4. Smaller dollars bills
One of the joys of traveling is exchanging currency. In the Philippines, 1 dollar is estimatedly equal to 50 pesos. You can exchange your money in Baco de Oro or in most department stores (like SM). If one institution doesn't exchange your money then you try the next one. They're pretty quirky and strict with money. I had several episodes with this.
4. Smaller dollars bills
One of the joys of traveling is exchanging currency. In the Philippines, 1 dollar is estimatedly equal to 50 pesos. You can exchange your money in Baco de Oro or in most department stores (like SM). If one institution doesn't exchange your money then you try the next one. They're pretty quirky and strict with money. I had several episodes with this.
You have to fill a form, present an i.d., if you're exchanging hundred dollar bills you have to write the code number of the bill. It's diffucult to exchange larger bills (they are suspicious and wary about them). In most cases they fear that it's fake.
One time a lady wouldn't exchange my hundred dollar bill because "it looked too new" or "the water mark is visible when it's not supposed to be" or "the uv scan is not picking up the water mark" or "it's too wrinkly." When this occurred I tried to go to the bank. They used the same excuse with an added advantage. Since my bills were suspected, they gave me the option to open an account, deposit the money and in 8 days withdraw it. This didn't make sense to me, my rational- if my hundred dollar bill wasn't good enough to be exchanged at that moment why was it okay for me to deposit it to an account so later I can use it?
The bankers told me that my suspected bill will go through some scrutiny so if it's fake, they can track me down.
At one point I got desperate and exchanged the twenty dollar bills in my wallet and the cashier didn't even question them (even though they were wrinkled and old). The other hundred bills I had, I gave to my aunt to exchange because she has better luck. Her back up plan was to deposit it in her account and then take it out.
Smaller bills are less of a hassle.