On our most recent trip to Southeast Asia, we finally visited Cambodia. The food was delicious, the people lovely, and Angkor Wat spectacular, just like we imagined. But we did encounter a new issue we never experienced before. Following our dinner in Siem Reap, we received our bill and I dropped a few U.S. dollar bills onto the receipt. Moments later the manager approached our table and an inspection of the money ensued.
The result was a confusing conversation about the small tear on one of the bills, and a highlighter mark on another. After a few minutes of cordial back and forth and us reviewing other bills in my wallet we sorted it out. The lesson was that damaged bills are often not accepted in some foreign countries as they don’t have an easy way of exchanging them. This includes bills that are seemingly not damaged, but rather just have a few words or marks scribbled on them. Double check before you leave for vacation to make sure you have unmarked dollar bills.
If you forget, you can usually swap out damaged bills at a currency exchange booth, but be prepared to negotiate the value. For instance, a $20 dollar bill was devalued to $19 because of a blemish. Overall, it wasn’t a large sum of money, but if you’re traveling on a budget every dollar counts. Inspect your new bills at a bank to make sure a local restaurant or venue doesn’t refuse the money.
Further research revealed this list of countries where this policy might exist:
- Cambodia
- Myanmar
- Singapore
- Peru
- Vietnam
- Philippines
- Bolivia
- Indonesia
- Turkey
This won’t be a major issue in most places around the world since credit cards are so widely used. Although it is a good tip to keep in mind if you are traveling to smaller countries, where cards might not always be accepted. We tend to still use a hybrid because there is something nice about seeing and handling the local currency.