Cairo - Money Egypt complete tourist information,vacations

Though rates of exchange vary slightly, banks are chiefly distinguished by their opening hours and relative (in) efficiency. The main high street banks are the National Bank of Egypt (Mon-Thurs & Sun 8.30am-2pm), Banque Misr (Mon-Thurs & Sun 8.30am-2pm) and the Bank of Alexandria (Mon-Thurs & Sun 8.30am-2pm). Most downtown banks are also open between 3 and 5pm.

Aside from Thomas Cook or American Express, it's usually quickest to exchange money or travellers' cheques at the 24hr Banque Misr exchange bureaux in the Nile Hilton and the Ramses Hilton, and outside the Helnan Shepheard; or at branches in other major hotels and off Midan Ramses, which are open daily till 8pm. However, none of the banks will change NZ dollars, Irish pounds, or Scottish and Northern Irish sterling banknotes. Visa or MasterCard holders can obtain cash advances in £E from the Bank of America at 106 Sharia Qasr al-Aini (tel 354-7788, fax 355-5023; Mon-Thurs & Sun 8.30am-2pm), a couple of blocks south of Midan Tahrir; it takes about an hour to get confirmation by telex. Payouts for Visa and MasterCard are usually in Egyptian currency only.

Two sets of ATMs now accept cashcards and credit cards (but are frequently out of order). The Egyptian British Bank (Visa, Cirrus, Electron, Plus, MasterCard, Express Net, Global Access, Electro Bank and Marine Machine) has them at their hotel branches ( Nile Hilton, Ramses Hilton, Marriott, Cairo Sheraton and Semiramis Intercontinental), as well as at the Abu el-Feda Tower in Zamalek; behind the Grand Mall in New Maadi; at 1 Midan Roxy in Heliopolis; and the World Trade Centre on the Corniche at Bulaq. They can also be found at Alfa Market in Dalla Towers, Ma'adi and ABC Supermarkets in Zamalek, Heliopolis and El-Manial. Other ATM machines which accept Visa, Plus, MasterCard and Cirrus are outside Banque Misr branches in Sharia el-Bustan (at the corner of Sharia Talaat Harb); Midan Orabi; at 151 Sharia Mohammed Farid; in Midan Roxi in Heliopolis; and in Dokki, Ma'adi, Helwan and Pyramids Road. The National Bank of Egypt has also begun to install ATMs, the first being at the Sharia Talaat Harb branch.

Forex
Private exchange bureaux - known as Forex - are usually open daily. They are faster and give a better rate for cash than banks and, unlike banks, will usually change Israeli shekels, and Jordanian and Libyan dinars - though again not NZ, Irish, Scottish or Northern Irish notes. In general, they will not accept travellers' cheques either. Downtown Forex bureaux include the Horus and the Al-Fakahany (better rates), two doors from each other in Sharia Alfi Bey (they will change travellers' cheques, but at a low rate, and may demand to see receipts); others are at 6 Sharia el-Bustan, 14 Sharia el-Bustan, 29 Sharia Emad el-Din by the New Cecil Hotel, and on the corner of Sharia Qasr el-Nil and Sharia Sherif. There are also two in Midan Ataba, one in Midan Orabi and one on Midan Hussein, up a flight of stairs opposite Fishawi's.

American Express
Aside from its overpriced tours and travel services, American Express (Amex for short) can be useful to travellers. Their main office at 15 Sharia Qasr el-Nil (Sat-Thurs 8.30am-5pm, Fri 8.30am-3pm; during Ramadan daily 8.30am-3.30pm; tel 574-7991, fax 574-7997) is the best place to send money or letters, although this mail service (closed Fri) is only available to holders of Amex travellers' cheques or cards. As a rule, it's quicker to change foreign currency or Amex cheques here than in commercial banks. Refunds for lost or stolen cards or travellers' cheques can take weeks, though they claim it's the next day. Amex is acutely suspicious of fraud, which is widespread in Cairo.

Other Amex branches can be found in the Nile Hilton (tel 578-5001), at 21 Sharia Giza in Giza (tel 570-3411), and 72 Sharia Omar Ibn el-Khattub in Heliopolis (tel 418-2144). Most of them will pay out US$ for Amex travellers' cheques, and allow cardholders to draw out emergency cash on a personal cheque.

Transferring money from abroad via MoneyGram is explained below

Thomas Cook
The modern-day descendant of the world's first tourist company, Thomas Cook can change foreign currency and most brands of travellers' cheques into Egyptian money. Their central branch at 17 Sharia Bassiouni (daily 8am-5pm; tel 574-3955, fax 576-2750) also sells travellers' cheques in return for dollars or sterling, with no nonsense about cardholders. It will also exchange one hard currency for another in the form of travellers' cheques. However, they have a bad reputation when it comes to lost or stolen travellers' cheques; you may have to kick up a fuss - or even demonstrate outside - to get a full refund.

There are other branches of Thomas Cook in the Semiramis Intercontinental (tel 355-7171 ext 1918); Mena Palace Hotel (tel 382-2688) near the pyramids; in Heliopolis (7 Sharia Baghda, tel 417-3511); Mohandiseen (10 26th July St, tel 346-7187); and Ma'adi (88 Street 9, Station Square, tel 351-1419).

Money transfers
There are several ways of transferring money from abroad . Amex in Sharia Qasr el-Nil will accept instant Moneygram transfers, or you can transfer money through Thomas Cook from any of their offices abroad. Most banks will transfer money by telex in two working days and charge US$3 for US$1000, regardless of charges paid at the sender's end. They will also usually only deal with their own branches or corresponding banks abroad.

Banks include: Cairo Barclays International Bank (tel 354-2195, fax 355-2746, telex 92343 CABAR UN), opposite the AUC on Sharia Qasr al-Aini; The Bank of America at 106 Sharia Qasr al-Aini (tel 354-7788, fax 355-5023), with a good reputation for transfers from the US; Citibank, 4 Sharia Ahmed Pasha, Garden City (tel 355-1877, fax 355-7743, telex 92162 CITAR UN); Credit Suisse, 32 Sharia Haroun, Dokki (tel 348-4777, fax 348-5237, telex 94128 CSCA UN); Banque du Caire, 38 Sharia Abdel Khaliq Sarwat (tel 323-2439, fax 391-9080, telex 22898 BDCSR UN).

If you wish to use money received at banks to buy travellers' cheques at Thomas Cook or Amex, you must produce a Certificate of Transaction (which you have to request at the issuing bank) rather than an ordinary exchange receipt, proving that your Egyptian currency was legally acquired.