Q: Do I need to change money in Mexico? A: NOT NECESSARILY! US Dollars are always accepted, in fact, many tourist-oriented businesses price their services in dollars. However when using dollars for things priced in pesos, you probably won't receive a very good exchange rate from the merchant. For example, if the exchange rate is 10:1, you'll probably receive only 9.5:1, a loss of 5%. The money exchange booth at the airport, does not give a good exchange rate. We recommend changing dollars to pesos at one of the Baja Money Exchange Booths, where the exchange rate is almost as good as the bank rate. Banks only change money in the mornings and lines are long, hardly worth the trouble. Outside the city, most small businesses won't have a lot of small bills for change, so plan to keep small bills available, both pesos and dollars. Take plenty of cash. Baja is not a credit card society and most places away from the city core, won't accept credit cards. We also recommend that you phone your credit card company before you leave home to tell them you will be traveling in Mexico so they don't place a hold on your credit card because charges are coming from a foreign country. It's really frustrating to not take enough cash, plan on using a credit card for a cash advance, then not be able to use it! Getting your credit card 'un-blocked' from Mexico can be a whole-day affair from town, completely wasting a day of your vacation.