Money
Currency:
Chilean currency is the peso. Notes are of 1.000, 2.000, 5.000, 10.000
and 20.000 pesos. Coins are of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 pesos.Currently
the exchange rate for US$ 1.00 is approximately $600 Chilean pesos.
Use
of Foreign Currency: Cash in foreign currency is not generally
accepted, except at some hotels which offer discounts on taxes for foreigners
paying in cash with American dollars.
Currency
Exchange: The foreign currency market in Chile is not regulated
by the government. This enables one to buy and sell money in any "Casa
de Cambio". These money exchange businesses are very common in the
downtown area in Santiago, near Universidad de Chile and La Moneda subway
stops, in Providencia and in other commercial malls.
Credit
Cards: Credit cards are widely accepted. Those most frequently
accepted include Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club. In larger businesses,
American Express is also welcomed.
Automatic
Teller Machines: In banking and commercial areas and at many
gas stations, it is easy to find automatic teller machines (Redbanc),
which dispense pesos. These 24-hour cash machines accept local bank cards
as well as banking cards in financial networks such as Cirrus, Plus, and
Maestro.
Taxes
and tipping: Value-added tax (VAT) is 19% and is normally included
in the price. Tipping is usual for all services except for taxi drivers.
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