The US Dollar is the main and official currency of Ecuador since September 9, 2000. Although Ecuador still issues its local coins, which are of the same weight and size as those of their US monetary counterparts.

Before 2000, Ecuadorian money is the Sucre since 1884. A Sucre is subdivided wherein 1 Sucre is 100 centavos. This Ecuador money currency was named after Antonio Jose de Sucre y Alcala, a known Venezuelan independence leader and the 2nd President of Bolivia. His image graces the 5 Sucres bill. The inflation that the country experienced prior and into the dollarization year (2000) is notably high, with a conversion rate of 50,000 Sucres amounting to only a mere two US dollars.

Going back to the current Ecuador money, having the dollar as the official currency is most beneficial to tourists who can easily bring their US dollar notes to spend and use Cities in Ecuador. Today, the coins in circulation are 1 centavo, 5 centavos, 10 centavos, 25 centavos, 50 centavos, 1 dollar, while the bills start with 5 dollars, followed with the 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars.

If you have international credit cards, the ATM's in ecuador will accept these and will allow for transaction, withdrawal, etc. Stores also do accept credit card payment, with Visa and Mastercard as the most widely accepted throughout the country. Ecuador online transactions have still to catch up with the times though. If you encounter any problems with Ecuador money or your credit cards, it is recommended that you go to the much larger banks as those in Guayaquil, Pichincha, Quito, and Pacifico.

There are also ways to use money transfer in Ecuador through Western Union. If you are a traveler, you may also use traveler's checks, which are safe if you need and want more security for your money as such are qualified for reimbursement in case of theft. For businessmen, a bank transfer might be applicable when doing transactions using Ecuador money. Ecuadorian banks do work with other banks such as Bank of America, Bank of London, Bank of South America, and Banco del Pacifco. Your visa parsa Ecuador will be beneficial for identification purposes.