Money, cards and ATMs in Paraguay

Changing money

• Use registered banks or a bureau de change. Not the street, and not the airport on arrival.
• False banknotes are common. That is the reason for the rule, and it applies to the guarani you receive rather than to what you hand over.

Cash machines

• Many ATMs accept foreign bank cards.
• Use ATMs inside buildings rather than on the street. The FCDO gives this as a specific anti-mugging measure, alongside not carrying large amounts of cash or wearing expensive jewellery.

Paying by card

• You may be asked for photo ID when you pay by credit card. This is normal here rather than suspicious.
• Many people carry photo ID in a money belt under their clothes, which is the FCDO's own observation and a reasonable compromise between the requirement to carry ID and the risk of losing it.

Declaring cash

• 10,000 US dollars or more, in cash or travellers cheques, must be declared.
• Declare online in advance or at the terminals at the airport, and keep the certified declaration you are given.

What things cost

• Mobile data is very cheap: 700 MB for 4,750 guarani, or an unlimited one-day pack for 10,000. That gives a useful sense of scale for everything else.