Common money scams in Cambodia, and what they cost you

Cambodia prices in US dollars and gives riel as change under a dollar, which makes it one of the easiest countries anywhere for an American to handle, and also creates its most common trap. The UK FCDO records travelers being handed fake dollar bills as change in shops and clubs. The cost is simply the face value of whatever note you were given, so usually a dollar or five, sometimes a twenty, and the annoyance is that you will not discover it until the next place refuses it. Check that notes you receive are genuine, and also that they are not torn or heavily worn, because Cambodia rejects damaged dollars and a battered note in your pocket is money you cannot spend.

The riel side is quieter. Change under a dollar comes back at a steady 4,000 riel to the dollar, so 2,000 riel is 50 cents. Know that one number and short-changing has nowhere to hide. Carrying clean, newer small bills is the single best preparation for the whole country, and the mechanics are in the Cambodia cash and cards guide.

The Angkor pass has one price and one seller. In 2026 it is 37 dollars for one day, 62 for three days and 72 for seven, sold only by Angkor Enterprise, either online at its official government site or at the ticket centre on Road 60 and its self-service kiosks. The price is identical wherever you buy it, so there is no such thing as a discount pass. Anything offered by a driver or a shop is therefore either a markup on the same ticket or a counterfeit that will not scan at the gate, which means paying twice. Children under 12 enter free with a passport as proof. A licensed tour that includes the pass in its price is fine; a stranger selling you the pass itself is not.

Two smaller Angkor costs are worth planning for. Several nearby sites are not covered by the Angkor pass and need separate tickets, so check before you set off rather than at the gate. And the Cambodian authorities enforce a dress code at Angkor Wat and other religious sites: you can be refused entry in shorts or skirts above the knee, or with bare shoulders. Being turned away on a ticket you have already paid for is a real and entirely avoidable cost.

The Cambodian tourist visa has a published price, and knowing it is the whole defense. The official e-visa costs about 36 dollars all in, a 30 dollar visa plus a 6 dollar processing fee, applied for on the government portal. A visa on arrival at the airport is about 30 dollars in clean US cash with a passport photo. Every air arrival also files a separate e-Arrival Card, which is free. Third-party visa sites charge well above the official fee for the same document, so use the government site, and see the Cambodia cost guide for the current entry requirements.

The FCDO is specific about where this goes wrong: at land crossings, local officials and tour operators can ask for unofficial fees or inflate visa prices, and it advises knowing the correct requirements and fees before you travel. Note that the land borders with Thailand, including the Poipet crossing, remain suspended, so most visitors now fly in and this applies mainly to the Vietnam and Laos crossings. If you are quoted more than the published fee at a border, the published fee is the answer.

Cambodia's tuk-tuks are genuinely useful and most drivers are exactly what they appear to be. The pattern travelers report consistently, though it is not something government advisories track, is commission routing: a driver who befriends you at the airport or bus station, then mentions your guesthouse has closed or moved, or knows a better shop, a better tailor, a better tour. The ride is real; the recommendation is paid for. It rarely costs much directly, but it costs you the afternoon and it inflates whatever you buy at the other end. Verify a closure yourself with a phone call, and agree the fare and the stops before you set off, or use PassApp or Grab, where the price is fixed in advance. The Cambodia taxis and ride-hailing guide covers how each option works.

One rule from the FCDO is worth pulling out because it turns a small dispute into a large one: do not hand over your passport as a guarantee for returning a motorcycle or scooter. Offer a cash deposit instead. The same advisory notes that police can issue on-the-spot fines for riding without a helmet, and that riding without one may also void your insurance, so a cheap helmet is the cheapest thing you will buy in Cambodia.

Almost everything here costs a few dollars at a time and is avoided by the same short list: check every note you are handed, buy the Angkor pass from Angkor Enterprise, know the official visa fee, agree the fare and the stops before you set off, and never leave your passport as security. The ones worth active care, because they can reach real money, are the passport deposit and buying an Angkor pass from anyone other than the official seller.

Handled calmly, none of this should shape your trip, and Cambodia's dollarized cash means there is barely anything to convert in the first place. For getting and spending money well while you are there, see the Cambodia cash and cards guide and the Cambodia cost guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on Cambodia

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Do I need cash in Cambodia, or can I use cards?Cash, mostly, and here is the unusual part: the everyday cash is the US dollar. That makes Cambodia one of the simplest countries anywhere for an American to handle, with one condition about the state of your banknotes.
• Tipping in CambodiaNothing here is obligatory, and a small tip goes a long way. Because you are already spending US dollars, tipping is simpler than almost anywhere: a dollar or two, handed over, in the currency you are carrying.
• Taxis, tuk-tuks and ride apps in CambodiaThe tuk-tuk is how you get around here, and the apps have taken the negotiation out of it. Install one before you land and the fare stops being something you argue about on a hot street corner.
• Do US citizens need a visa for Cambodia?Yes, and Cambodia breaks the usual rule. Almost everywhere, applying online in advance is the cheaper route. Here it is the dearer one, and the cheaper route wants clean cash and a photo. Here is what each actually costs, and the official place to get it.
• Staying connected in Cambodia.Cambodian mobile data is among the cheapest in the world. A few dollars buys more gigabytes than most travelers use in a month, which makes the decision here easy and makes our commission argument weak.
• What does getting sick in Cambodia cost?The everyday side is manageable: Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have clinics used to foreign patients, and you walk in and pay. The part worth planning for is that Cambodia stabilises serious cases rather than treating them, so the real bill is the flight to Bangkok.