Bonaire’s currency is the U.S. Dollar.
The US Dollar is the official currency of Bonaire since January 1, 2011. Please note that many businesses will not take the older US currency, so make sure you bring the newer bills.
ATMs are readily available.
If you need to get cash, there are many ATMs around Bonaire. All ATMs allow you to withdraw money from your ATM account in U.S. dollars.
Banking hours.
Most banks are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM, with some offices closed for lunch.
Credit cards.
Credit cards are also widely accepted, with most stores accepting MasterCard, VISA, or Maestro (debit card) almost all the time. American Express is rarely accepted.
When buying something with a credit card, your card will be charged in U.S. dollars. Discover is accepted in some locations. Most businesses will not allow you to tip on a credit card, so make sure you have cash if you plan to tip.
Specifying monetary units.
Bonaire follows the European tradition of separating the thousands’ positions in large numbers with decimal points, and fractional amounts after a whole number with commas, which is the opposite of what is done in the U.S. For example, twenty-three thousand, four hundred eighty-two dollars and 54 cents would be written as US$ 23.482,54 on Bonaire. Pennies are also not accepted on the island.
Prices.
You may find prices on Bonaire to be higher than what you’re accustomed 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.
