Seychelles Currency and Money: A Practical Guide

Money in Seychelles is refreshingly simple once you know the basics, but a little planning saves you the usual first-day fumble at the airport. Here is how the rupee works, when you will need cash, and roughly what to budget, written for someone arriving for the first time.

The Seychellois rupee

The national currency is the Seychellois rupee, shown as SCR or SR and divided into 100 cents. Notes come in 25, 50, 100, 500 and the rarely seen 1000 rupee values, with coins for the small change. You will see prices quoted in rupees almost everywhere, and the occasional resort or excursion priced in euros, which you can still settle by card.

Card or cash?

For most of your trip, card is king. Hotels, restaurants, dive centres, tour operators and car-hire companies take Visa and Mastercard without fuss, and tapping your phone or card is normal in the bigger places. Where you will want cash is the everyday, local side of the islands, the SPTC bus, a fruit stall in Victoria market, a small Creole takeaway, the entrance to a nature reserve and tips. A modest float of rupees covers all of that comfortably.

Getting rupees

There is no need to hunt for rupees before you fly, and many banks abroad will not stock them anyway. The easy path is to draw cash from an ATM or change a little money at the bank inside the arrivals hall once you land. ATMs are common on Mahe and Praslin, in the towns, at the airport and near the main beaches, and rather fewer on La Digue, so take out what you need before you hop across to the smaller island.

Paying in euros or dollars

Some hotels and tour desks will accept euros or US dollars, but it rarely works in your favour. The rate is usually poor and any change comes back in rupees. The simple rule is to pay in rupees by card or local cash wherever you can, and keep foreign notes only as a backup.

Tipping

Tipping is not compulsory and no one will chase you for it. A service charge is sometimes already added to restaurant bills, so glance at the total before you add more. Where service has been good, rounding up the bill, leaving a little for housekeeping or thanking a guide and a driver are all genuinely appreciated rather than expected.

How much to budget

Seychelles has a reputation for being expensive, and the top end certainly is, but how much you spend is largely in your hands. Self-catering guesthouses, the local bus, market food and a hire car can keep a trip surprisingly affordable, while private islands and fine dining sit at the other extreme. Our full breakdown of what a Seychelles trip really costs walks through the numbers for every style of traveller.

A few practical habits

• Tell your bank you are travelling so your card is not blocked on the first purchase.
• Keep a small stash of rupee notes for buses, markets and reserve entry fees.
• Draw cash on Mahe or Praslin before heading to La Digue, where ATMs are scarce.
• Pay in rupees rather than foreign currency to avoid weak exchange rates.

Sort your card and a little cash and money becomes a non-issue, leaving you free to focus on the beaches. The two things worth booking before you arrive are where you are staying and a car to explore, since both are easier and cheaper to lock in ahead of time.