Cambodia money and currency

Cambodian currency is the Riel. The Cambodia money consist of 50,100,200,500,1,000,5,000,10,000,50,000 and 100,000 denominations bank note and coin.

Cambodia money and exchange rate

The Riel per US$ exchange rate on the streets of Siem Reap as of June 2012 is around 4,000 – 4,200.

US dollars and other currency use in Cambodia

US dollars are widely accepted and exchanged. Though travelers are recommended to use smaller bank notes to make it easier when change. You should carry enough Cambodian money or US Dollars (Better in small bank notes) to cover your immediate costs.  Most places will deny using old, or damaged US bank notes.   The Cambodia Tourist Visa payment and airport departure taxes MUST be paid in US dollars and cannot be settled in Riel.

There are many things you can pay in USD such as one bottle of water, postcard, tipping, and short ride for tuk tuk.

Popular local and international currencies can be exchanged openly and freely. Beside USD other currency such as Thai Baht are also widely accept for local shop.

Cambodia money for Credit card, ATM and cheque

Major credit cards are accepted in many hotels and most souvenir shops but only in the large shops and restaurants. So traveler cheques or cash are recommended. Please also note that American Express is not as widely accepted. There will be a bank transaction fee on credit card transactions.

There are no ATM machines In Cambodia, thus getting cash from your credit card is nearly impossible. Travelers may cash advances from their credit card at some shops, but there will be a high charge cost for handling fee later.

Special Note

As an advice, you should carry USD cash (with $20 and $100 notes) in addition to traveler cheques and credit card. Do not exchange all of your cash into the local currency at one time. Do it gradually as it is very difficult to exchange back to foreign currency.