Money
Even though most people travel only with a bank card, a variety of money options should be employed. The official currency of Colombia is the peso (abbreviated COP). There are 50, 100 and 500 peso coins; the 10 and 20 pesos coins are rarely used now. Bills come in denominations of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 COP. The symbol used before prices is: $.

Cash:
Carry some US cash in perfect condition for changing at border crossings or for areas where ATMs may not be available. Casas de cambio (exchange houses) in major cities will change euros. Currency of other countries is difficult to change into pesos anywhere.

Banks:
These are the only institutions that cash travelers checks (see below). ATMS are common, connected with both Latin American and international networks (redes), including Cirrus and Plus. ATH machines are said to give better rates and have a higher daily withdrawal limit.

Credit cards:
High-end businesses accept credit cards. Mastercard and Visa are the most common; some also take Diners or American Express. Many bank ATMs take credit cards as well. Visa cash advances can be obtained at Banco de Bogotá and Banco Popular.

Travelers checks:
Bancolombia and some branches of Banco Santander exchange US dollar or euro American Express Travelers checks. Go prepared with a photocopy of the front page and entry stamp of your passport. You will also have to fill out a form and give your right index finger print. Few casas de cambio and businesses accept Travelers checks.

Wiring money:
Some travelers find they need to have folks back home wire them money through Western Union (www.westernunion.com) or MoneyGram (www.moneygram.com). You receive it in COP, though you can buy US dollars, if they are available. Branches of money wiring services at banks typically handle transactions only for Colombians. Foreigners will have to go to Giros y Finanzas (www.girosyfinanzas.com) for Western Union wires and Cambiamos (www.cambiamos.com) for MoneyGram. Check the websites for office locations.