Foreign Exchange

  • Purchasing currency at Banco Popular helps you avoid problems upon arrival at the destination. Such as:

    • Waste time searching for an exchange outlet or an automated teller machine to have some cash on hand
    • Be able to pay tips or bills in places that do not accept credit or debit cards
    • Surprises for excessive charges

    The foreign currency purchase or sale1 the Bank offers is only for tourism purposes and is never intended for investment purposes.

  • You have three options for purchasing currency:

    1. By telephone2: You may call 787.722.3240 to request foreign currency and coordinate at which branch you want to pick up the funds in two or three business days.
    2. At a branch: Clients with or without a deposit account may request foreign currency in any of our branches. Go to the branch host or hostess with an acceptable and current ID, make the request and in two or three business days you will be notified to return to the branch to pick up the funds.

      If you need currency right away*, visit the Foreign Exchange office, located at Stop 22 in Santurce or the Luis Muñoz Marín Airport branch, both places available Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    3. Automated teller machines (ATMs): We have several automated teller machines that dispense euros. They are located at LMM Airport, Popular Center, Plaza Las Américas, Plaza del Caribe, Mayagüez Suau, Arecibo San Luis, Stop 22 in Santurce and The Mall of San Juan.

    *Currency available at the moment: euros, pound sterling, Mexican peso, and Canadian dollar.

    • Clients with a Banco Popular deposit account may order up to the equivalent of $10,000 including the commission (orders for more than $10,000 must be authorized by the branch where the account was opened or by your Relationship Officer).
    • People who do not have a deposit account in Banco Popular may order up to the equivalent of $5,000 including the commission.
    • Payment is not made until the order is delivered. The order may be picked up in the branch of your preference or in our Foreign Exchange Department at Stop 22 in Santurce.

  • Banks provide exchange rates at their discretion, and they may differ from equivalent institutions as they incorporate administrative costs. Rates for paper money1 are different from funds transfer rates in foreign currency.

  • In addition to the conversion charge, the transaction carries a 1% commission in dollars in transactions whose conversion to dollars surpasses $1,000. In transactions whose conversion in dollars is $1,000 or less, the commission is $10. This applies to purchases, sales, or withdrawals at ATMs.

  • If you do not have a Banco Popular account, you may place your order in any of our branches, in the Foreign Exchange Department or by telephone2. You will have the option of picking up your order in the branch of your preference or in our department. When picking up the order, the payment must be in cash and you must present a current and acceptable ID. You may order up to a maximum of the equivalent of $5,000.

  • The availability of the currency may vary. Frequently ordered paper money (euros, pound sterling, Canadian dollar, and Mexican peso) may be available between two and three business days. Other currencies may be delayed up to 10 business days.

  • You can sell1 Banco Popular the bills (non-metallic) left over from your trip in any of our branches. The Bank accepts bills in circulation, not collection bills.

  • No. Banco Popular does not sell or buy Iraq dinars, Vietnam dongs or Zimbabwe dollars.

  • The exchange rates and applicable charges will be managed by the credit card provider. For additional details of Banco Popular credit cards, please contact our Card Products Department at 787-751-0444. For information related to debit cards, contact TeleBanco Popular® at 787-724-3659.

  • When traveling outside Puerto Rico, it is no longer necessary to notify us, unless you plan to use your ATH® Regular debit card.

    In addition to the security that the chip technology provides to our debit and credit cards, we have reinforced the anti-fraud monitoring systems.

    If we detect some irregular activity in your accounts, we will send you a fraud alert to the cell phone you have registered with us or will contact you to confirm any suspicious activity.

  • BPPR Buy and Sell1
    CCY PAÍS
    AED UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
    AUD AUSTRALIA
    BBD BARBADOS
    BRL BRAZIL
    CAD CANADA
    CHF SWITZERLAND
    CLP CHILE
    CNY CHINA
    COP COLOMBIA
    CRC COSTA RICA
    CZK CZECH REPUBLIC
    DKK DENMARK
    DOP DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
    EUR EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION
    FJD FIJI
    GBP ENGLAND
    GTQ GUATEMALA
    HKD HONG KONG
    HUF HUNGARY
    ILS ISRAEL
    ISK ICELAND
    JMD JAMAICA
    JOD JORDAN
    JPY JAPAN
    KRW SOUTH KOREA
    KWD KUWAIT
    KYD CAYMAN ISLANDS
    MXN MEXICO
    MYR MALAYSIA
    NOK NORWAY
    NZD NEW ZEALAND
    OMR OMAN
    PEN PERU
    PHP PHILIPPINES
    PLN POLAND
    SCP SCOTLAND
    SEK SWEDEN
    SGD SINGAPORE
    THB THAILAND
    TRY TURKEY
    TWD TAIWAN
    ZAR SOUTH AFRICA

    *Foreign currency availability is subject to change by our agent bank.



1Only applies to foreign currencies that are defined for commercialization by Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (BPPR), subject to their availability. Each transaction carries a foreign currency conversion fee. BPPR determines at its discretion the margin for each currency exchange rate, which includes risk, liquidity, and market factors. Said rate or exchange rate will fluctuate once a day, and the information is available in the Foreign Currency Department. For information you can call 787-722-3240. In addition to the foreign currency conversion fee, each foreign currency purchase and sale transaction, whether at a branch or ATM withdrawal, carries a service charge of $10 dollars, if the conversion in US dollars (USD) is up to $1,000; or 1% of the conversion in USD, if the conversion is more than $1,001.

2When placing an order, you will be asked to prove your identity and you must present a valid ID.