Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Currency in Papeete Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Tahiti & French Polynesia
kaykan 10:33 UTC 08 Apr 2010 | Hello, Which currency is it best to use in Papeete? We live in Sydney, Australia and I presume AU$ are unfamiliar. Can we use euros, or US$ at local stores and cafes, or should be get some pacific francs? Thanks for any comments Kay |
silvanocat 12:50 UTC 08 Apr 2010 | Pacific francs or credit cards. | 1
ozziegiraffe 08:07 UTC 09 Apr 2010 | I would expect every country in the Pacific these days would have local currency, unless it was a dependant of New Zealand, USA or France, which is only a few of them. Solomon Islands, for example has had it own currency (for better or worse) since independence more than 30 years ago. It would be quite expensive and inconvenient for locals to accept any other currency. | 2
kaykan 10:21 UTC 09 Apr 2010 | Thanks Silvanocat and Ozziegiraffe. Will get some pacific francs before we go. Kay | 3
silvanocat 16:04 UTC 09 Apr 2010 | I would suggest buying them at the currency exchange at the Papeete airport. Actually give your ATM cards a try first and it they don't work, which is quite possible, go the exchange window. I suspect you'll get a very poor rate at home. | 4
ozziegiraffe 10:42 UTC 10 Apr 2010 | In the Pacific, Visa or Mastercard debit cards generally get the best exchange rate. | 5
raro 06:18 UTC 15 Apr 2010 | If there is a direct flight now from Australia to Papeete, then the local banks will probably be set up to exchange Australian dollars. If no direct flights, only the main banks in Papeete (near the large shopping center) might exchange them, if any. I'd take enough Pacific francs from Sydney for a day or two, even tho the rate may not be as good as in PPT. You may arrive at a weird hour, and want to head to your hotel instead of waiting in a long line at the currency exchange. | 6
kaykan 23:36 UTC 17 Apr 2010 | Thanks all for the comments, and haven't been able to discover a direct Aus-Papeete flight - the best we could find is through Auckland - which is ok for us. Cheers kay Edited by: kaykan | 7
samara400 04:03 UTC 14 May 2010 | Most shops and resturants accept US$, but you take a real hit for it. My Australian ATM card worked fine in Pape'tee two weeks back. Note that it is bloody expensive. Samara | 8