How to break large dollar bills ($100) in Egypt?
Based on 1 discussions with 3 participants · Last activity: 5 days ago
TL;DR
Hotel reception may exchange one $100 bill but often refuses more. A reliable trick is buying a small item at a Mango store — they'll break large bills without issue.
What the community said
The hotel porter or room escort staff will readily exchange small bills — down to $1 denominations. Bills of $10 and $20 were exchanged without issue. They're not interested in tips in kind — only cash.
9 days ago Hotel porter / room escort staff
Exchanging with informal street money changers is risky — one traveler received only $90 back from a $100 bill and had to negotiate hard to recover the rest.
10 days ago Street changers — unfavorable rate
A Mango store is a reliable spot to break $100 bills. Buy something small like a can of soda and you'll get change in smaller denominations. Three travelers each successfully broke a $100 bill this way.
11 days ago Mango store
Hotel reception will typically exchange only one $100 bill per request. If you need to break multiple large bills at once, expect a refusal.
11 days ago Hotel reception — one bill limit