Travelers checks or US $ & time it takes to cash between flights.

Travelers checks or US cash, which is better to have in Solomons? Is there a heavy commission charge to cash AMEX travelers checks? Going to take both cash and travelers checks but some places in South Pacific charge high commissions to cash AMEX etc.

What do you recommend for the increment amounts for travelers checks for the Solomon Islands and breaking them down, should one mostly just have 100's or better to break it up into 50's,20's USD$?. The same question goes for US$ cash breakdown into SBD$. I'm thinking might be wise to have many small notes, but don't know for sure.

Though I have the info on where I can cash money etc. at the airport and in town, I don;t have a more accurate answer yet on how long it takes to do these money transactions and cash travelers checks at the best most convenient locations as I'll be going on my next flight as said before landed 13:30 and departing 15:30. not much window of time. What have others done in this situation?

Any time info in this regard is much appreciated thank you

Always cash but you'll get a much better rate for Australian dollars-even NZ.

I always got a much better rate in Solomon Islands for Australian travellers cheques than I did for cash. These days I don't use either - just my Visa debit or Mastercard at the ATMs.
OP see my answer on your other thread.

I always got better value for Canadian Travellers Cheques than cash in Honiara. But it's difficult to nearly impossible to change TCs outside of, say, Honiara and Auiki (I did manage once in Gizo, though, with Canadian TCs that they had never see before) - in those cases it's best to take SI cash with you if you plan to travel around the country.

It's impossible (here anyway) to get small denomination TCs anymore, so it's probably best to bring cash in smaller denomination because the exchange rate is almost 7 to 1 in favour of the US $.

It is unusual for the money changer at the international terminal to be closed when the international flights are arriving or leaving. You must have been unlucky.

In Honiara we cashed pound sterling AMEX in Westpack (their only branch in Solomons) and it was slightly better than cash - no commission. Other places we were able to cash TC were Munda and Gizo in South Pacific Bank. They charge commission per transaction (means more you change better rate you end up with) and also little bit for each TC on other than US currency.
South Pacific Bank the best for exchanging cash.

However if you saying you have 2hrs to get to the bank and change money forget it! It took us all afternoon. They have no computers, fill in loads of forms by hand and the qeues are impossible especially on Friday when people get paid (no separate counters for moneychanging).

Don't know about airpost itself - moneychanger was closed when we landed in the early afternoon - went for lunch maybe...?

Have you thought about taking a prepaid cash card since there are now quite a few ATMs in Honiara. I am taking my Caxton Fx card which does not charge commission or exchange rate fees like most credit/debit cards and offers a good exchange rate. http://www.caxtonfx.com/

I haven't used travellers cheques in Solomon islands ofr some time - just my Visa Debit card. (It is from an Australian Credit Union, so is not high fee.)