The Ecuadorian currency is the U.S. American dollar, which replaced the former sucre in the year 2000. All commercial and economic transactions are made with US dollars. The most widely used notes are the $1, $5, $10, and $20, while the $50 and $100 bills are mainly for big transactions. You should try to take small denominations of bills or coins and be aware that some businesses (gas stations, some restaurants, and even some shops) do not accept bills over $20.
On the other hand, it is generally very easy to pay with all major credit cards, most commonly American Express, Visa and MasterCard, but only in the more important towns.
The unit money in Ecuador is the USA $1 bill, or the USA $1 coin (also known as the Sacagawea dollar); both are widely used. Ecuador mints its own 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, and 50 cent coins, and they have the same size, shape, and weight of the USA coins. Ecuadorian coins feature different designs than those of the US American coins and are of no value outside Ecuador. US coins can be used in Ecuador.
You can use your credit card to withdraw money from ATMs located everywhere in major cities
