Currency in Jordan: what to use and how to exchange

The dinar is a high-value currency: one JD buys roughly US$1.41, so prices look small but add up fast. Notes run from 1 to 50 dinars, with coins for 1, 5 and 10 piastres and half-dinar and one-dinar coins. You will mostly handle 1, 5, 10 and 20 dinar notes.

Because the peg holds the rate steady, there is no advantage in waiting for a better day to change money. What varies is the spread: banks and licensed exchange shops in Amman, Aqaba and Madaba give rates close to the official one, while airport counters, hotel desks and some Petra-area kiosks take a wider cut. Change a small amount at the airport if you need a taxi, then do the rest in town.

ATMs are the simplest way to get dinars. Bank machines in Amman, Aqaba, Irbid and Wadi Musa generally accept foreign Visa and Mastercard; check the fee your own bank charges and whether the machine offers to bill you in dinars or your home currency. Choosing dinars usually avoids a poor conversion rate. Withdraw larger amounts less often to limit fixed fees.

Cards work in hotels, supermarkets, malls and mid-range restaurants, but not for taxis, small shops, souq stalls, Bedouin camps or entry kiosks in remote areas. Carry enough cash for a day or two in Wadi Rum, Dana and the desert castles, where the nearest working ATM can be far away.

US dollars and euros are the easiest foreign cash to exchange; British pounds and other currencies are accepted at fewer counters and at worse rates. Bring clean, untorn notes, since damaged or very old bills are often refused. Jordanian dinars are hard to buy outside Jordan, so do not count on arriving with them.