Currency

The unit of currency on Phuket is the Thai baht, divided into 100 satang, with the majority of purchases these days marked in baht with an occasional 50 satang added on.

For practical purposes excluding the satang, coins are issued in denominations of 1 baht, 2 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht. Currency notes are 20 baht, 50 baht, 100 baht, 500 baht and 1,000 baht.

Travelers’ checks and foreign currencies are easily exchanged for baht at all the country’s banks or registered money changing companies on the island and in its hotels. The best rates are usually given by the authorized moneychangers, followed by the banks, with hotels and airports giving the worst rates. Never exchange currency on the street, as fake 1,000 baht notes do circulate from time to time and have even found their way to overseas banks.