Money, Currency, and Exchange Rates on Bonaire

Bonaire, and the rest of the Netherlands Antilles for that matter, share a common currency, called the Netherlands Antillean Florin. This is abbreviated as NAFl, NAfl, NFl, or just Fl. Oddly enough, however, the NAFl. is also known as the Netherlands Antillean Guilder, or just "guilder" or "gulden" (in Dutch), in honor of the former denomination of the Netherlands (which now uses the Euro).

Just as in the U.S., the decimal part of a NAFl. (i.e. the change you get that's worth under 1 NAFl) is called a cent. Coins come in 1 cent, 2.5 cent (extremely rare these days), 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent, 50 cent (very rare), 1 guilder, 2.50 guilders (rare) and 5 guilder values. Paper money starts at some old 5 guilder notes (very rare), and goes to 10, 25, 50, 100, and 250 (rare). Higher value paper money exists, but isn't all that common.

No matter what you call it, the NAFl. is tied in value to the U.S. Dollar, and has a conversion rate of approximately NAFl. 1.78 to US$1. Depending on where you shop or exchange your money, the rate varies from NAFl. 1.75 to about NAFl. 1.80 to the dollar - but typically toward the lower end of that.

You don't need to exchange your dollars for NAFls when you get here (although you do need to exchange any other currencies you're planning on using, such as Euros, Canadian Dollars, etc.), since all shops and stores here on Bonaire accept U.S. dollars in lieu of local currency. Note that your change will be returned as NAFls in most cases. We should also point out that while everyone takes U.S. currency, most places will not take any bills larger than a $20 bill. That means you should convert your $50 and $100 bills to smaller denominations.

If you need to get cash, there are nearly a dozen ATMs around Bonaire, based on the Cirrus, NYCE, and other ATM networks. None of the ATMs charge any extra fees (but your bank may), and all offer you the ability to withdraw money off your ATM account in either dollars or Netherlands Antillean Guilders/NAFls.

Most banks are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 3:30pm, with some offices closed for lunch. The MCB Bonaire branch at the airport is open on Saturday mornings as well.

Credit cards are also widely accepted, with stores accepting American Express, MasterCard, VISA, Maestro (debit card) and Kompa Leon (a local charge card) almost all the time. Some of the supermarkets here even take credit cards, too including American Express.

When buying something with a credit card, your card will be charged in U.S. dollars. If the items you're buying are marked in NAFl, the amount will be converted at NAFl. 1.75 to the dollar. Rarely (and almost always by accident) merchants may charge your card in NAFls, but if they do, make sure that the use of the local currency is clearly indicated on the charge slip, and, in fact, a special charge slip which allows the merchant to select a currency type next to the total should be used. EuroCard and DinersClub are generally not accepted, Discover is accepted in some locations.

Finally, if you're from the U.S., be forewarned that Bonaire follows European tradition in separating the thousands positions in large number with decimal points, and the fractional amounts after a whole number NAFl. amount with commas, exactly the opposite as in the U.S. For example, twenty three thousand, four hundred eighty two guilders and 54 cents would be written as NAFl 23.482,54 on Bonaire.

You may find prices on Bonaire to be similar or slightly higher to what you're used to for similar items where you live. This is a result of the addition of import duties and taxes to the cost of an item, and is fairly typical throughout the Caribbean, although it should be noted that the Netherlands Antilles has among the lowest import tariffs in the region.

Travel Tips Pages:
[Maps] [Nature] [Phone Book] [Languages] [Money] [Books] [Entry Reqirements] [Taxi Rates]

Links to Other Bonaire Pages:
[Accommodations] [Activities] [Airlines] [Calendar] [Contact Us] [Culture] [Getting Here] [Getting Married] [History] [Island News] [Local Information] [Nature] [Passport Rules] [Real Estate] [Restaurants] [Scuba Diving] [Shopping] [Snorkeling] [Transportation] [Travel Tips]
[Home] [Search] [One-Stop Quotes]