A Romanian coin - why make some coins no one uses?

A Romanian coin - learn why the Romanian Government make some coins no one uses?

The Romanian money is really great but really, really confusing... it even confuses the local Romanians. I discovered that you can take one of their plastic notes and put it through the wash and it is still as good as new after this time.

You need to made sure you have some 50 bani Romanian coins on you at all times you need them for trolleys. The great thing about this low value coin is unlike in the UK where people will regularly steal the pound from your trolley while your back is turned - it is not worth stealing - if your trolley is empty - or only got a few things in it - they will steal that instead. One heavily pregnant friend found her shopping in a neat pile and the trolley gone - she just burst into tears - and walked out the store. I am just paranoid about the trolley - so never leave it despite the width of each isle.

The beggars are happy to accept 1 ron notes - as are petrol attendants, while a hairdresser needs a bigger tip - as they are best kept happy. They won't thank you for the Romanian coins

There is a lot of confusion about the 100 ron note. When someone says o suta (one hundred) - they could mean 100 ron (20 pound) or 100,000 lei - 2 pound. Depending on who they are - they might keep the difference.

However Romanian shop keepers are more likely to add a few extra lei (1 or 2 ron) to you if they think you won't notice - oddly enough I boycott such shops afterwards and derive great pleasure when they hit troubled times and go out of business.

You do need lots of small Romanian currency - but only notes - for taxis. After the church - they are my biggest rip-off merchants I know. They never - despite driving around all day on short trips - ever have Romanian coins. I was also told never to say 'Thank-you' when you pass over the money, as Romanian taxi drivers understand this to mean - keep the change. You also need to examine the taxi cab doors in minute detail a there are lots of tricks they use to extract money from you.

Another one was to write 7.35 so it looks like 1.35. Only when you are inside and seeing the partially obscured meter will you know you are in trouble. Another trick is to write tariff 1;3.5 - so you pay 3.5 ron per km rather than 1.35. You are certain to loose the argument though you can try to negotiate a he calls in a non-paying customer to the local community police. Once my wallet dropped out my pocket - another teacher saw it after I had left and told her he would give it back to me the next time we met. She thought this was so sweet of him (as far as I can gather, he is still waiting for our paths to cross - as I have never seen either the taxi or wallet again!)... I just thought how stupid can someone really be and still be allowed to teach?

The Romanian coins will quickly accumulate in your wallet - especially the 10 bani piece - but as soon as you remove them, you see the magazine your wife is desperate you collect -from frequent personal experience - will be those few bani more than you have.

Tell us your experiences of the Romanian currency. Have you found the mix of old and new currency requests confusing? Do you collect 1 bani coins or am I alone in this silly activity?

Please learn more about the Romanian currency . This article explains how to watch out for people wanting to rip you off and make you pay more than you should do.

Romanian currency is a challenge that every tourist faces, and most will lose some money on. There are so many different ways to change your money here, that you would almost think Romania was in fact a wealthy nation. I never did work out why so many Romanians are wanting to change Euros into local currency or vice versa, when most Romanian's salaries are in the local currency, and not quite enough to cover the costs of day to day living as it is.

Currency in Romania is so confusing, that I propose that we just scrap the whole thing and start a new, secure currency based entirely on the price of a pint of beer. This means it will be stable and everyone will finally be able to truly say they have liquid assets they can share! Tell me your ideas on this issue!

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