Leftover Egyptian pounds..

[outofofficebrb]

Thanks for thinking of me, @guruboy! My understanding from speaking with a few people who have been to Egypt recently on various Facebook dive groups is that there is no need for Egyptian pounds and that many operators quote and accept USD or Euros openly. We will be staying at a resort that is half-board (breakfast, dinner, but no lunch) and we will be diving with an operator that accepts credit cards (I don't have any foreign transaction fees on mine) that will provide lunch. The only cash I would need is for tipping and for emergencies/incidentals and even then I was told that US dollars are fine, no need to exchange for Egyptian pounds.

Does anyone have further insight on this? Thanks!

 

[guruboy]

Thanks for thinking of me, @guruboy! My understanding from speaking with a few people who have been to Egypt recently on various Facebook dive groups is that there is no need for Egyptian pounds and that many operators quote and accept USD or Euros openly. We will be staying at a resort that is half-board (breakfast, dinner, but no lunch) and we will be diving with an operator that accepts credit cards (I don't have any foreign transaction fees on mine) that will provide lunch. The only cash I would need is for tipping and for emergencies/incidentals and even then I was told that US dollars are fine, no need to exchange for Egyptian pounds.

Does anyone have further insight on this? Thanks!

Take his money at 50% off and trade it back in at the airport if you don't end up using it.

 

[KathyV]

...I have 3,705, current rate will be about $210 USD...

OP, I hope that you are able to recoup some of your money, but if you don't find any options you might consider making a tax deductible charitable donation, rather than letting the money go to waste.

See if there are any Coptic church parishes near you. Coptic refers to Egypt's Christian Orthodox religion. The link below provides information about some of Coptic parishes in California. I imagine that they will know how to put the money to good use.

There is a beautiful Coptic church located not far from us. They hold a parish carnival every year in September that we always enjoy attending - and they even offer camel rides!

Diocese Parish Directory

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks for thinking of me, @guruboy! My understanding from speaking with a few people who have been to Egypt recently on various Facebook dive groups is that there is no need for Egyptian pounds and that many operators quote and accept USD or Euros openly. We will be staying at a resort that is half-board (breakfast, dinner, but no lunch) and we will be diving with an operator that accepts credit cards (I don't have any foreign transaction fees on mine) that will provide lunch. The only cash I would need is for tipping and for emergencies/incidentals and even then I was told that US dollars are fine, no need to exchange for Egyptian pounds.

Does anyone have further insight on this? Thanks!

No souvenirs, trinkets, a bottle of water on the street? I suppose if your only interaction is with airport vendors, resort, liveaboard, tour operator, etc., you indeed do not need Egyptian pounds. Even at the tourist sites, I would bet a vendor selling water would gladly take a US dollar. Me, I would feel odd traveling anywhere without at least a little local currency. But you're a savvy world traveler, and if you think you can get by without any, you're probably right.

 

[outofofficebrb]

No souvenirs, trinkets, a bottle of water on the street? I suppose if your only interaction is with airport vendors, resort, liveaboard, tour operator, etc., you indeed do not need Egyptian pounds. Even at the tourist sites, I would bet a vendor selling water would gladly take a US dollar. Me, I would feel odd traveling anywhere without at least a little local currency. But you're a savvy world traveler, and if you think you can get by without any, you're probably right.

I was hoping you would be able to provide insight on the souvenirs, trinkets, and water vendors on the street so that I could decide!

 

[Altamira]

Thanks for thinking of me, @guruboy! My understanding from speaking with a few people who have been to Egypt recently on various Facebook dive groups is that there is no need for Egyptian pounds and that many operators quote and accept USD or Euros openly. We will be staying at a resort that is half-board (breakfast, dinner, but no lunch) and we will be diving with an operator that accepts credit cards (I don't have any foreign transaction fees on mine) that will provide lunch. The only cash I would need is for tipping and for emergencies/incidentals and even then I was told that US dollars are fine, no need to exchange for Egyptian pounds.

Does anyone have further insight on this? Thanks!

This is the same information I have received from the dive op and resort I will be using during an upcoming visit to the Red Sea. I suspect most U.S. banks do not want to deal with Egypt Pounds for the same reason they don't want to deal with India Rupees: the currency is too volatile for the banks to feel comfortable holding the currency (so I have been told by a bank exec).

 

[Dogbowl]

This is what I’ve read, but I do not have actual experience.

While USD is accepted almost everywhere, for tipping, which is expected everywhere and with respect to everything, I’ve heard that $1USD can be too much. For example, I’ve heard that washroom attendants should get 1 LE. Given that 1 USD is approx 17 LE, you might be overtipping certain people. It may or may not matter to you though.

Here’s a guide I found on tripadvisor but since there’s no date, I can’t ascertain whether this is before or after the currency devaluation (I suspect it’s a little dated):

Egypt: Suggested individual tipping in Egypt - TripAdvisor

Here’s another more generous guideline:

Tipping in Egypt - MARA HOUSE LUXOR

 

[KathyV]

This is what I’ve read, but I do not have actual experience.

While USD is accepted almost everywhere, for tipping, which is expected everywhere and with respect to everything, I’ve heard that $1USD can be too much. For example, I’ve heard that washroom attendants should get 1 LE. Given that 1 USD is approx 17 LE, you might be overtipping certain people. It may or may not matter to you though.

That's right, I remember the public bathrooms in Egypt! There was never any toilet paper available so you had to pay the attendant some money just to get some TP - and you could never get more than a small amount at a time, you had to keep doling out the money to get more paper.

Interesting, because I think that the Egyptians invented paper - but papyrus wouldn't make very good toilet paper - ouch!

 

[Dogbowl]

That's right, I remember the public bathrooms in Egypt! There was never any toilet paper available so you had to pay the attendant some money just to get some TP - and you could never get more than a small amount at a time, you had to keep doling out the money to get more paper.

Interesting, because I think that the Egyptians invented paper - but papyrus wouldn't make very good toilet paper!

I’m not too concerned about toilet paper, because I’m used to carrying my own in certain countries, but I heard they will stick their hands out in your face and ask you for tips, like it is mandatory rather than discretionary. I also heard that there will be “repercussions” if no tip is provided. Sorry for all the hearsay.

 

[diverLux]

It is the same problem over here in Europe, banks are reluctant to deal in a unstable currency ; there has been a massive drop in value recently almost half. You can't neither buy nor sell Egyptian Pounds here and some visitors returning are faced with the same problem.