Israel loves the US dollar!  You will be able to spend your dollars in most shops.  However, they do not want bills larger than a twenty! You will begin to collect shekels in the change you receive from your purchases.  The exchange rate is usually somewhere between 3 to 4 shekels per dollar.  You should bring at least $70 in one dollar bills for small purchases.  Shops prefer CASH to travelers’ checks.  You may cash travelers checks at the hotel front desk but there is usually a small fee to do so.  Most stores  accept Visa.  MasterCard and American Express is not as widely accepted as the others. Discover Cards are not welcome.  Many people ask, “How much money should I bring?”  This is difficult question to answer .  Every part of your tour is paid for except for each day’s lunch.  You should budget between $7-$12 per lunch.  The average cost of a Falafel (Israeli Sandwich) and a Soft Drink is $7.  If your group stops at a self-serve cafeteria, which we discourage due to the high cost then you may expect to pay between $10-$15.  In an Israeli cafeteria each item has a price.  Please, please be sure that you know what the cost per item is before putting it on your plate.  Many have ignored this only to find themselves being charged excessive amounts.  Our guides and drivers  will assist you in these places. If you plan to buy large quantities of souvenirs, then we suggest using your credit card for those purchases to minimize the amount of cash you will need to have on your person. Many of the stores will ship larger items for you. We try to use only reputable stores that we can trust. However, if you find a shop on your own that offers to ship for you be sure that you take down store information if we need to follow up with them later.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT USING YOUR VISA:

If you intend to use your Visa Card or other credit cards while in Israel, then you must call the 800 number on the back of your card and inform your card company that you will be using your card overseas.  This will help you avoid having your card rejected when making a purchase. 

Shopping: 

New Covenant Tours operates on a full disclosure approach to shopping.  So here is what you need to know and understand about shopping in Israel.  Tourism operates on a commission basis, thus your driver and guide will usually receive a commission from stores and restaurants where you go to shop or eat.  We work with reputable drivers and guides that know that we will not tolerate high-pressure tactics to get you into over priced stores.  There are a few stores where we recommend that you shop.  This recommendation is NOT our guarantee of the lowest prices, but it is our good faith statement to you that we have found these stores reputable and honest.  We do encourage you to bless believers in the land by shopping in their stores.  A list of these stores recommended by NCT will be included in your final destination packet of documents.