Kathy_Culwell

I am going to Jordan on April 16 via Qatar ( forced 24 hr lay-over ) and trying to decide how much cash to bring with me. Does anyone have any experience with this?

THANKS

moremiles

I have only been to Jordan a few times but it is more of a cash based society and other than in the larger hotels, I used cash for most everything. The smaller hotels that I stayed in would charge extra for payment with a card, if they even accepted them. Using ATM's or just taking cash worked best for me.

Kathy_Culwell

MoreMiles thanks...I'm from the US and our credit/ATM cards don't have the chip/pin scheme yet- I ran into that in France in 2010 and had a hard time buying gas. Did you have any difficulty using ATM's? We are headed for Amman, Aquaba and Petra.

moremiles

I'm in the US also and had no problem whatsoever using the Bank of Jordan ATM's and some others occasionally too. Call your bank ahead of time to let them know where you will be using them is always a good idea.

moremiles

I had no problem using my cc's either on the few times I did use them.

artsbabe

Ditto moremiles. Just back to US from Jordan a couple of weeks ago. No problems with ATMs or credit cards.

Jespere

Good o know - I'm starting to plan a short trip to Jordan in May. Are those Bank of Jordan ATMs (or others) readily available at the airport?

Thanks,
J.

artsbabe

US citizens have to buy a Jordanian visa, and the easiest way to do this is at the airport. Because you have to pay in Jordanian dinars, there is a currency exchange booth right next to the visa purchase counter. So, you can change money there. We didn't change more money at the airport but at a bank in the city, so don't know about other options in the airport.

Jespere

Thanks, artsbabe - so I'll change enough money at the airport to cover the day's activities (visa, transport, food) assuming most transactions will be in cash, then seek a bank in Amman the next day.

Appreciate the quick response!