» » Rates vary little from bank to bank, although it doesn’t hurt to look around.
» » You’ll need your passport to change travellers cheques (plus the travellers cheque receipt in
some places), to get cash advances and, sometimes, to change cash.
» » Hang on to all exchange receipts; you’ll need them to convert leftover dirham at most
Moroccan banks and bureaux de change .
CEUTA & MELILLA
» » In the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla the currency is the euro.
» » The Moroccan banks on the enclaves’ borders exchange cash only.
» » Banks in Ceuta and Melilla deal in dirham, but at rates inferior to those in Morocco.
Tipping
» » Tipping is an integral part of Moroccan life; almost any service can warrant a tip.
» » Don’t be railroaded, but the judicious distribution of a few dirham for a service willingly
rendered can make your life a lot easier.
» » Bear in mind that unskilled workers in Morocco earn less than Dh100 per day.
TIPPING IN MOROCCO
SERVICE TIP
Restaurant 10%
Cafe Couple of dirham
Museum guides Dh3-5
Porters Dh3-5
Public-toilet attendants Dh2-3
Baggage handlers Dh3-5
Petrol-pump attendants Dh3-5
Gardiens de voitures (car-park attendants)Dh3-5; Dh10 for overnight parkingTravellers Cheques
» » Travellers cheques are not recommended in Morocco – even large city banks often do not
accept them.
» » If you want to carry some anyway, as a fallback in the event of theft, American Express
(Amex), Visa and Thomas Cook cheques are the most useful, and have efficient replacement
policies.
» » Keeping a record of the cheque numbers and those you have used is vital when it comes to
replacing lost travellers cheques.
» » Make sure you keep this record separate from the cheques themselves.
» » Almost all banks charge commission on travellers cheques.
» » Normally the commission is around Dh10 to Dh20 per cheque; check before changing.