Today’s lesson is about the money here in Abu Dhabi. I have a display below of the paper currency, but I forgot the 5AED note, oops. The bills differ in color and size. The small coins, called fils, are .50, .25 and the one dirham coin replaces a paper note.
It is helpful to carry one dirham coins for taxis and tips. The 1000 and 500 notes are easy to spend and hard to break into change. Most retail establishments and restaurants welcome cash and very few love plastic money, i.e. debit and/or credit cards.
Tipping is personal preference and for me, I do it for exceptional driving (hello, taxi) and meal service. There is no set amount and all the recipients are grateful.
A couple more interesting facts about money:
- We pay our rent one year at a time and in full.
- There are no extra taxes added to anything! What you see on a price tag is what you pay.
- The food is very reasonably priced, as are household items and clothes.
- Everyone likes money as gifts…of course!
Money does make the world go ’round!
Aloha,
Denise
