EXCHANGE RATE
The value of the Moroccan dirham is very stable, trading at 11DH against the Euro (April 2009). It is advisable to obtain the dirhams in Morocco at the bank offices at the airport, in Tangiers offices or at Ceuta´s border, because you need dirhams for shopping and to pay small amounts like the taxis fare, motorways toll, tips, etc. Naturally you can exchange money in the banks (they are closed on Saturdays and Sundays) and in the authorized places, inform yourself about the official rate, ask what rate are they offering you and if you don´t like it then negociate a new one). They don´t charge any commission for the exchange. If you wish to do it in Spain, ask before hand about the exchange rate because it is not very good.
In Asilah, all banking offices are located in the same square (Mohamed V) or in its surroundings and there are some authorized offices in the medina.You can pay with euros in most places (restaurants, hotels, shops and taxis) but they wont always give you the official rate. They try to simplify the operation to 10DH an euro. Those are the rules of the game. Among the many pages that can help you to know the official rate is the following:www.xe.com/ucc/es/.
It is not advisable to leave Morocco with a lot of DH, in the first place it is not allowed and most important the exchange rate outside Morocco is not favourable.
CREDIT CARDS
They are not as popular as in Europe, so we should take more cash with us than we should normally do, considering the low level of delinquency in Morocco. Credit cards are accepted only in the hotels, restaurants and shops where tourists normally go. There is an alternative to carrying too much cash, and this is to get the money, when you need it, from the cash dispensers as you can find them almost everywhere. Usually, the commissions are very high. At the Al Alba hotel you can pay with credit or debit cards MasterCard and Visa and in Dirhams, Euros or Dollars.
Many shops, restaurants and hotels have the sign VISA or MASTERCARD quite visible. Ask nonetheless if they accept cards as it could be just to lure you in. You can´t complain later on.
TIPS
Although there are 20DH (2E) notes it is useful to get some coins for the tips. They are customary. One unwritten rule, although miserly, to know what to tip, is to think about the tip you would give at home and divide it by 5. This is to say that if in Europe you would tip with 1 Europe in Morocco it would be 2DH (20 cents of a €)
A usual tip to give to the people who are safeguarding the cars in the streets is 2DH. They are not officials, but they are accepted by everyone and they do a good job anyhow.
