Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It is a good idea to instruct
your bank that you will be
using your card in Brazil, so
as to avoid any transaction
problems at a later stage.
the exchange is always bad.
American Express will cash
AmEx traveler's checks for
free, but they only have
offices in a few major cities in
Brazil. It is more convenient
to use a credit card for major
expenses incurred at hotels
and on excursions.
are green and blue,
respectively, featuring a
hummingbird and sea turtle.
The purple R$5 and the red
R$10 have pictures of a heron
and a macaw respectively. The
yellow R$20 notes feature
the endangered
mico-leão
dourado
(golden lion tamarin)
monkey. The brown R$50
notes come with a picture of
a jaguar. R$100 bills, featuring
the endangered dusky grouper
fish, are often impossible to
break at small shops, so stock
up on change at drugstores
and grocery stores.
TRAVELER'S CHECKS
Very few banks will cash
traveler's checks, and at those
that do, there is a high fee
and a long wait. The Banco
do Brasil, for example,
charges a flat fee of US$20
per transaction. Some hotels
and some tour operators will
accept traveler's checks, but
CURRENCY
The currency of Brazil is the
real
(R$, plural
reais
). All
bank notes come with a print
of a Brazilian animal. The
smallest R$1 and R$2 notes
Banknotes
Brazilian
reais
bills come in denominations
of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100. Brazilian
bank notes are bright, with each denomina-
tion coming in a different color.
1
real
2
reais
10
reais
5
reais
50
reais
20
reais
Coins
Coins come in the following
denomination: 1, 5, 10, 25, 50
centavos
and 1
real
. 100
centavos
make up 1
real
.
100
reais
5
centavos
10
centavos
25
centavos
50
centavos
1
real
