Buy

Haggling

Khmers are by and large not the hardcore hagglers that their Vietnamese neighbours are, so it's important to be respectful when haggling over something in the market or with your motodop. If you're staying at a Western owned hotel, or going to a Western owned bar, realize that the people you haggle with at the markets need your money a lot more than the people at the hotel or the bar that you aren't even bothering to haggle with. The bottom line is that you shouldn't take the attitude that every single transaction at a market must be bargained into the ground. If a vendor is asking 1,000 riel for a bottle of water, or US for a T-shirt, don't haggle - pay it. They need the extra 50 cents much more than you do. As with any developing country, however, straying far beyond the customary prices can lead to inflation and over-dependence on tourism.

Cash

The Cambodian riel is the official currency, but US dollars are universally accepted in Cambodia. Given that there are still few ATMs, bring a large quantity of US, , and bills, and bear in mind that notes in and 0 denominations are hard to use or exchange. US dollar coins buy nothing but confused looks.

The exchange rate is fairly stable at 4000 riel to the US$, and it's not uncommon to receive change in a mix of the two. Near the Thai border (especially Battambang, Koh Kong, and Poipet) Thai baht is also accepted; further east (including Siem Reap) baht can easily be exchanged, but cannot be spent - except at uncompetitive rates. Likewise Euro can easily be exchanged, but cannot be spent - except at uncompetitive rates. Instead of queueing up and filling endless paperwork at banks, you'll have better luck changing money at the nearest market - just look for the guys with a glass case full of cash. Torn foreign currency notes can be difficult to exchange. It's acceptable to check each note and ask to have them changed if you aren't happy with the quality, even in banks.

If you're planning on heading out off the beaten track, you need to take enough US dollars to get you back to a point where you can get more.

In many of the larger towns one or more of the local banks operate as Western Union Money Transfer agents.

Plastic

ATMs can be found in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and Kampot; both debit card withdrawls (Maestro, Cirrus, Plus) and cash advances on credit cards are possible. For the rest of the country it's best to stick to cash or traveller's checks (in US$).

VISA and JCB are the most widely accepted credit cards; MasterCard and American Express cards are slowly becoming more widely accepted.

Traveller's checks

Traveller's checks, like credit cards, are accepted in major business establishments, such as large hotels, some restaurants, travel agencies and some souvenir shops; American Express (in US$) are the most widely accepted flavour. However, competitive rates are only usually found in banks in Cambodia's larger cities (guesthouses in heavily touristed areas may offer similar services but at horrendous rates). The usual fee for cashing traveler's checks is 2% and US minimum.