, South America and Africa, have either adopted the dollar as their own currency or use it alongside their own.
U.S. territories
It makes sense that these U.S. territories accept U.S. dollars since they’re a part of the United States.
- American Samoa
- Guam
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
Foreign nations & territories that use the U.S. dollar as their official currency
- Bonaire
- British Virgin Islands
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia
- Palau
- Timor-Leste
- Turks & Caicos
- Zimbabwe
Foreign nations & territories that use the U.S. dollar alongside their own currency
Going to the Bahamas and have Bahamian dollars? Great!
Going to the Bahamas and have U.S. dollars? Also great!
These places have their own currency but will also accept U.S. dollars everywhere (or nearly everywhere). Currency exchange does vary; it’s not always 1:1.
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Cambodia
- Caribbean Netherlands
- Cayman Islands
- Costa Rica (not all areas)
- Curacao
- Honduras
- Liberia
- Nicaragua
- Myanmar
- Panama
- Sint Maarten
- Somalia
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- Zimbabwe
Feature Image: Pxfuel
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