Talk:United States dollar/Intl

Different Languages?

Why are there so many languages used in this article under "United States Dollar"? Like Tetum? I understand that other countries used the dollar as a currency, but this encyclopedia is an English version. I doubt people searching on the english version on wikipedia will want the United States Dollar written in the language of East Timor. I dont know, it just seems silly to me. Yaanch^Speak! 02:00, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

But why does the article France have both "French Republic" and "République française"? --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 02:03, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

Switzerland has even more. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 02:04, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

I dont know why all the pages have the native languages on them. I mean, the native language of America is de-facto English, so maybe we should change this page to english. Yay or Nay? Yaanch^Speak! 19:32, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

The USD is the currency of Ecuador, El Salvador, and East Timor. It's not like they have their currencies but use the USD unofficially. The governments adopted the USD. It is the official currency there. So it makes sense to include these languages. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 20:12, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

I guess your right, but France has French because its their native native and Switzerland has multiple offical languages so thats why they have them. Yaanch^Speak! 20:23, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

Please remove the other languages they're unnecessary. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.45.192.128 (talk • contribs) 00:39, 10 April 2007

International Usage

I would feel better if the analysis of the Dollar/Euro interactions and the ongoing fall of the USD with respect to the EUR was backed by some citations of prominent economists. In the present state, it looks like a lot of economic speculation, that may be true, but that is surely controversial enough to warrant some back-up. David.Monniaux 17:54, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Agreed. If an article is going to make me nervous, I want to see the facts to back it up. -FunnyMan 23:09, Dec 30, 2004 (UTC)

As I was writing this, I stopped to read through the history and find the initial occurance of these theories. The majority of that section was contributed by a single anonymous user way back on Nov 24 ([1] / [2]). I'm reverting that entire section as a precaution, others are welcome to re-add any useful and fact-backed content that was in it. -FunnyMan 23:09, Dec 30, 2004 (UTC)

Whoa there, that's a huge revert... The latter parts did sound like shaky conjecture, but the initial factoids are true. There appears to be ample reason to list and elaborate what happened so far, even if we completely omit all futurology. --Joy [shallot] 23:18, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I've got no problem with what you put back, it looks fine to me. I was just doing a blind revert of the section and leaving it up to "the next guy"--you, in this case--to sort through the conjecture and find anything useful that was in there. You did exactly what still needed to be done, so more power to you. As it stands, though, the section could use a bit of reworking, it seems a bit fragmented, especially the line "The majority of US paper currency is actually held outside of the United States.". One line paragraphs should be avoided whenever possible. -FunnyMan 23:46, Dec 30, 2004 (UTC)

The Myth of US Dollar Acceptance

Some people say that you can spead U.S. currency everywhere in the world.That it is accepted everywhere? Is this a myth?

If people said that I can spead it anywhere in the world,why is it that when I went to the United Kingdom for a vacation,why is it that I had to exchange american dollars into british pounds?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.127.138.189 (talk • contribs)

Most people in the world recognize the value of the US Dollar, however the extent of what you can do with US currency is limited by local conditions, customs, laws, and traditions. In a developed country such as the United Kingdom, where the local currency is stable and most businesses deal exclusively in pounds, there is a natural tendency to prefer a currency exchange.

In many other cases, however, especially in developing countries where there is no stable currency, the US Dollar is readily accepted. So while I'd say, in the strictest sense, it is a myth that the US Dollar can be spent anywhere, it's not that far-fetched. --AlexWCovington (talk) 10:13, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

As recently as 2003, Vietnam is one example nation where the US Dollar is, unofficially, preferred by private vendors.192.91.171.42 21:09, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

I travel a lot in China (Mainland). In 2007.02 I tried to spend Chinese Yuan, USD and Canadian Dollars. The only places that accepted USD were the airport duty free stores and "upscale" (Expensive) locations. None of the street vendors or small stores wanted the USD. One accepted the Canadian dollars - but I think it was because they liked the colors and wanted it for the way it looked not its value as money. In Beijing and Shanghai, almost all the vendors could convert from Yuan to tell me how much it was in US$ and Canadian$, but they didn't want payment in either currency. Compare this to when I was last in Switzerland, where even the smallest Inn accepted USD and Canadian$, but the majority of stores didn't accept either for commerce. Last year (2006.08) when I was in Panama, they were happy to accept US$ but not CDN$. When I was most previously (2006.11) in inner China - the street vendors didn't even know what a US$ or CDN$ was. Yuan was the only option. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.18.198.102 (talk • contribs) 06:53, 16 February 2007

I have a friend who spent a few months in Vietnam. He had to exchange his USD into Vietnamese dong before he can spend. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 20:41, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

That is completely a myth. Out of 200 or so countries or territories, only a few would adopt the USD unofficially despite the presence of their national currencies. On the top of my head, Cambodia is one example, where values of 1 USD or more are paid in USD, and the Cambodian riel (1/4000 dollar) serves as a subunit. But even in Hong Kong, where foreign tourists are literally everywhere, HKD is still the preferred currency. It would be absurd to spend USD directly there. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 04:16, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Hyperbole language such as "completely a myth," is neither accurate or scholarly.192.91.171.42 21:30, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Well here in Australia, no one will accept the US dollar as payment, for the same reason in America the Australian dollar is not accepted, and from being in Hong Kong they dont accept US dollars either. Enlil Ninlil 05:23, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

