Rands and cents
Our unit of currency is the rand, which is divided into 100 cents. Coins come in
denominations of 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, R1, R2 and R5, and notes in
denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200. All currency must be declared on
entry.
How far will my dollar/pound go in South Africa?
A long, long way. Because of the favourable exchange rate, you'll find South Africa
a very inexpensive destination.
For a pound you can buy seven daily newspapers, one hamburger, about five cans of Coke, about four beers, two cappuccinos or a pound of cheese. Ten pounds will get you bed and breakfast in a lovely guesthouse or hotel, or four nights in a backpackers dorm, or a bus ticket for a ride of a few hundred kilometres.
A dollar will get you four daily newspapers, a takeaway meal of chicken and chips, two cans of baked beans, half an hour's internet surfing, or a Big Mac (and change).
For 10 dollars, you can have a smart three-course meal in a good restaurant (a bottle of nice wine will cost you another $2), two CDs or a night
in a comfortable guesthouse.
Banking made easy
You’ll also find South Africa an easy destination. From the moment you step off the
plane, you'll see that there are banks, bureaux de change and automatic tellers
almost everywhere. Generally speaking, banks are open from 9am to 3.30pm
Mondays through Fridays, and 8.30am to 11am on Saturdays, but those at the
airports adjust their hours of opening to accommodate all international flights.
Major national banks have branches as well as automated teller machines (ATMs) in most large towns. International banks have branches in the major cities. Thomas
Cook (represented by Rennies Travel) and American Express
foreign exchange
offices are available in the major cities.
Credit cards and cash
All major credit cards can be used in South Africa, with American Express and Diners Club enjoying less universal acceptance than Mastercard and Visa. In some small towns, you may find you'll need to use cash. A rather strange anomaly – you may not purchase fuel with credit cards.
South Africans have special fuel credit cards, known as garage or petrol cards, which can be used only at filling stations. You can, however, pay road tolls with master or visa cards.
Useful numbers & web sites
You may want to print out a list of these useful numbers before you leave home. All numbers are written as you would dial them from within South Africa. The 0800
numbers are toll-free from a landline within South Africa – but not from a mobile
phone. Or click to go through to the relevant web site:
Value Added Tax
Value Added Tax (VAT) is levied on most goods and services but, as a foreign
national, you may reclaim VAT on anything you bought to take out of the country
unused. You need to do this before you embark on your
flight home.
Back to Introduction to South Africa
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