Originally Posted by
lakersgo
No wonder every vblogger I've watched so far seems to exchange currency at the airport. Got you now.
I will have to get some CAD in US then convert them to CUP or CUC in Cuba. Which means I will lose some % going from USD to CAD and then some more % going from CAD to CUC or CUP.
The forex charge in Cuba is about 3-3.5% unless you're changing USD where you lose another 10%. Just do your sums to see how much you might save.
CUC is the hard currency and very desirable. CUP less so (don't get taken being given CUP instead of CUC). CUC coins are unpolished while CUC ones are shiny. I did end up getting some CUP (I knew I was getting them) and ended up at a barber where I got my hair cut for CUP 5. Gave the barber CUP 5 tip too, which he was very happy with.
IIRC, the charge is slightly less at Casa de Cambios than at banks (or is it vice-versa?) Hotels are said to have the worst rates.
Even if your ATM bank card wasn't restricted, you need to work with the system. 5 years ago, reportedly only debit cards with a Visa logo worked Didn't matter if they were Plus, Maestro or Cirrus. Had to have the Visa logo. I got one but never used an ATM.