14 Tips to Save Money in Wallis & Futuna

Wallis and Futuna's budget accommodation options are local guesthouses, and they're one of the best ways to stretch your travel dollars. These charming retreats are typically run by locals and offer a much more genuine experience than your average hotel stay.

Camping and homestays can also be arranged for those seeking even more immersive experiences for a fraction of the average hotel price.

We've compiled all our favourite budget-friendly options in The Best Budget Accommodations in Wallis and Futuna.

When it comes to paying your way in Wallis and Futuna, we not only recommend paying with cash, as it's often the only accepted form of payment, but also to avoid card fees.

Vendors charge an extra 3 to 6% on all purchases made by foreign bank cards, which certainly adds up after a few purchases!

Bring some cash to Wallis and Futuna with you to start your first few days, then exchange it in Mata'Utu (see the point below) on arrival.

When you start to get low on funds, withdraw as many CFP francs as you feel comfortable carrying from an ATM to see you through a few more days.

Learn more about paying your way through the islands using What is the Best Way to Pay in Wallis and Futuna? LINK#TT016 and keep your cash safe following our Wallis and Futuna Safety Tips LINK#TT046.

The local currency is the CPF francs, which can be exchanged at banks and currency exchange bureaus, so shop around at home for the best exchange rates before heading to Wallis and Futuna. If you don't have the time, then exchange at the currency exchange bureaus at Hihifo Airport.

Where is the best place to exchange currency in Mata'Utu? Wallis and Futuna's bank, Bank of Wallis and Futuna (BWF), tends to have better exchange rates for swapping foreign currency for francs.

For more on currency exchange, take a look at our tips in The Best Place to Exchange Currency in Wallis & Futuna LINK#TT018.

For the very few cruises that make it to Wallis and Futuna, let's be honest, they have a reputation for charging eye-watering prices for shore excursions, and we've seen markups of up to 300%!

That's why we always recommend booking your activities independently. You'll save a considerable amount whilst having much more flexibility with your time.

For cruise passengers looking to make the most of their time ashore, we recommend checking out our 10 Best Shore Excursions in Wallis & Futuna LINK#TTD129. Better yet, book all your Wallis and Futuna tours directly through book.wallisandfutunapocketguide.com and skip those hefty cruise line fees entirely!

Speaking of accommodations, those with kitchen facilities are available in some of the guesthouses across Wallis. Buying local groceries and cooking for yourself will save you a ton compared to eating out continuously.

So, look out for listings with kitchen facilities in our guide, Where to Stay in Wallis and Futuna: Best Accommodations, and follow the advice in A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Wallis and Futuna LINK#TT020 to learn about where to shop.

That's right, hitchhiking is actually quite common in Wallis and Futuna.

With no public transport system on the islands, locals and visitors alike rely on the kindness of strangers for lifts. It's part of the island culture, and you'll find people are generally happy to help.

If someone does give you a ride, it's always appreciated (and polite) to offer a small contribution towards petrol money. From our experience, most locals won't expect it, but they'll certainly appreciate the gesture.

That said, hitchhiking isn't the most reliable way to explore the islands if you're on a tight schedule. But if you need a quick ride to the next village and you're not in a rush, why not give it a go?

For more tips and safety advice, check out A Traveller's Guide to Hitchhiking in Wallis & Futuna.

Here's something we've learned the hard way: baggage allowances for flights between Wallis and Futuna are surprisingly strict, and they can hit your wallet if you're not careful.

If you book your domestic flights with your international flight, you're given the international allowance, which is a good way to save on excess baggage fees. Otherwise, if you're flying domestically within Wallis and Futuna without any international connections, you'll get 5 kg (11 lbs) for carry-on baggage and even 10 kg (22 lbs) check-in baggage if you book the cheapest ticket. Eek!

The good news is that if you're travelling between Mata'Utu and Pointe Vele on ATR aircraft with connections to New Caledonia or Fiji, you might get 30 kg (66 lbs) of checked luggage.

Stick to these limits religiously. They're incredibly strict about enforcement, and you'll be looking at extra fees for an overweight bag or even more if you need to check an additional piece.

Our advice? Weigh your bags before you leave home and pack light.

Other than at your accommodation, where WiFi is usually free, the internet is not something to take for granted in Wallis and Futuna. Apart from a few limited situations that we list in How to Get Internet & WiFi in Wallis and Futuna LINK#TT023, you won't find a WiFi hotspot around every coconut tree.

As for roaming, good luck finding a carrier that offers roaming in Wallis and Futuna.

If you plan on keeping connected for your whole trip, you'll save money and have a more reliable connection if you connect to the internet using a local SIM card. The local phone networks also hire out portable modems if you need to connect alternative devices or your phone isn't compatible with the local frequency.

Learn more about getting connected with our complete guide, The Best SIM Card in Wallis and Futuna for Travellers LINK#TT027.

The highlights of Wallis and Futuna are perfectly circular crater lakes, historical forts and cannibal oven sites, and viewpoints across the islands and lagoons—natural wonders that showcase the archipelago's unique character.

Discovering these cultural and natural sites doesn't demand too much from your wallet, even if you need to pay entry fees, as is customary in Wallis and Futuna. Fill your time sightseeing instead of doing costly activities and you're sure to save big!

For a list of affordable attractions and experiences, in which we state what's free and what's not, take a look at 20 Free & Cheap Things to Do in Wallis and Futuna LINK#TTD071.

You'll love eating out at the affordable "snack bars" and takeaways we've discovered during our visits to Wallis and Futuna. We've listed all our favourite budget-friendly spots in our cheap eats guide LINK#TTD048!

From what we've experienced, most of the best local finds and street food gems are covered in our cheap eats article LINK#TTD048, so if you're planning to dine out, this guide will definitely help you save money whilst discovering some local flavours.

Whatever you do, don’t waste money (and kill the environment) by buying bottles of water throughout your trip.

If you know you’re staying at an accommodation with filtered drinking water, have a few reusable water bottles to refill at the resort before you head out.

Alternatively, we highly recommend using a water purification bottle, such as Lifestraw, which removes 99.999999% of bacteria and 99.999% of parasites from water. That way, you can refill the bottle from any tap water you come across.

We’ve used ours right across the South Pacific with no issues!

For more tips on having access to water, check out Is the Water Safe to Drink in Wallis & Futuna? LINK#TT044

The more people you travel with, the more savings you’re likely to make!

Whether it’s splitting the cost of a car rental LINK#T007 or even doing a boat charter LINK#TTD138, there are certainly more savings to be made as a tribe.

Speaking for car rental, find more ways to save with The Cost of Renting a Car in Wallis & Futuna: Full Car Rental Cost Breakdown LINK#T004.

Before we conclude this list of money-saving tips, we can't forget to mention how you can save money on your trip to Wallis and Futuna by saving on your flight to Wallis and Futuna!

Although Wallis and Futuna doesn't have the luxury of having multiple airlines that serve the islands to compare flights, one way you can save money is for those parking at the airport before departing for Wallis and Futuna.

Be sure to compare third-party park-and-ride companies rather than just paying at the official airport car park. They are usually significantly cheaper!

If you've made it all the way to this point on this list of tips to save money in Wallis and Futuna, then you probably don't need this tip but we'll tell you anyway… Doing your research about Wallis and Futuna before you travel ensures that you're staying in the best-value accommodation, getting the best deals on activities, and making your dollars stretch further thanks to the money-saving tips we offer here at Wallis and Futuna Pocket Guide!

Head to The Backpacking & Budget Travel Guide to Wallis and Futuna LINK#TT061 for more ways to shave the costs.