could only get LE100 notes here, Just got £100 worth. Taking stirling. Will I be able to change tem into smaller easy enough

Banks should change them or a thomas cook bank, they did ours x

Hi bejay

If you are going to obtain a Visa when you enter you can exchange your Sterling currency and obtain smaller denomination notes at the small banks that issue you your Visa, if you are not getting a Visa and don't want to join the queue just for money your hotel will have a currency exchange where you can do this.

It is handy if you can exchange for smaller currency notes at the airport as the luggage boys who grab your bags at the airport will be looking for a tip as well as the bell boy at your hotel.

As has been mentioned you can tip in £1 Sterling but this then means that they then have to go around asking British tourists to exchange them back again so is not the best method and should only be used as a last resort.

Graham

Is it best to tip with dollar coins or pound coins

Hi scotty323,

Tip in either USD or EGP. You can tip with £ but you will find that the hotel staff will approach you and ask you to exchange the £ for EGP ....... 1st year we ended coming back with around £40/£50 in £1 coins! Since then we have always taken $1 notes for tipping, which is also cheaper on your pocket instead of £1 coins.

Just to add ...... if you are thinking of buying any duty frees from the airport on your return, everything is priced up in USD. Although you can use £, it will be cheaperfor you to pay in £ as they will exchange to their beneift.

Hope the above helps.

Regards,
Pat

Hi scotty

Best to tip in low denomination LE or if the worse comes to the worse 1 dollar bills (about 60p)

The first is their own currency & the second they can change at any of their banks or hotel machines.

I would be very wary of changing back 10 one pound coins to a tenner, as they have a bit if a cottage industry going in fakes & can slip in a couple of falsies. So I would never change back, as i don't like the idea of someone prevaling on good will & then c o n i n g folk.

I also wont use pound coins either. They are a pain for them & could be grief for other innocent holidaymakers.

If you dont have suitable money to tip the bell boy who takes your cases to your room, just tell him he will get his tip tomorrow when you have suitable money - trust me he will remember !

Doe

The problem is, EGP in small denominations is not always readily available, hence the reason we always tip with USD.

Regards,
Pat

Hi Pat

I have 20 one dollar bills to take when I go, as depending on where you stay it can take a while to end up with low denomination Egyptian.

Its not such a probelm if you go B&B and eat & drink out as you end up getting lots of it in your change. If they bring me a large note, I ask them to change it to a smaller one and then give the tip.

Some hotel receptions will also give you small LE if you explain you want it to tip the staff - after all they want their staff to be happy, and it's all money going into the Country.

I still wont change back 10 pound coins into a tener though incase of s c a m s, so I wont tip in them and be part of the problem.

Doe

Great advice doe, i had about 30 dollar bills upstairs in my safe. I took them to Sharm and they were really pleased to be given dollars and it was so easy. Thanks

Your welcome Wendy. I also had no problems getting low denomination LE on this holiday so it was all very easy for us. Didn't see anybody in the movenpiock using the dreaded pound coins that cause grief for everyone.

Doe

Going on our first visit to Egypt soon and we were wondering if anyone could give us any pointers regarding tipping. As most people have advised we will probably change about £50 here and then change money as needed over there,we don't need money for taxi from the airport as transfers are included. It is a little advice on tipping when it comes to waiters,room boys taxi drivers ect. Also what are the denominations of their notes and what are the best to ask for when changing money there....thanks Keith

Egyptian pounds notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200, from what I remember.

I would just ask for a selection of low denomination notes and then you can tip as you go. the cost of living is very cheap there and you may feel that the tips you are giving are insignificant compared to our standards of giving 10% here but is is all relative as it is possible to live there on the equivalent of £40 uk pounds a month so a LE50 tip is quite a lot as it's relative to the cost of living.

Sharm (sea side resorts in general) is a bit weird as it is all about tourism so the economy ends up skewed with bizarre things like cab drivers in sharm earning more than a Surgeon in Cairo. guess that is what tourism does.

Doe

Merged in to existing topic which has all the info you will need.

Generally I find that tipping in advance is the way to go in Egypt .. We usually give one or two waiters a 10 or 20 note each evening (equivilent to a pound or two). That usually ensures some extra running about for you.. Frequent top up of drinks, your favourite table and generally going out of their way , sometimes with little extras.

If you want your towels put out around the pool or on the beach you can tip the pool guy the same again every few days.. this is prefectly accepted practice in Egypt.

The guys that clean your room (always men) I tend to give a 50 for our two rooms every 3/4 days.

As chris says there is no need to overtip and it is not advised , Even the £1 or two I give is probably too much .

Why is it i am looking for the "like button" for Lyns post lol

But i agree 100% with you Lyn, we do exactly the same, also another thought, in A1 resorts they have two different wines, the cheap table kind everyone gets, but if you give them extra each night, they give you the premium wine, and believe me its damn good x

Yes I need a "like "button too Michelle

Oh another thing but about wine not tipping.

If you go out to eat and are offered a wine list dont buy any imported wine. Tax is 400 % on it so a bottle we would pay about £12 sterling for will be about £45 sterling. I can't remember the name of the Egyptian ones :but obelisk seems to ring a bell.

Doe