Page 36 - Mongolia & the Gobi Desert

MONEY MATTERS

Top Three Tips
• Carry a mix of different types of payments, such as local currency, an ATM card, and a
credit card. Traveler’s checks are not accepted in the countries you will be visiting.

• Traveler’s checks are not recommended. ?SPd NLY MP OTʯN`W_ _Z PcNSLYRP LYO L]P ]L]PWd
accepted in shops and restaurants.

• Bring a cash reserve to cover expenses in Mongolia. ATM cards, credit cards, and debit
cards are not widely accepted so you should not rely on these. Torn, worn, dirty, or taped
U.S. bills may not be accepted. Look for bills issued in 2009 and later.

Local Currency

For current exchange rates, please refer to an online converter tool like www.xe.com/
currencyconverter dZ`] MLYV Z] _SP ʭYLYNTLW ^PN_TZY ZQ dZ`] YPb^[L[P]

Mongolia

Legal tender in Mongolia is the tugrik (or togrog). Coins are not used.

• Bills come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and
20,000 tugriks

Local currency is preferred. U.S. dollars might be accepted in some souvenir shops, but that’s
about it. You can obtain Mongolian currency at the hotel in Ulaanbaatar, at a bank, or at an
PcNSLYRP ZʯNP =PXPXMP] ,?8^ L]P ^NL]NPɨPaPY ]L]PɨTY ]`]LW L]PL^ LYO MLYV^ XLd MP QL]
and few in between, so it would be wise to stock up on local currency in Ulaanbaatar before
you depart for the countryside.

China

?SP ZʯNTLW N`]]PYNd TY .STYL T^ NLWWPO _SP ]PYXTYMT ɭ[PZ[WPɪ^ XZYPdɮ LYO T^
abbreviated RMB. The main unit of currency is the yuan, which is divided into 10 jiao
(pronounced as mao).

• Bills come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 yuan, as well as 1, 2, and 5 jiao,
and 1, 2, and 5 fen.

• Coins come in denominations of 1 yuan, as well as 1 and 5 jiao.

In China you usually pay with local currency at shops and restaurants and tip in local currency
too. But U.S. dollars may be accepted by some street vendors or the government’s Friendship
Stores. Each time you change money, you will receive a receipt. Keep these exchange slips.
You can exchange any leftover Chinese yuan bills at the airport before you depart from
mainland China.

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