Cuba - getting travel money from us

Hi!

My sister is spending 3 weeks in Cuba centered around a conference and doing some research (i.e., legit purpose).

How should she plan on getting money to spend there? Should she bring as much as she'd need in cash? I assume no US ATM card or credit card will work at all. (But how about somehow for emergencies?)

Any tips?

Thanks!

Bring as much as possible, Canadian cash works best IME. Your US based cards won't work, at all.

I would bring American (this coming from a Canadian) $$$.. Fidel Castro introduced the Cuban currency, and will trade it one for one with an American dollar last time out we visited. For Canadian $$$, they'll hammer you on the exchange.

Well, I was asking for my sister and she's coming home next week, so I'll post what she has to say about this when she gets back. There seems to be very limited communications; internet cafés only in major cities, but she hasn't mentioned any money problems yet.

I would bring American (this coming from a Canadian) $$$.. Fidel Castro introduced the Cuban currency, and will trade it one for one with an American dollar last time out we visited. For Canadian $$$, they'll hammer you on the exchange.

Not quite correct. Exchanging USD into CUC is punished with an extra 10% "thanks for the embargo" fee while CND is not.

Not quite correct. Exchanging USD into CUC is punished with an extra 10% "thanks for the embargo" fee while CND is not.

That is true but there are many ways of getting full 1 to 1 with USD without the 10%.

To be honest, haven't been back to Cuba for 5 years now.. but I'm surprised that the Canadian Dollar has as much or more value than American.

Not quite correct. Exchanging USD into CUC is punished with an extra 10% "thanks for the embargo" fee while CND is not.

Yes, this appears to be correct.

My sister spent 11 days in Mexico en route to Cuba, so she took out $1,400 in Mexican pesos, and those worked well.

Incidentally, she got quite a shakedown from ICE on the way back into the US -- this is going on her permanent record! ;) Her passport showed no Cuba stamps, but an exit stamp from Mexico followed by an entry stamp to Mexico 21 days later -- "where were you?".

Incidentally, she got quite a shakedown from ICE on the way back into the US -- this is going on her permanent record! ;) Her passport showed no Cuba stamps, but an exit stamp from Mexico followed by an entry stamp to Mexico 21 days later -- "where were you?".

Sounds strange as Mexico doesn't do exit stamps......

odd. My current US passport has 2 Cuban stamps and my previous US passport has one, and I've not had as much as a raised eyebrow from CBP. Maybe the officer feels that if you're brazen enough to have your US passport stamped in Cuba, you entered with US permission.