💰 Quick Context: EC Dollars on Paper, US Dollars in Practice
Anguilla's official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD), pegged at EC$2.70 = US$1, but hotels, restaurants, villas and taxis quote and take US dollars. Cards work at the resorts and most restaurants. The surprise is the bill: Anguilla adds a 13 percent Goods and Services Tax, and most restaurants and hotels add a service charge on top, so the total runs about a quarter above the listed prices. Carry US cash in small notes for beach bars, taxis and tips.
🎧 Order EC Dollars Before You Fly
Most bills are in US dollars, but EC dollars are what the change comes in. Insured delivery, 2–5 days.
Order XCD → CEI Currency ExchangeWhy Your Anguilla Bill Is a Quarter Higher Than the Menu
Anguilla is expensive, and the listed price is not the whole price. The island has chosen luxury over volume: no cruise-ship pier, no casinos, and a coastline of boutique resorts and villas. What catches visitors out is how the final bill is built.
A 13 percent GST. Anguilla introduced a Goods and Services Tax in 2022, at 13 percent, on most goods and services, hotel rooms and restaurant meals included. It replaced several older taxes, but the effect for visitors is the same: menus and hotel rates are often quoted plus GST.
Plus a service charge. Most restaurants add a service charge of 10 to 15 percent, and hotels and villas add their own. With GST, the total runs roughly 25 percent above the listed prices. A dinner for two listed at $150 becomes around $190 before any extra tip.
How to read a quote. For villas and hotels, ask for the total including GST and service charges before you book, and check whether a resort fee is added too. For dinner, look at the bottom of the menu for the words subject to or plus. The service charge is the tip; add more only for exceptional service.
US Dollars, EC Dollars and Your Change
Officially, EC dollars. Anguilla is one of eight territories that share the Eastern Caribbean dollar, issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in St Kitts and pegged at EC$2.70 to US$1 since 1976.
In practice, US dollars. Hotels, villas, restaurants, taxis, boat trips and most shops quote and accept US dollars, and many price only in US dollars. Supermarkets and local shops price in EC dollars and take US dollars at a rate close to the peg, usually EC$2.60 to EC$2.70.
Change comes in either. Pay with a US$20 note and your change may come in US dollars, EC dollars or a mixture. EC dollars are only useful on Anguilla and its EC-dollar neighbours; spend them before you leave, because they are hard to change back at home. Bring US notes that are clean and untorn: like much of the Caribbean, Anguilla's shops can refuse damaged notes, as our guide to refused dollar bills explains.
Getting There From St Martin: Ferries, Taxes and Transfers
Most visitors arrive via St Martin. Anguilla's own airport, Clayton J. Lloyd International, has small-plane connections, so the usual route is a flight into Princess Juliana International (SXM) on Sint Maarten and a short boat ride. Our St. Maarten guide covers the island you land on.
The public ferry. Ferries run from Marigot, on the French side of St Martin, to Blowing Point on Anguilla in about 25 minutes, several times a day. You pay the ferry fare plus departure taxes and fees at each end, collected at the terminal, and a taxi from SXM airport to Marigot on top. Carry US cash for the taxes in case the card machine is down.
Private transfers. Private boat companies run from the Dutch side near the airport directly to Blowing Point, meeting your flight and handling the paperwork. They cost several times the public ferry per person, are paid by card when you book, and are worth it for a group with luggage.
Leaving Anguilla. Departure charges apply when you leave by sea or air; many are included in air tickets, but the ferry terminal collects its own. Keep some US cash for your last day.
Cash vs. Card in Anguilla
Cards work at the resorts and the well-known restaurants. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at hotels, villa agencies, most restaurants, supermarkets and car hire. American Express is taken at the luxury resorts and less widely elsewhere. Contactless is spreading but not universal, so keep a card with a chip and PIN.
US cash for everything else. Beach bars and lunch shacks on Shoal Bay and Sandy Ground, chair and umbrella rental, taxis, the boat to Sandy Island or Prickly Pear Cays, the Sunday live music at the beach bars, roadside barbecue and food trucks, and tips. Keep $100 to $200 in small US notes for a week.
Lobster and crayfish are priced by the pound. At the beach grills and restaurants, the island's spiny lobster and crayfish are often priced by weight. Ask the price for the one you choose before it goes on the grill.
