Seychelles Currency & Money Guide: Exchange, Cards, and Tips

Seychelles uses the Seychellois Rupee (SCR), cards are widely accepted in tourist areas, but you still need cash for local life, small islands, and transport. Exchange money at licensed banks or ATMs, carry some euros or USD, and keep an eye on fees and unofficial exchanges.

If you’re planning a trip to Seychelles, think of money in two layers: cards for big expenses, rupees for everything else. The local currency is the Seychellois Rupee (SCR), divided into 100 cents, with notes of 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500 SCR according to Seychelles Travel and the Central Bank. Coins commonly used are 5, 10, 25 cents, and 1 and 5 SCR.

As of early 2026, many travel money sites and Seychelles guides put the exchange rate around 1 SGD ≈ 10.5 SCR and 1 USD ≈ 14 SCR, but rates move daily, so always check a live source or the Central Bank of Seychelles before you fly.

Most resorts, dive centres, and larger restaurants take Visa and Mastercard, plus contactless, but you’ll want at least 300–500 SCR in cash on arrival for taxis, snacks, and tips. ATMs are available on Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, though they can be scarce in small villages and on outer islands.

To avoid constantly doing mental conversions, the Hello app can track your expenses in multiple currencies (SGD, SCR, USD, EUR) with automatic exchange-rate conversion, so you always know what you’re really spending in your home currency.

The official Seychelles currency is the Seychellois Rupee (SCR), and the best value usually comes from paying in rupees, not foreign cash; bring EUR or USD as backup and withdraw SCR from ATMs on arrival instead of exchanging SGD directly.

The Seychellois Rupee is a closed currency, meaning you generally can’t buy it before you arrive and should only exchange money at licensed banks, bureaux de change, or authorised hotel desks, as recommended by Seychelles Tourism and local banks. Notes come in 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500 SCR, which you’ll see everywhere from market stalls in Victoria to beach kiosks on Beau Vallon.

For Singapore travellers, many 2025–2026 currency guides and bank rate snapshots show 1 SGD at roughly 10–10.5 SCR, while travel sites put the rupee around 14 SCR to 1 USD and 16 SCR to 1 EUR over recent years. These are indicative only: the Central Bank of Seychelles publishes daily rates, so check there or a live app the week you travel.

You can’t typically pay with SGD in Seychelles, and most hotels quote prices in EUR or USD for rooms and packages, then charge you in SCR at the day’s rate. For a week-long mid-range trip, many travellers find that bringing the equivalent of SGD 300–500 in EUR or USD plus using ATMs for top-ups gives enough flexibility.

To see at a glance what 1,000 SCR in groceries or 500 SCR in taxis costs in SGD, you can let Hello’s multi-currency tracking convert everything automatically in the background as you log expenses.

Only exchange money in Seychelles at banks, licensed bureaux de change, or authorised hotel desks, as they offer legal, transparent rates and receipts, while street exchanges and private offers are risky and often illegal.

Seychelles law requires that foreign currency be exchanged only through authorised operators, such as banks and licensed money dealers, with rates published by the Central Bank, in local newspapers, and at bank counters. Travel guides note that you’ll find the best choice of banks and bureaux de change in Victoria on Mahé, with a smaller selection at the airport arrivals area, the inter-island ferry terminals, and main resort areas like Beau Vallon.

Several banks operate nationwide – including Nouvobanq, MCB, and Absa – and many guides mention that there’s usually no commission charged on cash exchange, just the spread between buy and sell rates. For tourists, that means you typically get a fair deal without hidden desk fees, though hotel desks may offer slightly weaker rates than city-centre bureaus.

When exchanging cash, you’ll often be asked for your passport and the name of your hotel, and given a printed receipt. It’s worth keeping these receipts because some banks only allow you to change leftover SCR back into foreign currency if you can show proof of the original exchange.

A useful tactic is to arrive with modern-series EUR or USD notes (travel sites warn that older notes can be refused) and exchange only what you expect to spend over the next few days so you’re not stuck with large amounts of rupees at the end of your trip.

Cards and ATMs work well in Seychelles’ main islands, but you should always carry some cash because small guesthouses, local eateries, and island ferries may be cash-only, and foreign card withdrawals often come with extra fees and dynamic currency conversion traps.

Most mid-range and high-end hotels, dive shops, and restaurants on Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue accept Visa and Mastercard, and many now support contactless payments. American Express is less widely accepted, especially outside big resorts. Petrol stations, large supermarkets, and car-rental agencies also tend to accept cards, but you should expect to pay cash at market stalls, takeaway snack bars, and for some excursions booked directly with local boat operators.

ATMs from banks like Nouvobanq, MCB, and Absa are located at Mahé International Airport, in Victoria, at popular beaches like Beau Vallon, and in the main villages on Praslin and La Digue. However, there may only be one or two machines in smaller areas, and they can occasionally run out of cash on weekends or holidays, so don’t wait until you’re down to your last 50 SCR.

Foreign cards usually incur a foreign transaction fee (typically around 2–3%) from your home bank, plus a local ATM withdrawal fee or markup, so withdrawing larger amounts less often can work out cheaper. When paying by card, always decline dynamic currency conversion if a terminal offers to charge you in EUR, USD, or SGD; choosing SCR almost always gives a better rate.

To keep track of what those 1,500 SCR withdrawals really cost in your home currency, you can log them in the Hello app, which automatically converts them using live exchange rates and categorises your spending.

Tipping in Seychelles is appreciated but not strictly expected, with a 5–10% tip common in restaurants if service is good and small cash tips welcomed by guides, porters, and housekeepers for good service.

