Just read this in the Bonaire Reporter...by the bold headline is the US dollar going to be the new currency on Bonaire next year?

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quote:

It’s planned that next year at this time the dollar will be the island’s main currency. To smooth the transition an "Exchange Office" will be set up this month in Bonaire under the control of the Dutch Central Bank (De Nederlandsche Bank). It will deal with currency conversion, wages, price control, responsibilities, technological problems and, other issues.

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By main currency, does that mean official currency?

The US dollar has been chosen over a year ago as the official currency for Bonaire leaving the NAF or ANG as a relic of the past.

Had no clue Vince...I must have been sleeping under a rock...Thanks

Hey Tink,

Using the dollar makes it easier to give change at the KFC. Why else would they be changing??

Yeah! It's all Ruth's doing! LOL

Dave, that's good for me cause some day Ruth IS going to give me that job! I'm going to fill out another application this next trip. But, I'm NOT going to lie this time (Ok, maybe a little). Ruth, if you are reading this...please ignore my last statement.

I'm even wearing red and white on the plane...that's how committed I am! SNAP Dave!!! muahaahahahahaha!

I had KFC for dinner tonight - does that count?

;-D

I guess I need to check with my credit card company as to why there was a large foreign currency exchange charge from last time I visited Bonaire, in November; since all transaction were made in US dollars and it's the official currency.

Stephen..It's not the official currency yet. Right now the legal currency is the ANG so your credit card company is within their rights. Barring any unforeseen events the $ should be the currency by year end.
Don't know if the vote in March will affect this or not. Hopefully the good folks of Bonaire realize what's going on and decide for the direct ties with Holland. The reason the island has the standard of living it does (unlike the poor folks in Haiti) is because of the financial support from The Netherlands.

Surinam was a good example of severing ties with the motherland! It is only logical that Bonaire uses the dollar since 80% of out imports are from the US. Technically, we have always been on the dollar since our currency was pegged and never floated.

Vince, what I have heard is that it should go into effect on January 1, 2011. Even should the constitutional change go through on October 10, 2010, those in charge of such things have decided that it's too difficult to change over fiscally not only in the middle of a year, but in the middle of the month. Therefore, should all go through, any fiscal changes will take place on January 1, 2011.

Stephen, check your credit card rules--one of mine (I think it's a Chase) specifically stated that there'd be a 3% "foreign fee" even if the charge was done in US$; the fact that a charge wasn't in the US was their reasoning. And that the sky is blue, and that bears ---- in the woods...and for the same reason dogs lick their b-----. Because they can.

Is the completion of this change dependent in any way on the present indecision over the final relationship with Holland??? Or do we all wait and see?

It has been decided that the new currency will be the USD instead of the Euro. see document: http://static.ikregeer.nl/pdf/KST137607.pdf Unfortunately it is in dutch. Official entry date will be 01-01-2011. That has to do with tax matters. Introducing 10-10-2010 as the official changeover will cause too much complex calculations which nobody likes, the local IRS and all private companies as all inhabitants.

If you're concerned about the foreign transaction fee, try Capitalone Credit Card. I have Capitalone CC and they've never charged a transaction fee in Bonaire, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Yap, Palau, Trinidad, or Tobago....and some others.
I'm actually checking into getting a checking account and ATM card with them if they don't charge a foreign exchange fee for ATM withdrawels. My current bank (rhymes with "smells largo") just instituted a 3% "foreign exchange fee, which is added to the atm charge and their charge and starts to make waiting in line to cash travelers checks look almost palatable.
I hate to travel with just cash, specially since we got robbed in Costa Rica earlier this year, but I also hate to get robbed by the banks with the goofy fees.....specially to access my own money and have it paid to me in dollars.
I'm still going to bonaire though.....just have to think about bank rules along with warm clear water and cold great beer.

and macaroni and cheese

joe

FWIW I use a Chase CC on island and never get charged an any fee. The transaction is always rung up in dollars by the merchant, so the exchange rate may have some "fee" built in (getting ANG 1.75/$1.00) but I'm not sure who's getting the vig. But using your local MCB card is just as fuzzy. Sometimes the bill in guilders is the same amount on your bank statement and sometimes there's a little more taken of the top, presumably a "fee" to MCB. Haven't figured out why it's that way with some merchants and not others.

We visited Bonaire in July 2009. They were having $1.00 bill shortage. We ended up paying too much for items because the merchants nor the banks had enough dollar bills to go around. Is this still the case? We are planning another trip in March.

i don't understand why you paid too much.. why not take the change in NAFL??? sometimes the dollar supply is low .. but this is not a dollar economy (yet)so go with bonaire's legal currency .. it is great on bonaire's part to make the effort to give you dollar change .. prices are for the most part in the 2 currencies.. i fail to see a problem ...

I myself like fumbling with unfamiliar currency....reminds me I'm not in Kansas any more....and I feel inappropriately proud of myself when I get a mastery of it. I'm not kidding here...I really like being confused in an unfamiliar place: go figure....

Hmmmm....I have a little purse of NAF that I need to spend while they're still good.....

Thanks for the info. I'll have to look into my other C cards about foreign transaction fee. It would be worth not paying that 3% just because that can!

Even if the change occurs 1-1-2011, do you think there will be a grace period to use up/change NAfl into dollars? I have 300NAfl in cash, left over from my last trip, and I won't be back til Jan 2011! Just wondering...

Well, I got the manager job at KFC, so it's all good.

Pack a few bags of pennies, nickels & dimes Tink, and be prepared at explaining each one's worth--especially since "one dime" isn't exactly helpful (how on earth are people supposed to know what 'one dime' means?)

If the US$ becomes the local currency, will $100 bills be accepted by local merchants?
Lots of places where I shop in the good old USA won't take a bill larger than $20.
Are counterfeit $100 bills a big problem?

Do you think the locals would like some of the new $1 coins. Beautiful gold tone, and brand new

Grunt: Counterfeit $100's are second only to counterfeited $20's. If many places won't take them in the US, I suspect the same would be applicable for Bonaire. So if Bonaire is now going to use the US currency too bad they're not switching the electric to 110 volt/60 cycles. Would make things easier!

Kate, I've heard that there will be a one-month's grace period when you can still turn in your guilders. I'm not sure if that means you can spend them in stores, or if you must turn them in at the bank for dollars, but if you are coming in January, I think you may all right.

Many places don't like $100 bills for these 2 reasons: 1) counterfeit problems, and 2) $100 bills use up a lot of change.

Geez, never thought about how to teach the locals the new currency. Talk about a mess!!!

Remember how the conversion to the metric system in the US in the 70s never happened?

Antillean money has its value printed on it so is easy to figure out. All of us here deal in US money so not an issue except for coins. The dime will be the one one causing confusion until folks get used to it. The rest of the US coins are labeled.

Equador had been on the US Dollar for years. The do however mint their own coins. They also use the US one dollar coins.

Having spoken to a few indigenous locals, the feeling seems to be one of indifference.

The Guilder, although synonymous with the Netherlands, has been part of Bonaires culture for ever. It has been even more a part of island culture since it was ditched by the Netherlands in favour of the Euro.

While there are many practical reasons why the Dollar should be introduced, it feels to some, like just another little piece of the island being given away to foreigners.