Money, cards and ATMs in Tanzania

Two currencies, two jobs

• The Tanzanian shilling is what daily life runs on: food, taxis, markets, buses, tips in town.
• US dollars are what the tourist economy prices in: visas, park fees, safari operators, lodges, the Zanzibar insurance, dive schools.
• Carry both. Neither alone is enough.

The dollar note rule, which is not negotiable

This is the money mistake visitors actually make.

• Notes must be dated 2009 or later. Older series are refused by banks, bureaux, lodges and shops, without exception and without apology.
• They must be physically perfect - no tears, no pen marks, no soft worn feel, no folds worn through.
• Large denominations get a better exchange rate than small ones, so bring a mix but weight it towards USD 50 and USD 100 notes.
• Get them from your own bank before you fly and check every note.

Cards, cash machines and mobile money

• Cards work at lodges, larger hotels, established restaurants in Dar, Arusha and Stone Town, usually with a surcharge of 3 to 5 percent.
• They do not work anywhere else. Markets, small guesthouses, taxis, guides, tips.
• ATMs are common in the cities and absent in the parks. CRDB, NMB and Exim are reliable; withdrawal limits are low, so expect several transactions.
• Use ATMs inside a bank branch in daylight. Express kidnapping - being taken to a machine and made to withdraw - is a documented risk here.
• M-Pesa is the real payment system. See the SIM section: set it up on the first day and use it for everything small.

Changing money

• Use a licensed bureau de change or a bank, not a man in the street offering a better rate.
• The airport rate is poor but adequate for the first day.
• Count what you receive before leaving the counter, and keep the receipt.
• Do not change more shillings than you need. Converting back is difficult and expensive.

Tipping, which is a real budget line here

• Safari tipping is substantial and expected: roughly USD 20 to USD 30 per day for a driver-guide from the group, plus lodge staff.
• Kilimanjaro crew tipping runs to hundreds of dollars across the porters, cooks and guides, and operators publish guidelines. Budget it from the start rather than discovering it on the last morning.
• Restaurants: 5 to 10 percent where no service charge is added.
• Bring the tip money in cash, in good dollar notes and small shilling notes, sorted before you go into the bush. There is nowhere to get change at a mountain gate.