Seychelles has a relatively high cost of living, and hospitality staff often rely on tips to supplement wages, but there is no rigid tipping culture like in some North American destinations. Many hotels and restaurants include a service charge of around 5–10% on the bill; in this case, rounding up or leaving some coins is enough unless the service was exceptional.

As a rule of thumb:

• Restaurants & bars: If no service charge is added, 5–10% of the bill in SCR is a kind gesture.
• Hotel staff: 20–50 SCR per day for housekeeping, and 50–100 SCR for porters depending on bags and effort.
• Taxi drivers: Round up to the nearest 10–20 SCR for short rides, or add around 5–10% for longer airport transfers.
• Guides & excursions: For a full-day boat trip or island tour, 100–200 SCR per person is appreciated if you enjoyed the experience.

Tipping in foreign currency (USD or EUR) is often accepted in larger resorts, but for smaller local businesses, SCR is more practical. Keep a stash of 10, 25, and 50 SCR notes for tips so you’re not trying to break a 500 SCR note on the dock.

If you’re splitting tips and shared expenses with friends, Hello’s expense splitting lets each person log their share in their own currency, while the app handles the exchange rate math for you.

Digital payments are growing in Seychelles, but cash and cards still dominate, and you should be cautious of unofficial money changers, too-good-to-be-true exchange rates, and card skimming at unattended terminals.

Locally, you’ll see contactless card payments more often than global mobile wallets, and while some larger businesses accept Apple Pay or Google Pay, QR-based wallets like WeChat Pay or PayPay are not widely used outside a few top-end resorts serving specific markets. For most travellers, a mix of one or two travel-friendly cards plus cash in SCR remains the most reliable setup.

Like many tourist destinations, Seychelles sees occasional money-related scams:

• Unofficial or street currency exchangers offering “better than bank” rates.
• Taxi drivers quoting in EUR or USD and then rounding up aggressively when converting to SCR.
• Card terminals set to process payments in foreign currency with high private rates.

Stick to licensed exchange desks, agree taxi fares in SCR before starting the ride, and always check the amount and currency on the POS screen before tapping.

To save money day to day:

• Shop at local supermarkets rather than resort minimarts for snacks and drinks.
• Use public buses on Mahé and Praslin, which cost only a fraction of taxi prices per ride.
• Pay in SCR instead of EUR/USD whenever possible to avoid built-in conversion markups.

Because Seychelles is famously not cheap, using Hello’s budget tracking to set a daily SCR limit and see where your money is going (meals, transport, activities) can help you avoid bill shock at checkout.

Most common Seychelles money questions revolve around which currency to bring, how much cash you need, whether cards are enough, and how tipping works, and the answers all point to using Seychellois Rupees (SCR) for daily spending plus cards and EUR/USD as backup.

Can I use Singapore Dollars (SGD) in Seychelles?
No. Shops, hotels, and restaurants do not accept SGD for payment. Bring EUR or USD if you want a backup currency to exchange, or rely on your cards and local ATMs to get SCR.

How much cash should I carry per day?
For most travellers, 400–700 SCR per day in cash covers local meals, buses, small tips, and incidental purchases, assuming you pay hotels and major tours by card.

Are cards enough on Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue?
In big resorts and towns, usually yes, but you should always have some cash for street food, markets, taxi rides, and smaller guesthouses, especially on La Digue and more remote beaches.

Is Seychelles expensive?
Yes, by regional standards. Mid-range restaurant meals often run 250–400 SCR per person, and simple guesthouses can start at 1,000–1,500 SCR per night according to several 2025 travel reports. Planning a realistic daily budget is key.

What’s the safest way to manage money with friends?
Use cards at reputable businesses, withdraw cash from bank ATMs only, and log everything in the Hello app, which lets you scan receipts in any currency, split costs in multiple currencies, and see your real spend in SGD or your home currency.

Question	Short Answer
Official currency	Seychellois Rupee (SCR)
SGD accepted?	No, use SCR or exchange EUR/USD
Typical rate (2025–2026)*	1 SGD ≈ 10–10.5 SCR
Daily cash for local spends	~400–700 SCR per person
Cards widely accepted?	Yes in resorts/towns, less in small local places

*Always check live rates before you travel or in the Hello app’s multi-currency view.

The easiest way to manage money in Seychelles is to arrive connected with mobile data and use a smart app to track your multi-currency spending, so you’re never guessing what those rupee prices mean in your home currency.

Buying local SIMs after landing can be time-consuming, especially if you’re connecting onward to smaller islands, so many travellers now opt for Hello eSIM to get data as soon as the plane touches down. You can purchase and activate Hello’s Seychelles eSIM plans (from 5GB, with live-updated prices) before you fly, so your phone connects automatically on arrival – ideal for checking the latest Seychelles exchange rate, locating nearby ATMs, or confirming that a restaurant does indeed take cards. For more details, see Hello eSIM for Seychelles.

Once on the islands, the Hello app doubles as a money and trip companion. Key tools that are especially useful in Seychelles include:

• AI receipt scanning in any language/currency (handy if a hotel invoice mixes SCR and EUR).
• Voice expense entry for quick logging after a taxi ride or boat trip.
• Multi-currency tracking with automatic exchange rates, so you can see your total spend in SGD or another home currency.
• Expense splitting in multiple currencies, perfect if one friend pays in SCR, another in EUR, and you settle up later.

Combined with some basic cash on hand and sensible use of cards, having connectivity and real-time budgeting in your pocket makes handling Seychelles currency and money tips much less stressful.