Bonaire’s currency is the U.S. Dollar.
The US Dollar is the official currency of Bonaire since January 1, 2011.
ATMs are readily available.
If you need to get cash, there are many ATMs around Bonaire. Fees are generally negligible, but your bank might charge a fee to access your account internationally. 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 less widely accepted than Visa or MasterCard. Supermarkets take most credit cards, but do check for credit card policies before you check out if you plan to charge your groceries.
When buying something with a credit card, your card will be charged in U.S. dollars. EuroCard and DinersClub are generally not accepted; Discover is accepted in some locations.
Specifying monetary units.
Finally, if you’re from the U.S., be forewarned that Bonaire follows European tradition in separating the thousands position in large numbers with decimal points, and the fractional amounts after a whole number amount with commas, exactly the opposite as 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.
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, although it should be noted that the Dutch Caribbean has some of the lowest import tariffs in the region.
