Jamaica has its own dollar, far less valuable than the U.S. dollar. In all exchanges, determine which dollar unit is being quoted in the price.

Currency

The unit of currency in Jamaica is the Jamaican dollar, with the same symbol as the U.S. dollar, "$." There is no fixed rate of exchange for the Jamaican dollar; it is traded publicly and is subject to market fluctuations.

ATMs

ATMs are linked to an international network that most likely includes your bank at home. Cirrus (tel. 800/424-7787; www.mastercard.com) and PLUS (tel. 800/843-7587; www.visa.com) are the two most popular networks.

Credit Cards

Plastic is invaluable when traveling in Jamaica. Credit cards are a safe way to carry money, and they provide a convenient record of all your expenses.

Traveler's Checks

Traveler's checks are something of an anachronism at many destinations. They are still widely used, however, in Jamaica because of inadequate ATM machines. If you also want the security of knowing you can get a refund if your wallet is stolen in Jamaica, you may want to purchase traveler's checks.

Visa (tel. 800/732-1322) offers traveler's checks at Citibank locations nationwide and several other participating banks.

Moneygrams

Sponsored by American Express, Moneygram (tel. 800/926-9400) is the fastest-growing money-wiring service in the world. Funds can be transferred from one individual to another in less than 10 minutes between thousands of locations throughout the world.

Commercial Bank

Six commercial banks currently operate in Jamaica, Scotiabank/the Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica Limited, First Caribbean International Bank (Jamaica) Limited (formerly CIBC & Barclays Bank), First Global Bank of Jamaica, Citibank NA, RBTT Bank and the NCB/National Commercial Bank of Jamaica.

Bank opening hours are generally 9am – 2pm, Mondays to Thursdays, with an extended 2-hour period on Fridays, 9am – 4pm.

There are currently over 300 cash machines around the island wide, in all of the main shopping areas, in the malls and in some of the larger petrol/service stations. Most cash machines issue local currency only, however some, in the main tourist areas, also give out US dollars.

You will also find many currency exchange bureaus around the island. In Jamaica they are known as Cambios.