Currency in Chile: what to use and how to exchange

Chile's currency is the peso, written with the same $ symbol as the US dollar. That can be confusing on price tags, so read the number: a coffee at CLP 2,500 is a few dollars, not thousands. Small coins are worth little, and many shops round prices. Confirm the current note and coin set when you arrive (check).

For cash, bank ATMs are the usual route in Santiago, Valparaíso and other cities, in malls and at airports, though availability and fees vary by machine and bank — check before you rely on one. Withdrawing a larger amount less often reduces fixed fees. Your home bank may add a foreign transaction fee and a markup on the exchange rate, so check before you travel.

Card acceptance is reported to be wide in cities — hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, larger shops and many tour operators — with Visa and Mastercard more reliable than Amex, but treat this as something to check locally. Smaller businesses, market stalls, rural shops and some taxis may be cash only, so keep a few thousand pesos on you.

If you bring cash to exchange, US dollars are usually the easiest foreign currency to change, followed by euros. Exchange houses (casas de cambio) in Santiago and other cities are often reported to give better rates than airport counters, and banks can also exchange money but often with more paperwork and shorter hours — compare the rate and any commission before handing over notes, and count your pesos before leaving the counter (check).

Chile is generally described as card-friendly, so you do not need to carry large amounts of cash. A sensible split is a card for most spending plus a few tens of thousands of pesos in cash for small purchases and tips; adjust to your own plans.