Banks and moneychangers in Tanzania

Bank hours in Tanzania are typically 8.30am-4pm Monday to Friday, and 8.30am-1pm on Saturday. As a general rule, in Tanzania only banks and the larger exchange bureaux can change travellers’ cheques but since currency controls were relaxed a few years ago and the black market for foreign currency has largely disappeared, this is not the major drawback it once was.You get a significantly better rate for large denomination bills (US$50 and $100 bills) than small ones. Keep your exchange receipts so that when you leave the country you can change your spare shillings back into hard currency. They rarely check, but you never know.

There are ATMs (‘cashpoints’) in Tanzania and Kenya, including Standard Chartered ATMs in Arusha, Moshi, Dar and Nairobi, and Barclays have machines in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Nairobi. Tanzania’s own National Bank of Commerce (NBC) also has its own ATMs, though currently they are unreliable, particularly with foreign cards, and best avoided if possible.

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