US Dollars in Cambodia

In Cambodia you can pay with either US dollars or Cambodian Riel. It is strange being in a country that uses two currencies. They don't seem to care what the Riel notes look like. They can be worn half away but when it comes to the American Dollars, they had better be absolutely totally pristine. No creases, marks or worse, tears.

Unfortunately, we received a ripped $5 USD note on our travels in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We didn't think to check our change when we received it so we didn't notice the ripped note. Australian notes are virtually indestructible so we're not in the habit of checking notes we receive.

We tried to use that $5 USD note to pay for a number of things. Food in restaurants, muesli at a supermarket, bottles of water at the deli, a tuk tuk ride. No one would take it.

Sigh. We are now stuck with a useless $5 US Note. Oh well. At least it isn't a $50 USD note.

Here is our first money tip. When in Cambodia check your change and don't accept worn US bills.

Canadia Bank in Cambodia

Here is our second money tip for you. When in Cambodia, try to always use the Canadia Bank ATMs for any cash withdrawal. Amazingly, they do not charge you an ATM fee for the withdrawal.

That is a saving of $5 USD per transaction. We asked around and it seems to be the case for Australian, American and Dutch bank cards at least. It may be the same for other countries' bank cards but we can not verify that.

It is annoying enough that our own banks charge us an exorbitant fee for an international currency conversion. Thank you Canadia Bank for making a traveller's life cheaper!