Time and money in United States
Money
The official currency is the U.S. - the American dollar! Which is also divided into 100 cents U.S.
There are many different denominations and names for the coins in the United States
5 cents - nickel, 10 cents - dime, 25 cents - quarter. Please note - in the U.S. dollar sign ($) is always put before the number, rather than after it ($ 100, $ 50).
If you find a bill of $ 2 par value, do not worry, it's not fake, its just a little old. This note was issued to the 200th anniversary of CSHA limited edition, and not all Americans even know it exists! While they exist, your chances of finding a banknote with denominations of 500, 1000, 5000 or 10 000 USD are negligible. The Federal Treasury has released them in small quantities and it is prohibited to sell them or export them from the country. There is a very rare bank note in existence as well: The 100,000 USD note. It was printed for a very short time to make bank transactions easier for Bank of America. Now, with the development of cashless payment systems, banknotes of high nominal value are gradually being withdrawn from circulation. The Federal Treasury is slowly buying them all back so the chances of finding them now are even smaller.
According to various estimates, approximately 30 to 40% of the country's currency is in cash circulation outside of the US. Because of this, the United States dollar is losing its traditional role to be a universal means of payment. Only about 30% of all purchases that are made in the U.S. are made using cash. Therefore, in order to travel comfortably in the USA, have a credit card as well as traveler’s checks (better in small denominations ($ 20, $ 50). Traveler's Checks are accepted in almost all shops and restaurants and cash will be given as change. The most common traveler's checks are ones issued by American Express and Tomas Cook. Remember to bring a credit card because credit cards required for booking a room at any hotel and to book a rental car, etc. Do not forget to ask your bank if you can use your credit card in the United States.
The most common credit cards include VISA Classic and Eurocard / MasterCard Standard. It is best to acquire better credit cards before you leave because when you return to Russia, the bank may come after you for fees and overages that you didn't know about.
Another interesting point to note: In all U.S. Shops, the price that is stated is without taxes, that is, the price you are seeing is actually about 5-10% lower than what you must pay. The amount of tax you pay is different for each state.
Regarding the tip: In the United States of America, the percentage you should leave for a tip is higher than it is in Europe. In restaurants, bars, taxis, and casinos, you should leave about 10-20% for a tip. In New York this number could reach even higher than 20%. In places like a hotel or anywhere that provides a service to you such as cleaning or shoe shining, a tip of a dollar or two is acceptable. Taxi drivers may look for anywhere between 5 and 10% for a tip.
Time
American time differs from time in Europe to minus 8-12 hours (depending on the state in which you are). Do not forget to move your watch forward on arrival! Of course, this causes some discomfort. Because humans live in particular biological clocks, if there is a sharp change in time zones, your body feels “off.” As a result, on arrival in the United States, you'll want to sleep during the day and will be full of energy at night. But do not worry - it is a bit unpleasant condition that usually only lasts for a day or two and will fix itself soon enough.