Kiribati - Australian Dollar - Currency Guide

General Currency Info - Australian Dollar

The Australian dollar is the fifth most traded currency in the world and is popular with currency traders, because of the high interest rates in Australia, the freedom of the foreign exchange market from government intervention, the stability of Australia's economy and political system, and the view that the Australian dollar offers diversification benefits in a portfolio containing the major world currencies, especially because of its greater exposure to Asian economies and the commodities cycle.

The currency is commonly referred to by foreign-exchange traders as the "Aussie dollar".

Australians are more focussed on their currency exchange rate than are the citizens of most other countries, along with perhaps the British and Canadians. This is may be due to the open and trading nature of the Australian economy and also due to their love of 'overseas' travel.

Aussie Ups and Downs 2011-20

The Aussie is very volatile for a major currency, for example between 2008 and 2011, AUD rose 80 per cent against the US dollar, ultimately going up through parity at one point.

Then during 2011-12 AUD started to track the Chinese economy much more than it tracked any of the traditional domestic economic and monetary indicators.

From 2013 to 2015 it dropped against the US dollar, especially when the Chinese stock market sold off in 2015, followed by a decent cyclical 17 per cent rally in 2016-17.

Then from early 2018 it again began its steady way down before being king-hit by the Covid pandemic flight to safety in March of 2020 which took AUD/USD all the way back to its 2008 lows to $60 cents.

AUD News, Forecasts and Trends

The pandemic year 2020 saw solid gains for the AUD against the majority of currencies, in particular from the initial pandemic driven market volatility in March right through to the end of the year. This was off the back of positive sentiment which continues to drive direction into 2021. The end of the year sees the Aussie dollar nudging 0.76 US cents.

Get more details in the article Australian Dollar Forecasts.

For more AUD currency market forecasts you can read the full article Australian Dollar Forecasts.

Travel, Currency and Money saving tips for Kiribati

English is Kiribati’s official language, but most natives also speak the local Gilbertese tongue. You shouldn't have a problem communicating wherever you go, although the farther you get from Tarawa and Christmas Island, the less English is used. Kiribati and the Islands use the Australian dollar; a major currency that can be exchanged anywhere. You can also change money at the Bank of Kiribati or ANZ bank on Tarawa or Christmas Island. Kiribati is a mostly cash-oriented country, though major cards are accepted in hotels and some shops. Traveler’s checks should be in Aussie dollars.

Transportation: the only transportation are minivans. They don't have timetables. They are run by private people who decide randomly the start and the end of the trip. Often they are full and for this reason they won't stop to pick you up. Sometimes the engine breaks and you have to find another one. But in spite of all these problems they are ok. There are no taxis in the Gilbert Islands. The local transportation is carried out by Air Kiribati. There are regular flights to every island in the Gilbert group except for Banaba, price around 50 AUD one way three times a week for the near islands (until Kuria and Aranuka), and price around 100 - 150 AUD one way once a week for the further ones (for instance, Nonouti, Nikunau, Beru).

Travel money for Kiribati

Save money and time by Ordering your Australian Dollars online from Travelex, you get better rates and can pick up the AUD cash locally or even on travel day at the airport.

Another popular option is to use a Pre-paid Travel Card. Your Debit/Credit Card provider will charge you 2% from market mid-rate, but your bank may also charge an extra 3% as an “Overseas Transaction Charge” plus “Overseas ATM” fees for withdrawing cash.

For card purchases if offered a choice of currencies always select to Pay in Australian Dollars otherwise you may get much worst exchange rates.

Send Money to Kiribati - Best Rates

To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Kiribati you need to find and compare exchange rates for International Money Transfers (IMTs).

The available FX rates for sending money abroad can be very different to the mid-market (wholesale) rate which you see reported online and in the News.

You should especially compare your own bank's exchange rates to those available from Money Transfer specialists to see how much you can save - we make that calculation easy in the below table.

Get a better deal for foreign transfers to Kiribati

When sending money to Kiribati it’s important to compare your bank’s rates & fees with those we have negotiated with our partner money transfer providers. To get a better deal you should follow these 4 simple steps :

1. Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
2. You specify the local or Australian Dollar amount you want to transfer
3. Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
4. Once your funds are received by the provider the converted AUD amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Kiribati.

Use the above Send to Australian Dollars calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more Australian Dollars deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!