Money and Currency

The US Dollar is the official currency of Bonaire as of January 1, 2011.

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 dollars.

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. 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 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.

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 Dutch Caribbean has among the lowest import tariffs in the region.

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