Fiji runs on the Fijian dollar (FJD) and is a card-friendly country in its resort and urban corridors, a cash country everywhere else. For event organisers the two things that matter are that card surcharges of 2–5% are normal and will be added to your supplier invoices, and that moving cash in or out of Fiji is declarable above published thresholds. Plan both.
This guide is written for the person paying the bills — the planner settling supplier accounts, the delegate on a per diem, the finance manager budgeting FX exposure — rather than for the holidaymaker. For the traveller-facing basics, see money in Fiji: currency, cards, ATMs and tipping.
Guideline only. Currency, customs and exchange-control rules change. Confirm against the Fiji Revenue & Customs Service (FRCS) and the Reserve Bank of Fiji before you move money. Last reviewed 28 October 2026.
What is the currency and what is it worth?
The Fijian dollar (FJD). Coins run from 5 cents to $2 and notes from $5 to $100. A new polymer note series was introduced in December 2025, so notes in circulation may not match older photographs.
Reserve Bank of Fiji indicative rates on 28 October 2026:
| 1 FJD buys | Rate |
|---|---|
| New Zealand dollars | 0.7813 |
| Australian dollars | 0.6319 |
| US dollars | 0.4440 |
On those rates, FJ$1,000 is roughly NZ$781, A$632 or US$444. Rates move daily; the RBF publishes indicative rates and your bank's dealing rate will differ. Every FJD figure elsewhere on this site carries the date its conversion was taken, for exactly this reason.
Will your cards work?
In the places an event actually happens, yes.
Accepted: Visa, Mastercard and American Express are generally taken, provided the card carries a four-digit PIN. Some merchants also take Diners, JCB and UnionPay.
Where: card acceptance concentrates in the populated parts of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu and at mid-range and luxury resorts. Much of the rest of the country does not take cards at all.
The surcharge. This is the part that surprises people. Many Fijian businesses add a card surcharge of 2 to 5 per cent per transaction, with around 3 per cent the norm. Your own card issuer then typically adds a foreign-currency fee of 1 to 3 per cent. On a five-figure supplier settlement, that stack is real money.
| Payment route | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Card at point of sale | 2–5% merchant surcharge + 1–3% issuer FX fee | Small, in-person payments |
| International bank transfer | Fixed fee plus the spread on your bank's rate | Large supplier settlements, deposits |
| FJD cash | No surcharge; ATM and FX costs instead | Markets, outer islands, tips, small vendors |
| Local payment apps | Around 3% surcharge reported | Residents and long-stay staff, not visitors |
Costs above are drawn from Fiji Pocket Guide's payments guide; individual merchants and banks vary, so ask the question before you pay rather than after.
How should you pay suppliers?
Settle large amounts by bank transfer, not by card. A 3 per cent surcharge on a significant AV, catering or coach invoice buys you nothing. Agree the payment method with each supplier in the contract, and agree who absorbs the surcharge if a card is used.
Three specifics worth writing into your supplier agreements:
- The currency of the contract. If you contract in FJD and pay from an AUD or NZD account, you carry the FX movement between signing and settlement. If you contract in your own currency, the supplier carries it and will price for that.
- Deposit and milestone dates. Fijian suppliers commonly want a deposit to hold. Know when each payment leaves, because that is when your FX exposure crystallises.
- Who pays bank charges. International transfers carry charges at both ends. Say in writing whose side they fall on.
Larger operators and the established suppliers in our directory — Encore Event Technologies Fiji, Tents & Awnings Ltd, Rosie Holidays, Events Fiji and ground operators such as Tourist Transport Fiji — will all invoice conventionally and take transfer. Smaller village-level and craft suppliers often will not, which is a reason to route those payments through a DMC rather than trying to do it yourself.
Where are the ATMs?
ATMs are in the major towns and cities and at some larger resorts. The outer islands generally have none. The retail banks you will see are ANZ, Bank of South Pacific, Westpac, Bank of Baroda and HFC Bank.
Withdrawals on an overseas card attract your own bank's foreign-exchange fee plus an ATM withdrawal fee, so take fewer, larger withdrawals rather than many small ones.
Bank branch hours run roughly Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 3pm or 4pm. There is no Saturday banking to fall back on, which matters if a Friday-afternoon problem turns into a Monday-morning one.
For currency exchange, bureaus operate at Nadi International Airport and in Nadi and Suva. City bureaus generally offer better rates than the airport, and the airport generally beats exchanging before you leave home.
What are the cash declaration rules?
This is where the organiser risk sits, and it is a legal matter rather than a convenience one.
According to the Fiji Revenue & Customs Service, travellers must declare currency when departing Fiji:
- On a return ticket: foreign currency exceeding FJ$10,000, or FJ$500 in Fijian currency.
- On a one-way ticket: foreign currency exceeding FJ$5,000, or FJ$500 in Fijian currency — and prior approval from the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji is required.
Declaration is made on the departure card, with a Border Currency Reporting Form available at Customs counters. Negotiable bearer instruments — cheques, traveller's cheques, money orders, promissory notes, bearer bonds — count toward the thresholds. Failing to declare, or to obtain required approval, can lead to seizure or forfeiture of the currency and prosecution.
One honest caveat. The FRCS page sets out these thresholds in wording that is internally garbled on the conversion rule, and it is published under "Visiting Fiji" while describing departure requirements. We are reporting it as published. If you are anywhere near these amounts, confirm directly with FRCS and the Reserve Bank before you travel, and do it early — Reserve Bank approval is not a same-day process.
The practical read for an event: do not plan to settle Fijian suppliers by carrying cash in. Use transfers.
What should delegates be told?
Four lines in the joining instructions cover almost all of it:
- Bring a card with a four-digit PIN; Visa and Mastercard are widely taken at resorts.
- Expect a surcharge of around 3 per cent on card payments.
- Carry some FJD cash for markets, village visits, tips and outer islands.
- Withdraw cash in Nadi or Suva, not on an island.
Next step
Compare the other operational realities in power reliability and generator backup and internet and bandwidth at Fiji venues, check the entry requirements in entry, visas and customs for Fiji, or go back to the Fiji event infrastructure hub. Every verified supplier you might be paying is in the Nadi and Suva directories.