Cuba - Questions about Phone/Internet/Currency
 

My husband and I are going to Cuba in January on a cultural exchange trip, with all accommodations and most meals included. I have basic questions: it is my understanding that US cell phones can't be used/don't work in Cuba. Is this accurate? If so, what are some options, as my husband will need a phone for work. Also, is internet access reliable?
Finally, I know that we will need to use local currency. It is my understanding we will incur a penalty when changing US dollars into CUC - what is the best way to go about this? Will we be able to use our US bank ATM cards or should we plan to use US $ to change into local currency?
Thank you in advance for your help!

Your best bet is to ask the company you're going with on the exchange trip--they will be able to answer these questions.

Anything else might be breaking the law!

Cultural exchange company can answer all your questions properly!

There is a penalty for changing USD to CUC, you might find it better to change your USD into another currency, eg Canadian dollars, Euros or GB Pounds. I doubt you can use a US bank ATM card, we took all the cash we thought we would need with us. We could use our credit cards but as we are not from the US, they were not US issued so had no problems. I can't help you with the cell phone question, ours worked but we do not have a US network. I can't imagine yours would work. Internet access was fine.

I was in Cuba in Sept. Since we had just been on a trip to Portugal, we planned ahead and made sure we had euros for this trip. There was about a 12% penalty to use dollars.

We stayed at the Hotel Nacional and they had internet/wifi that we could buy. It was about $10/hr and was good for only 24 hrs. It was very slow and unreliable. We were told not to use it between 8-10 p.m.

US credit or bank cards cannot be used in Cuba.

We had a great time and a wonderful group (Friendly Planet). I hope you do, too.

Buen viaje,
Sandy (in Denton)

There are two currencies in Cuba. The Convertible (CUC) and the Cuban peso. You can change US dollars into CUC but not peso. That is the only way for an American to buy things in Cuban (which by the way is restricted to crafts, art work, books, CDs). No US ATM or credit cards. US cell phones do not work. Internet is available at hotels but is very slow and unreliable.
All of this should have been told to you by the company who is organizing your tour.

Thank you all for your information - very helpful!

After reading a lot about Cuba from the guidebooks that I've purchased as well as from other sources, I plan to purchase Euros and exchange for CUCs for my impending trip which begins the latter part of February 2015. I'm doing this because of the hefty percentage rate of some 12 to 15% that's assessed when one converts US dollars into CUCs.

I'm truly looking forward to this trip; the only negative aspect about it is the limitations of time spent in this island country. For US citizens it's fewer than 15 days. My time is a week in Habana on an education-related tour. I do plan to be as independent as possible when the time permits. The company representative relayed to me that most of our evenings will be free: great! Jazz Clubs here I come!

There is no US cell phone service.Perhpas callong can be done through a hotel land lone however no noe in our group, several who owned businesses, was able to call the US. Internet is very slow so we didn't bother buying time from our hotel. We were told the internet cable comes from Venezuela inspite of a US cable out on the horizon. Exchange US dollars for CUC, same rate everyywhere. We always did it at our hotel 's front desk.The CUC is a special currency for tourists. The Cubans use their own currency, the peso. All of these restrictions are due to the US Embargo. We loved our People to People trip to Cuba.Wnjoy your trip and know that resteictions you will deal with are nothing xompared to what the Cubans go through daily.