Currency in Macau: MOP Send & Spend FX Guide
Resources for Expats, Travelers, and Entrepreneurs Navigating Life and Trade in Macau with the Macanese pataca.
What's in this Macau currency guide?
What currency is used in Macau?
The official currency of Macau (country code: MO) is the Macanese pataca, with symbol M$ and currency code MOP.
Loading rates...
|
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
What currency should I use in Macau?
The domestic currency in Macau is the Macanese pataca.
What is the Macanese pataca currency code and symbol?
The three letter currency code for the Macanese pataca is MOP — symbol is M$.
What doe the Macanese pataca look like?
Here is an example Macanese pataca banknote:
Which countries use the Macanese pataca?
It is the domestic currency in Macau.
Is the Macanese pataca a closed currency?
No, the Macanese pataca is freely available and convertible. See guide: What is a closed currency?
What are equivalent amounts of USD and MOP?
Here are some popular conversion amounts for USD to MOP (US dollar to Macanese pataca)*.
*Converted at the current USDMOP interbank exchange rate. Calculate actual payout amounts for Send Money and Travel Money exchange rates.
Things to know about the Macanese pataca
The Macanese pataca (MOP) is the official currency of Macau, a special administrative region of China located on the western side of the Pearl River estuary in East Asia. Here are a few things to know about the Macanese pataca:
- The Macanese pataca is abbreviated as MOP and is divided into 100 avos.
- The Monetary Authority of Macau is responsible for issuing and regulating the Macanese pataca.
- The exchange rate for the Macanese pataca is determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange market.
- Macau has a large, diversified economy that is heavily reliant on tourism, with a significant portion of the country's GDP coming from the tourism industry. The country is also a major producer of textiles and has a growing financial services sector.
- The Macanese pataca has been pegged to the Hong Kong dollar at a fixed exchange rate of 1 MOP = 1 HKD since 2005. This means that the value of the Macanese pataca is closely tied to the value of the Hong Kong dollar.
Travel money for Macau
Using Wise for Macanese pataca travel money is a smart choice for savvy travelers. With its competitive exchange rates and low fees, Wise allows you to convert and manage multiple currencies effortlessly.
Be careful when using your own bank's Debit/Credit Card, as your bank may also charge an extra 3% as an “Overseas Transaction Charge” plus “Overseas ATM” fees for withdrawing cash on top of the standard Visa/Mastercard 2.5% from market mid-rate.
For card purchases, if you are offered a choice of currencies always select to Pay in Macanese pataca otherwise you will typically get much worst dynamic currency conversion (DCC) exchange rates.
If you really want Macanese pataca cash before departure, you can save money by ordering online. You generally get better rates and can pick up the MOP cash locally or even on travel day at the airport.
USD/MOP Market Data
The below interactive chart displays the USD/MOP change and UP📈 DOWN📉 trends over the past 1 Year.
Send Money to Macau - Best Rates
To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Macau 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 Macau
When sending money to Macau 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 :
- Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
- You specify the local or Macanese pataca amount you want to transfer
- Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
- Once your funds are received by the provider the converted MOP amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Macau.
Use the above 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 Macanese pataca deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!