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Currency
Chilean
currency is the peso. Notes are of 1.000,
2.000, 5.000, 10.000 and 20.000 pesos.
Coins are of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500
pesos. Currently the exchange rate for
US$ 1.00 is approximately $550 Chilean
pesos.
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Currency
Exchange
The
foreign currency market in Chile is not
regulated by the government. This enables
one to buy and sell money in any "Casa
de Cambio". These money exchange businesses
are very common in the downtown area in
Santiago, near Universidad de Chile and
La Moneda subway stops, in Providencia and
in other commercial malls.
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Taxes and tipping
Value-added tax (VAT) is 19% and is normally
included in the price. In Chile there
is no rigid rule about tipping. In general,
you tip 10% in restaurants, depending
on the attention received. It is not customary
to tip taxi drivers, but you may round
up the fare for convenience, or when the
taxi driver has helped you with the luggage.
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Use of Foreign Currency
Cash
in foreign currency is not generally accepted,
except at some hotels which offer discounts
on taxes for foreigners paying in cash
with American dollars.
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Credit Cards
Credit
cards are widely accepted. Those most
frequently accepted include Visa, MasterCard
and Diners Club. In larger businesses,
American Express is also welcomed.
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Automatic Teller Machines
In
banking and commercial areas and at many
gas stations, it is easy to find automatic
teller machines (Redbanc), which dispense
pesos. These 24-hour cash machines accept
local bank cards as well as banking cards
in financial networks such as Cirrus,
Plus, and Maestro.
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General
Info