Common money scams in Egypt, and what they cost you

Street taxis are where most tourists lose a little money: the driver refuses the meter or claims it is broken, quotes in dollars or euros, takes a long route, or has no change for a big note. The clean fix in Cairo and other big cities is a ride-hailing app, Uber or Careem, which shows the price up front and removes the haggling. If you do take a street cab, agree the fare before you get in and carry small notes so no change is needed.

At Cairo airport, ignore the drivers who approach you inside the hall quoting flat fares several times the real price, and use the official taxi desk, a pre-booked transfer, or Uber and Careem. Be wary too of helpers who grab your bags or offer to walk you through customs, then demand a large payment; accept help only from uniformed official staff. Do not change money with anyone outside the airport, since unofficial exchange is illegal and a route to counterfeit notes.

The classic Giza trap is the camel or horse ride: a handler offers a cheap-looking price, then once you are up, demands much more to let you down or to bring you back, or adds a fee for photos. Agree the full price, including the return, clearly out loud before you get on, or book a ride through your hotel or a reputable operator. The related move is a photo helper who takes your phone to snap a picture, then wants a tip to hand it back.

Around every major site you will meet fake guides offering tours at inflated prices with little real information, and touts selling tickets or claiming to skip a line. Buy tickets only at the official counter, and if you want a guide, arrange a licensed one through your hotel or a known operator in advance. Anyone offering exclusive access to a closed area is inventing it.

Baksheesh (tipping) is woven through Egyptian life, and small tips for genuine service are normal and expected: a few Egyptian pounds for a helpful porter, washroom attendant or driver. The trap is the manufactured favor: someone points you toward something you did not ask about, opens a door, or insists on showing you a view, then presses for a tip.

The habit that keeps this in proportion: carry a pocket of small notes for tips you actually want to give, tip modestly and only for real service, and feel free to decline unrequested help with a friendly but firm no. You are not obliged to pay for a favor you did not ask for.

In the souks and around the sites, prices are rarely fixed and the first number is aimed at tourists, so haggling is expected: ask your hotel what a scarf, spice or papyrus should roughly cost, start well below the opening price, and be ready to walk away. Watch for items quietly added to your total, or a free tea or gift framed as hospitality that then obligates a purchase; accepting tea does not oblige you to buy.

At the ATM and card machine, when asked whether to charge in dollars or Egyptian pounds, always choose pounds: the dollar option uses a poor built-in rate that quietly costs you several percent. Use bank ATMs over free-standing machines, and keep an eye on your card. Dollars are sometimes welcomed in shops and by drivers, but at a bad rate, so pay in pounds.

Nearly everything here costs a few dollars to a few tens of dollars and is avoided by the same short list: Uber or Careem instead of street taxis, agree prices first, carry small notes, buy tickets at official counters, and pay in Egyptian pounds. The one worth active care is unofficial currency exchange, which risks counterfeit notes, so change money only at banks, official bureaux or ATMs.

Held calmly, none of this should shape a trip that is otherwise extraordinary. For getting around, see the Egypt taxis and apps guide, for the tipping detail see tipping in Egypt, and for the wider picture the Egypt cost guide.

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More on Egypt

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Do I need cash in Egypt, or can I use cards?Short answer: cash, mostly. Cards work at hotels and upscale spots, but almost everything else runs on cash, including the constant tipping. Here is how to handle it.
• Uber or Careem in Egypt, and the Cairo airport taxi trapEgypt is one of the places where an app quietly solves the problem. Here is which one to install, why the old street cabs are best skipped, and how to get out of Cairo airport without the invented fees.
• Tipping in EgyptTipping in Egypt, called baksheesh, is not an extra: it is woven into daily life. The trick is to carry lots of small notes and give little and often. Here is how much, when, and in what currency.