Money, cards and ATMs in Bahrain

The dinar

• The Bahraini dinar is pegged to the US dollar and is worth well over two and a half of them - one of the highest-value currencies in the world.
• It divides into 1,000 fils, not 100, so prices are written to three decimal places. A coffee at 1.500 BHD is one and a half dinars.
• This catches people out on day one, exactly as the Omani rial does. A restaurant bill of 25.000 is twenty-five dinars, not twenty-five thousand of anything.
• Saudi riyals are widely accepted in Bahrain, given the causeway traffic, but at a rate that is not in your favour. Pay in dinars.

Cards and cash

• Cards work everywhere. Contactless is standard, and Apple Pay and Google Pay are widely taken.
• Cash is useful in the souq, for taxis without an app, and for small shops.
• Cash machines are everywhere. Decline the offer to be billed in your home currency.

Medical bills

• You will be charged for emergency treatment. The FCDO says so plainly and adds that you need accessible funds as well as insurance, because payment may be wanted at the point of care.
• Carry the insurance certificate and the assistance number.

Costs

• Bahrain is cheaper than the UAE and Qatar and more expensive than most of the region beyond the Gulf.
• It is a weekend destination for Saudis, so hotel prices rise sharply Thursday and Friday and fall the rest of the week. Arriving Sunday to Wednesday is markedly cheaper.

Tipping

• 10% is often already added as a service charge. Beyond that, rounding up is enough.