This may now be a factor in scheduling a trip itinerary... For example, those taking ATN flights that arrive in late evening (necessitating an overnight stay in PPT before flying to another island) may want to schedule their next-day interisland flight or ferry late enough in the morning that they have time to do a money exchange at the bank in town or Socredo Bank at the airport. Same logic for those folks arriving on the red-eye flights in the early a.m. on either ATN or Air France: maybe it's good to plan a few hours having coffee/breakfast at the airport waiting for the bank to open during business hours before leaving for your next island...

Pain in the butt!

It's kind of an issue for those who want to take a taxi straight from the airport. Although taxis will now be more likely take US dollars....also probably euros...but probably not other currencies. BUT they likely won't give a great rate of exchange.

It is going to be a HUGE issue for those who are going straight to one of the less popular islands on an early morning flight.... and staying in a pension where cash is mandatory...and a fairly large amount will be needed. For those folks I can only suggest getting the exchange done before you get to Tahiti. If the ATM is out of money, or can't give as much as will be needed, the traveler will be SOL.

Does anyone who what time the bank at the airport opens? We are in the situation that we arrive later in evening and leave for the smaller island at 8:50am...will the bank be open? And we are flying to Raiatea so can I assume there is a bank there that will exchange dollars?


ps....the information you folks give is AMAZING!

We always exchange into XPF before we leave Australia - we feel more comfortable having local currency before we arrive and our exchange rate is not that bad (and definitely worth it for peace of mind).

Socredo Airport Faa'a opening hours:
Mon thru Fri 8 am - 11.45 am 2 pm - 5 pm

G&C: apart from France other European countries when seeing FP money think it's play money and they prob won't even be able to exchange or obtain XPF's

Airport ATM's: there's 2:
1 at the Socredo agency (next to Air Tahiti Agency),
1 banque de Polyn?sie, where the exchange booth used to be (next to the pearl shop Mareiti)

Two weeks prior to my trip in 2007 I went to my local Wells Fargo branch in Minnesota and requested FP money. I believe they ordered it from Chicago and I had it in plenty of time for the journey. I don't remember the total but it was about $750 worth and I had a favorable exchange rate with no fee.

I guess if you can't pre-order XPF from your international airport before departure, then you really would have to plan your whole FP itinerary around time of arrival and ensuring enough time to get to the bank before inter-island departures:(

Be aware that there are often quite long lines and waiting times at both the Socredo Bank at the airport and at the banks in town during normal business hours. Many locals bank at this branch, and it's often crowded, especially when they first open, so it is not always a quick in-and-out transaction. An 8 a.m. opening does not necessarily mean you would have time to exchange currency at the airport bank before checking in and going through security for an 8:50 a.m. interisland flight, unless you were lucky that day and all your stars aligned correctly! ATMs there are also unreliable, especially on late Fridays to early Mondays, when they often run out of cash. Unfortunately, most of arrive or depart over the weekend days...

I think we should start posting when and where folks are exchanging currency at home, and comparing rates everyone gets from different sources, as well as how long it takes...

A few years ago a few Am Ex offices had an exchange rate glitch and were actually giving more in the USA than the banks were giving in FP -- who knows -- it could happen again?

In my experience, the ICE booths at LAX have historically given the WORST exchange rates, and you'd do better exchanging at your Tahitian resort. Sometimes your home bank, such as Bank of America or Wells Fargo, will have a halfway decent rate, but you must order well in advance of your trip, and often must pay a hefty conversion fee.

Please post your experiences, both here and when visiting FP, to help others figure out the best strategy!

Also, another strategy we could adopt as a group: If anyone has leftover Tahitian francs at the end of their trip, bring them home and offer to sell them here to others about to go. Even a small amount like 5000f (about $60 USD) is enough for that first night's cab ride in Tahiti (and a couple of cans of Hinano at the airport snack bar!)before an arriving passenger can get to the bank the next morning.

Normally when you sell back your Tahitian money to the bank there, you get back a much lower rate than what you paid for it, plus they take a second transaction fee out. If we help each other by offering it here at the xe.com rate for the date of sale (e.g., today it's 83, which is MUCH better than a bank will give you as either a buyer or a seller), both parties would benefit, both the returning seller and the departing buyer. Let's help each other out!

I think we would need Yves' approval to do this, and maybe set up some controls (like payment through Paypal to protect the transaction?) but if no profit is being made and no one is scamming anyone, it might work! People could be free to accept a purchase of francs only from those posters they "know" from their contributions here, if it makes them more comfortable.

What do you think?