Currency

The official currency in Taiwan is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$, or TWD). Coins come in denominations of NT$1, 5, 10 and 50, while notes are issued in values of NT$50, 100, 500 and 1000. In general, one Australian Dollar equals about 23 to 25 New Taiwan Dollars. Here is a link to Australia's Foreign Exchange Services (Oz Forex):

http://www.ozforex.com.au/cgi-bin/convert.asp

The Australian Dollar is not widely accepted in most places in Taiwan. Make sure you exchange some New Taiwan Dollars either in Australia or on arrival at Taiwan in the airport. Meanwhile, the Australian Dollar is available through most banks and major hotels in Taiwan.

Major credit cards are valid and widely used in Taiwan, except in some small shops and restaurants, or in the countryside. Make sure you always carry some cash in the cities and the rural areas. As for traveler's cheques, they can be exchanged for New Taiwan Dollars in banks or international hotels; but in rural areas they are generally not accepted in shops and restaurants.