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COST MONEY AND
BANKS |
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Honduras's currency is the lempira (L), which consists of 100
centavos. Coins come as 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 centavos and notes as 1,
2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 lempiras. For day-to-day living, Honduras works
out extremely cheap for foreigners. At the current exchange rate of
L15.4 to US$1, a cup of coffee typically costs around US$0.30, a soft
drink around US$0.40 and fresh juice US$1. A meal in an ordinary café
will be around US$2-3.
Honduras has a number of national banks , of which the biggest are Banco
Atlántida, Bancahsa, Banco de Occidente and Ficensa. All of these change
travellers' cheques - American Express is the most widely accepted brand,
while Visa and Thomas Cook are also usually cashed without a fuss; other
brands are frequently rejected, especially in more remote areas.
At present Honduran ATMs don't accept foreign credit cards . Visa card
holders can get cash advances in several banks, including Banco
Atlántida; Mastercard holders will have much more of a problem -
currently only Credomatic (with branches in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula
and La Ceiba) accepts this card. All debit cards, including Cirrus and
Plus, are currently useless in Honduras except for the Visa debit card.
Banks in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are usually open Monday to
Friday 9am to 4.30pm and Saturday 9am to noon; in smaller towns most
shut for an hour at lunchtime and close up to an hour earlier in the
afternoons. All banks are closed on public holidays and on the Monday
following an election.
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