On your own, intercity buses in the Dominican Republic are paid in Dominican pesos, and we recommend carrying cash because card payment at ticket counters is not guaranteed. Expreso Bávaro, for example, does not sell online or in advance, according to its website: you buy at the station. With Guagualine's assisted booking you pay upfront, by card or PayPal, and arrive with your ticket.
On your own: carry pesos in cash
Expreso Bávaro does not sell online or in advance, according to its website: you buy at the station. Caribe Tours has ticket counters and sells on its website, and Expreso Punta Cana sells on its website with PayPal. At the counter, even if there is a card terminal, we do not take it for granted: the system can be down. Our rule is to carry pesos for the fare either way. The currency is the Dominican peso, and having the exact amount, or close to it, saves hunting for change.
How much cash to carry per trip
No intercity leg is expensive next to a private transfer, but the cash has to be in your pocket from day one. If you go on your own, budget for the fare. If you book with us, the ticket is included in what you pay when you book, and the cash is for the taxi or Uber to the terminal, local guaguas, water and one surprise. All in pesos and in small notes, because at a street stop first thing in the morning nobody breaks a large one.
Dollars, euros and where to change money
In the Punta Cana area many shops accept dollars, but at whatever rate they decide, which is usually worse than the official one and with no change given back in dollars. With euros it is even less common. The clean way is to withdraw pesos at an airport or hotel ATM when you land, or change at a bank or exchange office in town. Take out only what the first few days need: ATMs charge a withdrawal fee and the peso is useless outside the country. If you land on a Sunday or at night, the airport ATM is your only option before the terminal, so use it even if the fee stings.
Cards and online purchase: what exists and what does not
Caribe Tours sells on its website, and so does Expreso Punta Cana, with PayPal. Expreso Bávaro does not sell online or in advance, according to its own website. With companies that do not sell online, you buy in person and on the day, so it pays to arrive with a margin. Without a ticket bought there is no guaranteed seat: whoever arrives buys, and when the bus is full you wait for the next one. That is why on long weekends and holidays it is better to take one of the first morning departures rather than the last, which is the one that sells out.
How our assisted booking works with payment
Our assisted booking costs from 20 USD per person, with secure payment when you book and a full refund if we cannot get your ticket. If your trip leaves in just a few days, you leave a request with no charge and we send you the payment link once the seat is confirmed. That payment covers the ticket and the management, so you reach the stop with the trip already paid and no cash to worry about for the fare. We are an independent intermediary with no commercial agreement with the operators: the journey is provided by the carrier named on your confirmation. What we confirm with you on WhatsApp or email is the exact stop, what time to show up and what to do if the bus is full. We will never ask for your card number over chat or ask you to pay again: if someone does that in our name, it is not us.
