Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Money
Fiji's currency is the
Fiji dollar
(F$) divided into 100 cents. Notes come in F$2, F$5, F$10,
F$20, F$50 and F$100 denominations; F$100 notes are hard to trade with, especially at small
shops. All notes proudly feature Queen Elizabeth II along with other traditional and iconic
symbols. Any foreign currency should be exchanged at one of the five bank chains, includ-
ing ANZ and Westpac, or with one of the many currency exchange outlets found in the main
towns and at Nadi Airport.
Travellers' cheques
tend only to be accepted by hotels or cashed at banks, but
credit cards
are widely accepted, although only Visa and MasterCard, and very occasionally AMEX; all
usually incur a service charge of around 4 percent. If visiting the Yasawas, bear in mind some
resorts are cash-only environments whereas others insist everything is payable by credit card
at the end of your stay; check with the resort beforehand.
ATM machines
are available in all towns on Viti Levu except Tavua and Korovou, in
Levuka on Ovalau, at Savusavu and Labasa on Vanua Levu and at Naqara on Taveuni, as well
as at Nadi Airport, the Nadi branch of
McDonald's
, the shopping mall in Port Denarau and
several of the large hotel chains in Nadi and along the Coral Coast. If you plan on using your
debit card or credit card at an ATM, make sure you have a personal identification number
(PIN) that's designated to work overseas.
Having
money wired
from home is never convenient or cheap and should only be con-
sidered as a last resort. The post office acts as general agents for Western Union (
west-
ernunion.com
)
, which has branches at Nadi Airport, Nadi Town, Lautoka and Suva;
MoneyGram (
moneygram.com
) operates via Westpac Bank and some Morris Hedstrom
supermarkets. Direct bank transfers are also possible but you'll need the address and swift
code of the bank branch where you want to pick up the money and the address and swift code
of the bank's Suva head office which will act as the clearing house; money wired this way
usually takes two working days to arrive and costs around £25/US$40 per transaction.
EXCHANGE RATES (NOTE THAT RATES ARE VARIABLE)
F$1 = US$0.54, £0.32, €0.39, AUS$0.59, NZ$0.64
Opening hours
Business hours
at government and private offices are Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, with of-
fices generally closed for at least an hour for lunch, sometimes two. Regular
banking hours
are Monday-Friday 9am-4pm, although banks have slightly varying times on Mondays and
Fridays; specific bank details are listed throughout the Guide. Most high street shops are open
Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm, although some, particularly the larger hardware shops, close
