Can I use dollars in Ensenada?
Is a great question for preparing things to do for your cruise shore day or weekend adventure in Ensenada.
Short answer: Yes, you can get by with a credit card and smaller US bills.
Practically, all places associated with tourism accept US dollars in bills of $10 or less, most can handle $20 bills. Informal places are happy to take cash dollars and do the currency exchange later. They might give you a not-so-great exchange rate, but that’s hard to tell as the rate fluctuates daily internationally, and what you can exchange locally also varies with a lag to international rates.
Can I use a credit card in Ensenada?
Tax-paying businesses like my spa with ship pickup also accept credit or debit cards, often with a fee. If they have a Mexican bank the fee is often 5% to the retailer and they may pass it on to you. Mexcian credit card fees are higher than in the US.
Also if the vendor has a local bank, your card company may charge you an international transaction charge fee of around 3%.
My small businesses - Ensenada Massage and Ensenada Excursion Tours process payments through US, so no international transaction fees. Book online with a deposit for the spa, and you can finish the payment after with the same card.
Street tacos, souvenir vendors, and most taxis can’t handle electronic payments. If you feel safer walking around with less cash in your pocket or are travel hacking with credit card points, our spa or excursion-massage packages are options since you can book a private driver for the day.
Can I use Venmo and Zelle and Cash App in Ensenada?
Not in most places.
Yes, at Ensenada Massage and Ensenada Excursions. Most other places process payments in Mexico and cannot accept Venmo, Zelle, Cash App. Some take excursion groups via PayPal. And PayPal fees are high, so they may be passed on.
The size of the currency bill is important because the seller may need to make a change. If you ask for a change in dollars, they may not have the exact change. Many businesses start the day with very little in the cash drawer, so if you are among the first few customers and have a large bill -$500 pesos or $20 dollars in the US, they may not have pesos change either. And then you have to wait while they run to the neighborhood store or local Oxxo for change. It works, but maybe a bit of waiting and hassle.
Paying in dollars, the exchange rate is about 5-9% worse for you than if you exchanged cash at a Casa de Cambio or withdrew from an ATM. This is not because vendors are trying to rip you off. When they convert from USD to MXN in order to pay employees and buy supplies, they pay 5-8% fee on the transaction.
If they give you a rate that is 20% different, like 16mxn:1usd, instead of the current 20mxn:1usd, then they are trying to get overcharge you. But you have to do some math to see that.
How can I get Pesos in Ensenada?
To get cash pesos, you have two easy options. You can exchange USD at a Casa de Cambio. Just walk up and they can change to pesos at the daily rate. Selecting one without commission is usually best. Near the cruise port, there is a casa Cambio just off the boat, next to my favorite Falafel shop (Lázaro Cárdenas 1094 - Just go across the bridge on the highway - not footbridge- and it is on the left in an orange strip mall).
The other option is ATM withdrawal.
Exchange Dollars for Pesos if you want to save a bit - maybe - and like foreign currency!
Can I use Bitcoin in Ensenada?
No one has ever asked this question and I have never seen anyplace advertise accepting it. But sure, you could pay for a massage package or tour with bitcoin given the right USD:BTC rate!
Can I get dollars in Ensenada from an ATM?
You could withdraw from your US bank account. However, there is always a currency exchange fee of like 5% on top of the exchange rate. The bank will give you a good rate, plus the fee. You may have an ATM foreign transaction fee too. Charles Schwab and a few others don’t change that.
I suggest keeping your life simple with smaller USD bills and using credit or debit cards. However, if you are itching to save a bit, and like foreign currency as a souvenir. Change some US dollars at the casa de cambio.
To withdraw from ATMs in dollars, there are only certain ATMs. Hotel San Nicolas Casino has one and is walkable from Carnival ship cruise port.
Which ATM is nearest to Cruiseport?
The closest ATM attached to a Bank is on Ruiz and 4th in Banco Santander, halfway to our spa. It’s just back from Papas and Beer. Sometimes massage groups ask us to stop there after a massage and before we drop them off on La Primera for shopping.
Across from McDonalds the 7-11 ATM dispenses USD. And in Hotel Casino San Nicolas.
For pesos, the 7-11 just north of the cruise terminal has an ATM as well that dispenses pesos. Leave port security, go to street and turn left for a block.
Breathe deeply and travel slowly,
Jesse A, MA
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Jesse is from Wisconsin and has lived in Ensenada for 10 years, slowly building Ensenada Massage and Ensenada Excursions and Tours when he is not road tripping with Tina dog and Lola dog around Baja.