Best ATMs to Use in Anguilla
Anguilla has a handful of banks, with machines concentrated in The Valley, the capital, and at a few shopping centres. Machines dispense EC dollars, and some also dispense US dollars. There is no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner on the island, so a BoA card pays its normal non-network fees.
Republic Bank (Anguilla)
The island's largest private bank since it took over Scotiabank's Anguilla business in 2019. Branch and machines in The Valley. Ask the machine for US dollars if it offers them, and decline any offer to convert into your home currency.
Recommended
CIBC FirstCaribbean
The regional bank owned by Canada's CIBC, with a branch and machine in The Valley. Reliable for foreign cards, and one of the few with a machine that is easy to reach from the western resorts.
RecommendedThe National Commercial Bank of Anguilla (NCBA), the locally owned bank formed in 2016 from the island's two troubled local banks, also has machines in The Valley. Whichever you use, withdraw modest amounts, keep the EC dollars for local shops, and pay the big bills by card.
⚠️ Pay in the Currency on the Bill
Resort and villa terminals often charge in US dollars, which is fine for an American card. A card from elsewhere may be offered a conversion into its home currency at the terminal's own rate; decline it. If a shop prices in EC dollars, paying by card in EC dollars gives your card network's rate, which beats the shop's own round-number dollar rate. Our DCC explainer covers the details.
Taxis, Hire Cars and the Driving Permit
Taxis. Anguilla's taxis charge fixed fares by zone, set by the government in US dollars, with extra charges for more passengers, luggage and night trips. Ask the fare before you get in. Most drivers want cash; a few take cards.
Hire cars. With taxis priced per trip and restaurants spread along the coast, a hire car pays for itself over a week. Rental companies arrange the compulsory temporary Anguilla driving permit for a fee added to your rental, and take a credit card for the deposit. Driving is on the left. Petrol stations take cards but close earlier than you may expect, and there are few of them in the east of the island.
Tipping in Anguilla
The service charge is the tip. Most restaurants and hotels add 10 to 15 percent, and it is shared among the staff. Adding a little more in cash for exceptional service is a kindness, not an obligation. Where no service charge is added, at beach bars or on a boat trip, tip 15 to 20 percent. Tip taxi drivers by rounding up, and leave something for villa housekeeping. Check the bill before tipping twice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What currency is used in Anguilla?
The Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD), shared with seven other islands and pegged at 2.70 to the US dollar. In practice, hotels, restaurants, villas and taxis quote and accept US dollars, and change may come back in either currency. Americans do not need to buy EC dollars before they travel.
Does Anguilla have a sales tax?
Yes. Anguilla charges a 13 percent Goods and Services Tax, introduced in 2022, on most goods and services, including hotel stays and restaurant meals. Listed prices often exclude it, so check whether a quote says plus GST.
Why is my restaurant bill in Anguilla so much higher than the menu?
Because 13 percent GST and a service charge, commonly 10 to 15 percent, are usually added to the listed prices. Together they add roughly a quarter to the bill. The service charge is the tip; anything more is optional, for exceptional service.
How do I get to Anguilla from St Martin?
By ferry from Marigot on the French side to Blowing Point, about 25 minutes, or by private boat transfer from the Dutch side near Princess Juliana airport. Public ferries charge a fare plus departure taxes and fees, paid at the terminal. Private transfers cost more and are paid by card when you book.
Do I need a special licence to drive in Anguilla?
Yes, a temporary Anguilla driving permit, arranged through your car rental company for a fee added to the rental. You drive on the left. Most roads are quiet, and petrol stations take cards but close earlier than you may expect.
Does Bank of America have an ATM partner in Anguilla?
No. Scotiabank, a Global ATM Alliance member in some Caribbean countries, sold its Anguilla operation to Republic Bank in 2019, and Anguilla was never on the Alliance list. BoA cards pay their normal non-network fees at every machine on the island.
Can I use my card at Anguilla beach bars?
At most of the well-known ones on Shoal Bay, Meads Bay and Sandy Ground, yes, but the smaller shacks, food trucks and chair rentals often want cash. Carry US dollars in small notes, and expect some change in EC dollars.
Go deeper: Anguilla and its neighbours
Most visitors reach Anguilla through St Martin, the shared Dutch and French island next door, so its guide is the natural companion. For the other islands that use the Eastern Caribbean dollar, St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua are the closest. For how pegged currencies work, the blog explains the mechanics.
Hero photo: Shoal Bay, Anguilla, by onj, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Panoramio).