What currency is used in Tahiti and Bora Bora?
Wondering exactly what cash to bring to French Polynesia? Being used to welcoming international tourists, most businesses and services here will usually accept euros and dollars. You can also pay by credit card throughout the territory. But we do have an official local currency for our islands: the Pacific franc, also known as the CFP franc or XPF. Discover all the practical information for your trip and the history of this currency.
Tahiti Currency: Value of the Pacific Franc XPF
It can be easily calculated in relation to the euro, as it has a fixed rate. To do this, simply perform a currency conversion:
- 1 EUR = 119.33 XPF
- 1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR
To find out its value in US dollars (USD), Australian dollars (AUD), yen (JPY) or other foreign currencies, refer to the current exchange rates. Use a currency converter to convert in real time.
Did you know? The Pacific franc is not just the local currency of French Polynesia! It's also used in New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna. It is available in denominations of 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 F and in coins of 6 different denominations.
How to pay for things in Tahiti and Bora Bora?
The CFP (XPF) is used throughout French Polynesia. You can therefore pay anywhere in the Society Archipelago (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, etc.), the Tuamotu Archipelago (Rangiroa, Fakarava, Tikehau, etc.), the Austral islands, the Marquesas and the Gambiers.
Pay in Cash
While traveling around our islands, if you wish to pay in cash for purchases, excursions or souvenirs, or tip your guide, you can change your USD into the local currency by visiting a foreign exchange counter (bureau de change) or certain banks, at the rate in force on the day. A foreign exchange office is available on arrival at Tahiti airport.
Many businesses (hotels stores, airport, souvenir stores…) occasionally accept US dollars and euros, but this is not guaranteed, so make sure you always always have some change in local money on hand during your vacation.
Please note: prices are not the same in the French overseas territories as in mainland France. Find out more about the Polynesian cost of living and the rates of your main activities in order to determine the amount of cash you'll need during your stay.
Pay by Card in French Polynesia
You can, of course, pay using your bank cards, whichever type you use (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Union Pay, JCB). So now you know why bartering is no longer used on our islands – except on very rare occasions.
Most hotels, restaurants and major retailers accept debit or credit card payments.
Several French banks based in mainland France charge no fees for CB withdrawals and payments in Tahiti, but this is not the case with most foreign banks. Find out about the conditions applied by your American bank to accurately plan your Polynesian travel budget.
Withdrawing Cash in The Islands of Tahiti
During your vacation, you'll also find cash dispensers in the center of Papeete and near the main shops on many islands. Please note, however, that some islands don't have ATMs and don't offer payment by credit cards, so make sure to withdraw money before you arrive on the island.
The history of the “franc pacifique”, the Tahiti currency
Money has not always been used in the South Pacific. Before the Europeans arrived, trading and bartering were conducted between various clans or tribes, and between different principalities or islands.
Following first contact with the Europeans in the late 19th century, it took almost a century for currency to spread right across the archipelagos. And it was through a succession of political and economic events that Tahiti came to have its own currency, in common with New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna.
From bartering to using money
For centuries, mother-of-pearl, sea shells, precious wood, tools, weapons and food served as currencies for trade between the peoples of Polynesia.
At the time of first contact, which is how we refer to the historical event which first brought the Tahitians into contact with Europeans (the Englishmen Wallis followed by Cook in 1767 and 1769, the Frenchman Bougainville in 1768), a barter economy was set up. The Europeans wanted to buy fruit, vegetables and pigs for their circumnavigation (voyages of exploration around the globe), but also mother-of-pearl, pearls and items fashioned from wood; similarly, the Tahitians wanted to acquire nails, fabrics and various products manufactured in Europe.
Before the 1830s, currencies were seldom used in the Polynesian islands. It was during the reign of Queen Pomare IV (1827-1877) that currencies first began to spread through Tahiti and Moorea. Contrary to popular belief, due to the English dominating in the South Seas, it was not the sovereign, (predecessor of the pound Sterling) which was used as the currency for trade, but Spanish pieces of eight and gold doubloons.
Currencies of the Pacific
The standard Tahiti currency very soon became the American dollar (dalla or tara in Tahitian). Once the Protectorate was established, this was replaced by the currency of France, with the silver 5-franc coin, equal in value to the very widespread Chilean pieces of eight. Alongside these circulated pieces of eight and dollars from Spain, Chilean condors, Bolivian pesos or even British sovereigns… not forgetting the counterfeit currency arriving from San Francisco or Peru, made of alloys which diminished the value of the coins. The confusion surrounding all these different currencies in circulation would last until 1910.
Creation of a Pacific franc
During the Second World War, bartering sometimes took on an essential role in trade, quite simply because banknotes and coins stopped arriving from France; the French Establishments in Oceania had actually sided with Free France against Marshal Pétain's Vichy France.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, General de Gaulle devalued the French franc by decree on 25 December 1945. Two new currencies were established for the colonies:
- the franc of the French Colonies of Africa (CFA franc);
- the franc of the French colonies in the Pacific (CFP franc), not devalued and which retained its parity with the dollar (US$ 1 = FCFP 49.6). 100 Polynesian francs were worth 240 French francs at that time.
Why is €1 worth F 119.33?
In 1949, France decided that the parity of the CFP franc would henceforth be determined depending on the value of the French franc, and would therefore follow its fluctuations in relation to other currencies. But on January the 1st, 1960, the transition to the new franc in mainland France, where its value was divided by 100, was not applied to the FCFP, so the exchange rate of 100 CFP francs corresponded to 5.50 new French francs. During the transition to the euro (January 1999), the exchange rate for the Tahitian franc in relation to the European monetary unit was worked out by simple conversion, so 1,000 CFP francs = 8.38 euros. On the other hand, compared to the dollar, the FCFP follows market fluctuations.
Today's banknotes
Today's Pacific franc banknotes are particularly colorful and decorated with images on both sides with motifs representative of the islands: fish, black pearl oysters, cultural artifacts, traditional huts and fare (houses), turtles and birds endemic to New Caledonia... banknote collectors won't want to miss this opportunity to enrich their collection!
Now you know all about the currency in Tahiti and Bora Bora. Don't forget to stop by the exchange office before your departure or on arrival at Papeete airport to pick up your brightly colored banknotes. Enjoy your trip to French Polynesia!