How to price in dollars and lira in Lebanon

The simplest way to price in Lebanon is to set every price in US dollars, show the lira amount as a second line at one store rate that you choose and date, round the lira to a sensible step, and keep the rate of the day on every order. Customers then see one clear number, can pay in either currency, and nobody argues at the door.

This guide explains each step, for an online store and for the counter.

Why price in dollars first

Most shops in Lebanon already think in dollars: suppliers invoice in dollars, rent is in dollars, and customers compare prices in dollars. A dollar price list stays stable when the lira moves, so you do not have to reprint labels or edit a hundred products.

Lira still matters. Many customers carry lira, want to know the lira amount before paying, or need lira change. Showing it clearly is part of good service. The rule is simply that the dollar price is the reference and the lira is a translation of it.

Choose one store rate

Your store rate is the number of lira you accept for one dollar. Choose it on purpose:

• Stay close to the rate your customers know. If your rate is far from the one they see elsewhere, they will notice and feel cheated, even when the difference is small.
• Keep one rate for everything. The same rate on the website, at the counter, for the driver and on the receipt. Two rates in one shop is the fastest way to start an argument.
• Decide who changes it and when. For example, the owner checks it every morning, and changes it only before opening, never in the middle of the day.
• Show the date. "LBP at 89,500 per dollar, updated 2026-10-05" tells customers the rate is deliberate and current. (That rate is only an example: use your own.)

Show both currencies without confusion

Put the dollar price first and the lira under it or next to it, smaller. Use the same format everywhere:

• On the product page: $25, with 2,238,000 LBP under it.
• In the cart and at checkout: the total in dollars, then in lira, delivery included.
• On the receipt and the delivery slip: both amounts, so the driver and the customer read the same numbers.

Use Western digits and thousands separators for lira. A long number like 2237500 is hard to read on a phone; 2,238,000 LBP is not. If your product cards look crowded with two prices, show only dollars on the cards and both currencies on the product page and at checkout, where the decision is made.

Round lira the sensible way

At a rate of 89,500, a $25 item is exactly 2,237,500 LBP. Nobody pays that. Round it:

• Prices: round to the nearest 1,000 LBP. The $25 item shows as 2,238,000 LBP.
• Change at the till: round to a note you can actually hand over, often the nearest 5,000 LBP. Customers accept a fair rounding rule; they do not accept a cashier inventing one at the moment of paying.

Write your rounding rule in your policies and teach it to anyone who handles cash.

Lock the rate on every order

An online order can be placed on Monday and delivered on Wednesday. If you change your rate on Tuesday, which one does the driver use?

The clean answer: the rate on the day of the order. The customer saw a lira amount when ordering, and that is what they prepared. Record the rate on the order, print the lira amount on the delivery slip, and let the driver collect exactly that. If the rate moved a lot in between, call the customer before delivery rather than surprising them at the door.

Change in two currencies at the counter

At the till, the most common situation is a customer paying in dollars and needing change you only have in lira. For example, an item costs $13.50 and the customer hands you $20. The change is $6.50. You can give $6 and the 50 cents in lira (44,750 LBP at 89,500, rounded to 45,000 LBP if your step is 5,000), or the whole $6.50 in lira.

The lira you hand over leaves your lira drawer, even though the sale was in dollars. That is why a till should count each currency on its own at closing. Our guide to a point of sale for small shops covers drawers, shifts and the Z report.

Write your currency policy down

A short policy, visible in your store and at the counter, saves many conversations. Adapt something like this:

"Our prices are in US dollars. You can pay in dollars or in Lebanese pounds at our store rate, shown on every product and at checkout. Lira amounts are rounded to the nearest 1,000 LBP. For delivery orders, the driver collects the amount shown on your order, at the rate of the day you ordered. Change is given in dollars when we have it, otherwise in lira, rounded to the nearest 5,000 LBP."

Mistakes to avoid

• Prices only in lira. You end up editing every product each time the rate moves, and old screenshots show wrong prices for months.
• "DM for price." Customers wonder whether the price depends on who asks. Show it.
• A delivery fee in one currency and the product in the other. Show one total, in both currencies, fee included.
• A rate nobody can see. If the rate is not written anywhere, the cashier and the customer each have their own.
• Changing the rate on orders already placed. The customer prepared the amount they were shown.

For the cash on delivery side of this, read cash on delivery without the refusals.

How Mahallat handles dollars and lira

In Mahallat, every price is set in US dollars and you enter your rate once, as LBP per dollar, in Settings. The dashboard shows when you last updated it.

• In your online store, the product page shows the lira amount at the store rate under the price, and the cart, checkout and order page show totals in both currencies. Some templates also show lira on the product cards. Lira amounts are rounded to the nearest 1,000 LBP, and your store's footer states the rate.
• At checkout, a customer paying cash on delivery reads that they can pay the driver in USD or in LBP at your rate, and sees the total in both.
• Every order keeps the rate of the moment it was placed. The packing slip, the order screen and the out for delivery email show the amount to collect in dollars and in lira.
• In your shop, you log each sale with how it was paid (USD cash, LBP cash or Whish), and it counts next to your online orders. A full point of sale, with change worked out at your rate and a Z report per currency, is coming soon.

Every new store starts with a 14-day free trial, no card needed, then plans start at $20 a month. See the checkout, payments and pricing.