A barista thought must have thought that I was pretty stupid when offering me a criminal exchange rate when I bought a cup of coffee at the domestic terminal of Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport.
Barista Gives Me A “Preferential” Exchange Rate At Casablanca Airport…
The coffee was 27 Moroccan Dirhams. That’s about 3 USD (the exchange rate was 9.8dh to $1 at the time). There was a sign saying that USD and EUR were also accepted. Credit cards were not accepted.
I had just arrived in Morocco and had not changed any money yet. There were no currency exchange booths in the transit hall or domestic terminal, at least that I noticed.
So I handed over a 5 USD note.
He put it in the register and gave me no change.
Um, what?
I asked him for change and he shrugged like he suddenly did not speak English.
I said that $5 = 49dh, not 27dh.
A scowl spread on his face and he reached into the cash register and handed me a 10dh coin. I shook my head and he handed over another 5dh coin.
At that point, I let it go. It still represented a horrible exchange rate, but I wasn’t going to fight over 1 USD and I grant that the café is entitled to some margin on the exchange to compensate for having to exchange it into dirham later. But not a 100% premium!
At least the coffee was good…had he just given me my change, I may have tipped him more anyway…
I don’t know about you, but I find such conduct shameful…what better way to welcome visitors to your country than to try to cheat them over a cup of coffee?
It’s also an important reminder that to avoid exchange rate tricks, you should exchange money as soon as you land or better yet, in advance. That way you are prepared when places do not accept credit card. Credit cards are catching on in Morocco, but I still used a lot of cash during my trip…it’s like the rest of the continent in that respect.
This is part of my Return To Morocco trip report.
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In many countries when paying cash one holds the bill until the merchant shows you the change. Otherwise, it’s assumed you are not expecting change in return.
Have been to 146 countries and never experienced this.
Did the cafe have any signage indicating you could pay with foreign currency?
Yes (I mentioned that)
Sign said they accepted USD. I guess they did not say what the fee to pay in USD. At least you got a decent coffee.
Not a big deal, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
Probably because you were in need of caffeine!
I think they’ve fixed that. I’ve passed through CMN three times this year and everything is priced in EUR and everywhere takes cards. I once bought a few items for €7, handed over a 10, and got €3 in coins back in change. Two weeks ago I bought a very fatty hot dog and simply paid by card.
Do NOT exchange money in the country or beforehand, it’s MUCH better simply to go to an ATM and withdraw what you need in local currency, preferably with a card which waives international ATM fees such as Schwab and others. That way you get a REAL MARKET RATE without any surcharges.
Even using a standard debit card to withdraw money from an ATM, with whatever rate your home bank charges, and the local ATM fee, is usually better than a bureau de change. Have done this in South Africa.
If you show any sign of being American in a foreign country, you are automatically placed on the “TAKE YOUR MONEY” list.
LOL
You say “I may have tipped him MORE” which suggests you did tip him. If so, for what service – ripping you off??
Meaning I would have tipped him more than the money he stole, but no, he got no tip beyond what he stole.