Money, cards and ATMs in Belize

The peg

• BZ$2.00 = US$1.00, fixed since 11 May 1976. It does not move, and every price converts in your head by halving.
• US dollars circulate freely alongside Belize dollars and are accepted almost everywhere.
• Always ask which dollar. "Twenty dollars" from a tour operator may mean BZ$20 or US$20, and the difference is double. This is the single most common money mistake in Belize and it is usually an honest misunderstanding rather than a scam.
• Change from a US note comes in Belize dollars, at 2:1 if you are lucky and worse if you are not.
• The Central Bank's own selling rate is BZ$2.0175, so a bureau's spread comes out of the difference. For small sums it is not worth optimising.

Cash and cards

• Cards work in hotels, dive shops and restaurants in San Pedro, Placencia and San Ignacio, and often carry a surcharge of several percent.
• Cash rules elsewhere, and completely in villages and on buses.
• Cash machines are on the mainland and the two main cayes, and not much else. Use a machine inside a bank or a lit, busy place - the FCDO specifically advises using secure machines on the cayes.
• Bring US dollars as backup. They are the one thing accepted everywhere here.
• Keep BZ$40 in cash for the land departure tax if you are leaving overland.

Costs

• Belize is expensive for the region. It imports nearly everything, and prices sit closer to the Caribbean than to Guatemala an hour away. Budget accordingly rather than being surprised.

Tipping

• 10% is normal in restaurants where service is not added.
• Dive guides and boat crews are tipped, and it is a meaningful part of their income.