maverikbc

I found this casa de cambio's site with rates displayed, but at last for USD, they haven't changed for about 5 days. I wonder if it's updated and typical rates among all casas de cambio in Lima.
http://www.jetperu.com.pe/compra_venta.php

With their rate, it seems they have a surplus of EUR: right now xe.com says 3.839PEN/1EUR, but you can get 1EUR for only 3.80 with Jet.

Do you know any other web sites of casas de cambio? If not, what are the typical spreads from the rate we see on xe.com? When I use ATM, my bank charges around 2% plus possible fees, so if cambios charge less than that, I'll bring cash.

Do many of them accept CAD for good rates like with USD?

I'm going to Ica, are there casas de cambio with good rates in smaller cities?

Update: Jet's web site do get updated every few days, of course depends on market rates. When I posted this, it seemed like USD/PEN was stable, so I didn't see any changes.

atLAS, aLAS

All casinos in Lima post one rate, usually within .01 of the rate posted at xe, for transactions in either direction, dollars to soles, or soles to dollars.

If you buy chips at a table, or put money in a slot machine and pull out a voucher, the cashier might be more inclined to change your money. You don't have to actually gamble.

It would be foolish to bring CAD to Peru. It would be a big hassle and would cost you much more than
CAD--->USD--->Soles

joseeantonior

If you wanna check exchange rates, you can use cuantoestaeldolar.pe. Check the row that says "Cambistas", and then "Compra" column. That's how many PEN you get per USD.

Exchanging CAD>PEN would be difficult, as mentioned above. I second the suggestion of doing CAD>USD up north, and then USD>PEN here.

Also, several friends of mine prefer to just withdraw PEN from ATMs. They say the exchange rate is decent and they avoid the hassle of exchanging the money. Just a matter of checking with your bank - you may even have fees for that.

maverikbc

Usd has been hovering at 3.23x at least last 10 days for spot rate.

right before you suggested casinos, I found it by accident. I couldn't find bars, so I thought I should try casinos. It was too smoky to enjoy my drinks, but I saw a sign at cashier compra 3.25. I changed a couple hundred dollars, I was asked if I wanted some chips, I said no gambling. My first day in lima, I saw a sign at a Chinese supermarket 3.24. In México, they may have attractive rates like that, but they only allow purchases, not exchange. I asked the staff, they said they do exchanges, too. Casas de cambio and cambistas all offering 3.23. Some buy cad and BRL but worse than lim airport. I come to think jet's Web site is up to date.

Everybody says lim airport Casas de cambio are horrible, but they offered 3.13, with a spread of a bit more than 3%, they were much more reasonable than airports in n. America. On the other hand, other currencies like cad and BRL, the spread was around 20%.

Now I'm in ica, I've seen only one casa de cambio, which is always busy. I finally saw no line ups, so I inquired: 3.18, no cad and BRL buying. Casino was offering 3.20. This confirms the tip by Atlas. Banks are worse place to change, but in ica, there aren't many options. Scotia sign said 3.05, interbank said 3.16. Interbank has free coffee machine, though. I'm so glad that I changed enough in lima.

In summary, atlas was correct about leave anything but usd at home, change them at casinos. And I'd add that you have better rates and easier access in Lima than small cities.

maverikbc

spot rate is 3.239 now and en la calle 3.24 is too good to be true.

I have an account with tangerine, owned by scotia. I used it at scotia atm at airport. While there was no 'fee', the spread was around 3%. I know many travelers like it, but I won't be doing that much in Peru.

dgoedken

I have a few hour layover in LIM before heading to CUZ. Not enough time to leave, find a casino and back to make the flight. At which point is best to change USD for Soles? In LIM's cambios? In CUZ? I'd only be looking to change $400, but want to make sure to have smaller bills for the taxis, train, etc.

Thank you.

p.s.

Should add, I don't use/have ATM cards

dgoedken

Turns out the best rate was the hostel owner. Guessing she's able to hide some income that way or something

maverikbc

The best rate...what exactly? I booked my lodgings thru booking.com in USD, they all wanted me to pay in cash upon arrival. 2 out of 3 hotel, it was cheaper for me to pay in USD at 3.24x.

Sorry I haven't noticed your Aug. 30 post till now.

I haven't found any casinos by the airport, but I saw a casa de cambio with a sign 3.23. It's a 5-min walk from the airport, and seems to be open only during typical business hours.

Speaking of that location, when you're taking Uber back to the airport, compare the price directly to the airport or getting dropped off that location. My Uberpool quotes were S13 vs S26. Of course I chose to burn off a little bit of calories and save $4.

Edit: this is a link of the map of that location. There's a pedestrian bridge called Puente Monark. The casa de cambio, Scotiabank, and a few more banks are in a strip mall where Grupo Logistico IPH shown in the map. West side of the bridge, there are vendors for sandwiches (typical Peruvian breakfast, I was told) and drinks, as well as bus stops for Miraflores, Cercado de Lima, and a bunch of different destinations.

joseeantonior

I wouldn't recommend doing that, as the area nearby is not very... friendly.

maverikbc

I don't know where else in Peru would be friendlier than there, but at both 7am and 10pm, there were a lot of airport workers and native travelers (albeit no gringos) walking around, well lit.

atLAS, aLAS

My landlady in Peru always charges me in USD, and she was a Peruvian Central Banker before she retired. So, somebody in a position to know, would rather not keep her money in Peruvian Soles.

i think that is a common theme worldwide where the locals just don't fully trust the local currency. In Istanbul I got a great rate at the local grocery store. But I could only change in one direction, USD to TL. Just like the speculation in an earlier post, I suspect Erdogan did not get any piece of that money.