The Jamaican dollar is considered the official currency. Money of Jamaica in the form of paper bills in denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 100 Jamaican dollars and metal coins in denominations of 1 and 5 dollars, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50 cents. A huge pile of commemorative coins of the most varied and fanciful shapes can be found.
The US currency also has an equal circulation inside the country. Without any problems currency can be exchanged in any bank, airport, as well as exchangers. The best exchange rate is in specialized exchange offices and banks. At the airport, you should not hurry to exchange money in Jamaica.
As a rule, in airport stores it is not difficult to pay with traveler’s checks in US dollars or Visa or American Express credit cards.
Banking facilities are open from 09:00 to 14:00 from Mon to Fri. Banking hours in Jamaica are 09:00 – 12:00 and 14:30 -17:00 on Fridays. Exchange offices can be found in any restaurant, hotel or store. The opening hours of exchange offices are the same as those of banks.
Exchangers accept 3 types of currency: $US, £ – British pound sterling and € euro. In banks the list of all exchangeable currencies is much higher. There is a black market of currency exchange in Jamaica. The fact that the rate is 10% higher than the official rate is good, but you risk getting into trouble.
The U.S. dollar is popular here. On all price tags of stores the price in $US is indicated.
Jamaican money is of special value only for collectors of money. For example, the banknote with a face value of 1 dollar has long been taken out of the exchange and it will be possible to buy it only from bankers for a price exceeding 15 times the value of the face value. And some of the local metal coins are not round in shape, but 6-7-cornered, on which fish, animals and local birds are depicted.