When Americans come to Canada and charter a dive they are expected to pay in Canadian dollars. however in Cozumel all the dive outfits only accept U.S dollars. Why is it different? Why do they not request Pesos ?
Why U.S. Dollars?
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Because the dollar is more stable? When I went to Coz in 2010 it was 12:1, in 2014 it was 14:1, now it is 17:1. More or less. If they had priced in pesos then the Americans would be paying significantly less in dollars.
sharky60
Contributor
... don't buck the system ... just go with it. 
Are you sure about your statement that "all the dive outfits only accept US dollars"? They refuse to accept pesos? I can understand why they do not "request" pesos: for the convenience of the bulk of their customers. I suspect that the customers of Canadian dive outfits are largely Canadians. The customers of Mexican dive outfits are not largely Mexicans but rather largely Americans and a fair percentage of people from other countries who are accustomed to using US dollars when they travel. A dive outfit that accepts payment in US dollars, euros or other currency that their customers arrive with is likely to attract more customers than a dive outfit that accepts only pesos.
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Stoo
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It's not just Cozumel.. It's every resort in the Caribbean and probably a bunch of the rest of the world, even though it makes very little sense in most cases. For the past bunch of years we have been going to Belize... The resorts price everything down to a bottle of beer in USD. Of course they pay for everything... food, wages, booze, taxes, electricians and brooms... in Belizian dollars. It's an easy way to boost margins and since the bulk of the guests are likely American, most people don't complain. For better or worse, the most portable currency in the world is the US dollar, so it keeps things simple. It was sure was nice when our Canuck Buck was on par with the US... :-(
Stoo
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Says the 'Merican! ;-)... don't buck the system ... just go with it.
When our Canadian dollar was trading around .75 last winter, it made for a damn pricey trip. In our case, the drop in currency was largely due to the fall in the price of oil. As someone who burns a lot of gas for work, I probably ended up ahead of the game... savings in gas, versus loss in exchange...
R
redacted
Guest
I have never been anywhere in Cozumel that refused to accept pesos. But they do convert their USD prices at less favorable rates.
I assume it's only purpose is to put a thorn in the side of the people who try to say that it's disrespectful or uncouth or plain downright 'ugly american' to use US dollars in Mexico.
The answer is quite simple. Most all of our costs are based on US dollars. You buy dive gear…US dollars, you buy Outboard motors or parts…US Dollars. And yes we pay our Dive Instructors in US Dollars. No offense to our Canadian brothers and sisters—we have to charge in the currency in what we pay
Too bad about our major expense though, gasoline, it is regulated by the government and has not dropped below the dollar equivalent of $4 per gallon!
Perhaps more than any other business in Cozumel the dive shops must be hooked to the dollar in some way
Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
Too bad about our major expense though, gasoline, it is regulated by the government and has not dropped below the dollar equivalent of $4 per gallon!
Perhaps more than any other business in Cozumel the dive shops must be hooked to the dollar in some way
Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
gopbroek
Contributor
If the American attempted to pay straight across in USD instead of CAD I bet the Canadian would accommodate them. In Cozumel I have paid in Dollars, Peso’s, plane tickets, scuba gear, boat parts and whatever else is handy, it all seems to work out.
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