Bringing cash to TJ

No, nothing cheap. Take at least a few hundred with you and take advantage of the search capability on this website to find the many articles on Tijuana here that you can read for more details.

Take at least $500 cash but not more than a $1000.

Always remember you are in a foreign country and subject to their laws and corrupted public officials. If you get robbed by a Mexican taxi driver, then your chances of getting your money back or getting justice are pretty much nada. Always ask yourself if losing $1000 in cash is worth easy pussy right across the border.

If you get a room overnight, many of them have safes. Bring your cash across and keep only what you might spend for a few hours. The holidays are coming, so expect an increase in shake downs.

Also, there are ATMs in the mall parking lot BofA. In the mall, and in front of McDonalds near the border crossing on the US side. Much safer and cheaper. I have crossed the border for the sole purpose of getting cash. Pick a time when the line is short and when you return, walk on the Mexican side and flash your visa.

Thanks for all the great tips and suggestions guys! Much appreciated! Am hoping my first time there will be problem free.

@Kristopher19

I will play along and answer your questions.

Q Should I come prepared with cash before crossing the border?
A: YES; in Tijuana as in the rest of the world cash, in dollars, is King.

Remember “Carrying over $10,000 USD cash when departing from or arriving to Mexico is legal. However, failing to declare it is a violation to the Mexican Laws”

So you can carry $9,999 USD for your trip with no problems.

For a 48 hrs visit $500-$600 is more than enough, should cover you for a couple of arriba trips if you have the stamina, and if you buy the VIP card and stay at Cascadas to have your own room to bring the Bargirls of your choice.

Q: I’m checking the place out for the first time and am not sure how much I’m willing to spend. Are there cheap options to withdraw cash there after I arrive?
A: NO; not really cheap options to withdraw cash anywhere in the world, always fees from other banks and because it is in another country etc etc, fees, fees, fees.

Since you said this is your first time keep things simple in your first visit and go with the idea of this just being a recon mission to gain information and see how things work/are, if you don’t speak Spanish fluently be prepared for misunderstandings because somethings get lost in translation.

Generally is safe using your credit card for paying in another country at a reputable business, but there’s always the possibility of someone not being honest in any business.

You have to consider that there is higher risk of fraud with a credit card than with cash, in other countries.

And some credit card companies charge a “foreign transaction fee” and establish the exchange rate.

Don’t overthink things, just use common sense, and be careful out there.

As long as you are not flashing cash carelessly no one would know how much money you have for them to want to rob you, and as long as you don’t dress flashy the same applies.

Dress as a lower middle class or upper lower class American and behave like a well raised gentleman and you will be treated as a gentleman.

Just relax, take the trolley to the border and enjoy the trip and walk across the border and use the FREE limo service to bring you to the Happiest Place on m Earth 🌍 (according to Krusty.)

https://tuscl.net/photo.php?id=1401

And remember Pics and Vids or it didn’t happen.

:D

I've known whales that brought $3k+ of cash in their luggage, and the staffs/girls know it too, about the load of cash & whales. So be carefull.

Cash is king. I suggest bring a bit more than you think. $ will pour out, so do some calculations before you go
IE:
(Arribas) $100 x qty per day =
(Fichas) $10 x how many per girl
(Drinks) bottle or pay per drink
Food per day
Hotel cost

Last thing, if you don't want to cross border daily for cash, spread your money around your luggage, person and property. There are ATMs at zona, have never used them. I also NEVER use my cc at brothel/ strip club

i walk across with 1000 US. I look like a street begger most the time. I try to keep it real low profile and so far it’s worked with no problem. I don’t even wear my plastic beads nor my Timex watch. and my clothing is well worn. absolutely nothing is new in my attire or my look. I do carry a Charles Schwab debit card to use (if I need to) at a hotel ATM to get pesos. just remember that bar girls tend to prefer US dollars and street girls tend to prefer pesos.

I usually take the Zona shuttle (if it’s readily available) or take the ruta bus for 10 peso or maybe even walk the 1 mile from the San Ysidro Crossing to Zona Norte. I haven’t taken a taxi now for years. it’s not that I don’t trust anybody... although that’s the bottom line. I don’t trust anybody... especially the Policia.

Depends on how long you plan to stay. If it's a day trip, I'd bring no more than $500. If you're staying a couple of nights, at least $1000-$1500. Use the Zona Shuttle if possible. Uber also works in Tijuana (and there's more of a safety guarantee with Uber instead of a taxi).

For a multiple day trip, I sometimes bring close to $2k. But spread it out as much as possible. I wear shorts with pockets under my pants when crossing so that it wouldn’t be easily accessible. I also looks for pants with zippered pockets. I’ve never had a problem. But a little preparation doesn’t hurt.

Thank you guys! All fantastic suggestions. I’m super excited to check out this paradise on earth.

On another note anyone know what’s up with this desertscrub guy? He posted a (now deleted) reply trying to scare me into believing I’ll get murdered if I visit Tijuana. I’ve been seeing him pop up in other discussions with equally negative trolling comments. It’s just weird someone would spend money to get verified to just be a spiteful troll here.

Gentlemen, you'll have to excuse my transgender homie, @Desertbender.

He's only accustomed to bringing lettuce, carrots and hay across the border since farm animals don't accept cash.

Take as much as yo you want. But keep some aside for a cab ride back to the border.

A newbie here. My impression is that it is better to change US dollars into pesos and then pay in pesos. It does not seem to make a difference at HK Club, but it seems to be more cost effective to pay the street ladies in pesos. I am interested in your collective experiences.

If you are a newbie to TJ you might want to stick to the girls in the clubs where US $ work just fine. True you will be expected to pay in pesos and your money will go further. Dealing with the street girls effectively is a bit of a learned art and best practiced with a decent Spanish skill also. I suggest if you are a first timer that you by all means walk around the block and check out the street girls but partake in the big 4 clubs at first. The quality is better and you are much more likely to get what you expect. There is a reason why many or the street whores don’t charge as much.

Btw you can get US dollars changed at the bar in the big clubs so you don’t need to bring lots of small bills, but it is best to have exact change for tipping, taxis, etc.

Any time you exchange currency you loose a little. The only real advantage of pesos is that the street girls are bad at math. However, if you are also bad at math, you could be trying to save a few pennies and give away dollars.

623’s advice is sound. Stick to the big clubs for your first time. It doesn’t hurt to convert a few dollars to pesos. I remember running out of dollars in HK and had exchanged about $200 to pesos. So I paid for my drink with pesos. The mesero actually had to pull out a calculator and do the conversion from pesos to dollars.