Furthermore, even in Australia, a US Dollar will retain value better than even an Australian Dollar. For example, a circa 1800 US $1 bill will still have at least US $1 in value. However, a circa 1980 Australian $1 bill will buy absolutely nothing because it has been phased out, as is done often and regularly with the circulating currencies of most non-US nations. Try using a circa 1980 French 10 franc piece somewhere. Even in 1998, before the euro currencies came along, it had already become worthless. There are counter-examples however. A circa 1940 US $100 silver certificate will be almost worthless today.192.91.171.42 21:28, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Just because other countries invalidate their currencies more often doesn't mean the USD is readily welcomed in most other countries at this moment. Only people in a country that is politically and financially unstable would resort to a stable foreign currency, like the German mark in Yugoslavia in the mid 1990s. Most countries today are politically and finically stable. Try using USD to buy these:

• Grocery in a supermarket in China
• Drinks from a vending machine in Japan
• Stamps in a Brazilian post office
• Anything in Turkey

Most people will probably tell you politely that you need to exchange that first (well, except for the example of vending machine, and if you look like tourist) --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 20:41, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

Yes. However, that is not the point. The point is the possibility of exchange. The point is that today, you will get more value for a USD at any bank in any place in the world than you would with any of these other invalidated vehicles of currency. Of course, this rule precludes numismatic considerations. Any wise bet taker, though diversifying his assets, would retain USD at this point because they rarely if ever get invalidated. A German mark vehicle of currency today is accepted nowhere for any value unless the vendor is fooled.

The examples that you pose are all very formal establishments. A USD will still gain you value, more often than even the euro, in a farmers market, street market or flea market in Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, Vietnam, Egypt, Morocco and in the examples of Brazil, China and Turkey, etc. Crisp bills will do much better than crumpled, well-circulated types. Again, the USD will do far better than a German mark or French franc at this point, because the latter have all been invalidated.

Moreover, the USD still remains the despot's choice of currency. Saddam Hussein came out of his spider hole, not with euros, but with USD.192.91.172.42 22:55, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

I agree with you that on these points:

• The USD is the #1 choice for reserve currency or mean of storing value
• The USD is most likely to retain value for a longer period of time
• The USD can be exchanged virtually at every bank that has foreign exchange operation and private Bureau de Change

However, the point of this discussion is the acceptance of USD for spending, not saving, depositing, exchanging, or retaining value. If you read the very first entry by 65.127.138.189, he/she said:

Some people say that you can spead U.S. currency everywhere

why is it that I had to exchange american dollars into british pounds [during a vacation]

I take that the word spead is a typo of "spend". A flea market vendor in Switzerland doesn't worry about how much value a US$5 bill retain in 5 years, nor is he fleeing from a military campaign. He worries about the hassle of going to an institution to exchange that into Swiss franc. Besides the trouble, the bank definitely does not exchange currencies at the so called "mid rate". There's always a margin. So either the vendor incurs the cost, or he transfers the cost to the buyer. What's the point here? Spending USD in a Swiss market is frown upon. Really, please try spending USD in a formal or informal establishment in these countries, border town excluded, or course. I've been to enough to know that the USD is not readily accepted in most places. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 06:15, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

The U.S. Dollar and the Philippines

If memory serves me correctly, the dollar was also legal tender in the Philippines - and not just when the nation was a U.S. commonwealth, but decades after its independence. 147.70.242.40 19:15, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

Doesn't look like so per [3]. Philippine peso also seems to confirm that. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 01:41, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

The U.S. Dollar and Cambodia

So the currency is legal tender in Cambodia, any evidence? Somalia uses the currency as well but it isn't legal tender there! Is there any evidence of this being so. Thankyou. Enlil Ninlil 05:13, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

I don't believe it is legal tender in Cambodia. Someone added that, which is confirmed by a friend of mine who visited there. However, this does not qualifies as WP:VERIFY. Put a {{fact}} if you'd like. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 06:10, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

I removed it. Someone probably added it because the dollar is accepted by tourist business in Cambodia, but it is not official legal tender. – Zntrip 01:39, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

I believe that it is not just the tourism industry in Cambodia, it's accepted by everyone to a level that, IMHO, deserves to be mentioned in the infobox. But I can see that you didn't remove the detail in the main body. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 01:49, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Well in that case we need to mention other places like Laos, Somalia, and other mainly third world countries that woud use it in the same way as Cambodia. Enlil Ninlil 03:17, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

That would be ideal. Can you enumerate them? --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 03:29, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Currencies pegged to USD, Countries accepting USD

there is a mess in these lists on the page. Panama's currency is pegged to the USD, but they are not using USD as currency (according to the Panama Wikipedia page) "and a few more countries use USD" - who exactly? full list needed. East Caribbean Dollar is pegged to USD.

Most of that section of the article is a mess,Panama is mentioned twice as accepting USD, as well as there being several spelling errors. It reads very poorly. Bilbotv 06:37, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

The infobox should have the full list. There are many different scenarios

1. Use USD notes and its own version of coins
2. Hard peg
3. Float with narrow band

--ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 06:58, 19 December 2006 (UTC)