Money
Money in the DR
Dominican peso or US dollar? Which ATMs to trust, how to read a restaurant bill, what to actually tip, and the small handful of money scams worth knowing about.
The Dominican peso (DOP, sometimes written RD$) is the national currency. As of 2026, the exchange rate hovers around 58–62 DOP to 1 USD — it has drifted gently weaker against the dollar for years, so check the day-of rate before any large transaction. US dollars are widely accepted at resorts, tourist restaurants, and major attractions; outside that bubble, pesos are king. Euros and Canadian dollars exchange easily at any casa de cambio but are not accepted at the till.
Foundations
Currency Basics: DOP vs USD
Bills: RD$50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000.
Coins: RD$1, 5, 10, 25 (the 1 and 5 are increasingly rare).
USD accepted: Resorts, dive shops, tour operators, taxi unions, most tourist-zone restaurants.
USD not accepted: Colmados (corner stores), guaguas, motoconchos, local comedores, public markets, most pharmacies for small purchases.
✓ Pros of using pesos: Better effective rate, faster small transactions, and you end the trip without USD-coin pocket clutter.
✗ Cons of using pesos: You have to think in two currencies, and small bills (RD$50 and 100) are sometimes scarce — break large bills early.
Carry a mix. Roughly 70% pesos and 30% USD covers almost every situation. Keep US$1, US$5, and US$10 bills for tips.
ATMs · The Default
Banco Popular
Where: Every airport, every city, most resort towns. The largest ATM network in the country.
Limits: Per-transaction max around RD$10,000 (US$170); daily limits depend on your home bank.
Fee: RD$280–320 per withdrawal plus your home bank's fee. Currency-conversion is at the bank's rate — decline the “dynamic currency conversion” prompt and let your bank do the math.
✓ Pros: Widely available, reliable cash supply, ATMs inside bank lobbies and shopping malls are the safest in the country.
✗ Cons: Lower per-transaction limit than some competitors; queues at the start of the month can be long.
Always tap “continue without conversion” when offered DCC. Your home bank's FX is virtually always cheaper than the ATM's quoted rate.
ATMs
BHD (Banco BHD)
Where: Most cities and many resort areas; second-largest network.
Limits: Often RD$20,000 (US$340) per transaction — higher than Popular.
✓ Pros: Higher per-transaction cap, so fewer fees if you need a large pull. Generally clean, well-lit ATMs in mall lobbies.
✗ Cons: Slightly higher transaction fee than Popular at some locations.
ATMs
Scotiabank
Where: Major cities and tourist zones; smallest of the major networks but English ATM menus are reliably available.
Limits: Around RD$10,000–15,000 per transaction.
✓ Pros: Canadian-owned, English UI, and free withdrawals for some partner-bank cardholders (e.g., some US credit unions in the Global ATM Alliance).
✗ Cons: Fewer machines than Popular or BHD — finding one outside Santo Domingo, Santiago, or Punta Cana takes work.
ATMs
Banreservas
Where: State-owned, the most ATMs in the country including in small inland towns.
✓ Pros: Coverage in rural and smaller towns where the private banks don't reach. Often inside government-building lobbies, which means safer surroundings.
✗ Cons: Older machine fleet, more frequent “out of cash” failures, and the UI can be Spanish-only.
Currency Exchange
Airport vs Casa de Cambio vs Hotel
Airport kiosks: Convenient but poor rate — typically 4–6% worse than mid-market. Change just enough for a taxi.
Casas de cambio: Independent exchange shops on most main streets. Best published rates in town, but compare a couple before committing to a large sum.
Hotels: Convenient, dreadful rate — expect 6–10% worse than the casa de cambio across the street.
✓ Pros (casa de cambio): Best non-ATM rate, no card needed, fast.
✗ Cons (casa de cambio): Cash-only, ID required, occasional counterfeit-detection theatrics that slow service.
Best workflow: ATM withdrawal beats exchange for most travellers. If you must exchange cash, use a casa de cambio in town, never the airport or hotel.
Plastic
Credit & Debit Cards
Visa & Mastercard: Universally accepted at hotels, mid-tier restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, big tour operators.
American Express: Spotty — accepted at most resorts, hit-or-miss at independent restaurants.
Discover: Rarely accepted.
✓ Pros: Card payments often dodge the “tourist USD price” markup because the till is in pesos.
✗ Cons: A small handful of merchants add a 3–5% “tarjeta” surcharge — they're supposed to tell you up front but don't always.
Tipping
Standards by Service
Restaurants: The bill almost always includes a 10% “propina legal” service charge plus 18% ITBIS (tax). The propina goes to staff. It's customary to add an extra 5–10% on top for good service.
Hotel housekeeping: RD$100–200 (US$2–4) per night, left on the pillow daily.
Taxi / Uber: Round up, or 10% on metered taxis. Drivers don't expect a big tip on a fixed-fare ride.
Private drivers: US$10–20 per day for a full-day driver.
Tour guides: US$5–10 per person on a half-day tour; US$10–20 on a full-day tour.
Bellhops: US$1–2 per bag.
Bartenders at all-inclusives: Not required — but US$1–2 buys you better service all week.
✓ Pros of tipping well: Service staff genuinely depend on it, returns on hospitality compound, and the wages absent tips are tiny.
✗ Cons of over-tipping: Some travellers tip on top of an all-inclusive package that already includes gratuities; you don't have to, though most resort staff appreciate it.
Read the bill before you tip again. “Servicio incluido 10%” means the propina is in. Adding another 5–10% for good service is normal; doubling it isn't expected.
Common Scams
ATM & Cash Scams to Avoid
Skimmers: Older standalone ATMs (especially gas-station and beach-shack machines) have been compromised in the past. Use machines inside bank lobbies or major shopping centres.
Distraction theft: A “helpful” stranger offers to assist with a stuck card or confusing screen. Politely refuse and complete the transaction alone.
Currency-switch trick: You pay with a RD$2,000 bill, the cashier looks confused, hands back a RD$200 with smaller change and says you only gave them that much. Count and photograph any bill over RD$500 before handing it across.
✓ Pros of awareness: Easy to avoid 99% of these by using bank-lobby ATMs and not letting bills out of sight at the till.
✗ Cons of complacency: A single compromised card can mean weeks of dispute paperwork after you get home.
Leaving the DR with Cash
You can leave the DR with up to US$10,000 (or equivalent) in cash without declaration. Beyond that, you must declare on the customs form — same as most countries. There is no useful market for DOP outside the DR, so spend or exchange your pesos before flying home; airport exchange counters near departures will swap them back to USD at a rough rate.
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