For nearly 30 years, travelers who arrive or leave Denver International Airport have had a reliable global currency exchange service to depend on.
Located at the center core of A and B gates, as well as the Jeppesen Terminal Level 5, World Wide Money Exchange has operated at Denver International Airport since the airport opened in 1995. The business, operated by president and CEO of World Wide Money Exchange, Deborah Quintana, trades in 65 different foreign currencies, providing international and domestic wires, traveler’s checks, money orders, postage stamps, and limited business services.
Quintana, a Latina, became the only woman to own and operate a foreign money exchange business at a major airport in the United States when World Wide Money Exchange opened. She worked to earn a contract with the City of Denver by learning procurement or the process of finding, acquiring, buying, and sourcing goods, services, or works from external services. Quintana has been recognized for her work at World Wide Money Exchange, including through the Latinas First Foundation, a nonprofit that honors Colorado’s Latina trailblazers and unsung heroines.
Quintana’s journey to establishing a successful business has been marked by ups and downs, navigating through significant events such as COVID-19, 9/11, and other incidents that impacted travel. Despite these challenges, World Wide Money Exchange stands resilient as a staple at Denver International Airport today.
“I think we should be a feather in the city’s cap perhaps. We shut down during COVID because the city shut down, and we survived so many things going on around the world that affect currency,” said Quintana.
“We’re dealing with a transient population. We train people, we give them all the tools they need, we pay for their transportation, parking, provide excellent benefits,” Quintana later added. “We don’t hold back on our professional services.”
In 2014, World Wide Money Exchange replaced three prior locations in the airport with an updated look and feel. Originally founded in 1991, World Wide Money Exchange operates on honesty, integrity, financial strength, and service. The business also operated at Colorado’s previous Stapleton Airport.
When traveling to or from a country outside the United States, World Wide Money Exchange makes it easy to get the currency you will need. The business offers a flat fee of $10 to exchange any amount up of up to $1,000. Transactions typically take five minutes or less and there is no minimum amount for an exchange.
While many people use credit/debit cards, most cards charge a flat fee every time the card is used abroad. Transaction fees on abroad purchases can be wiped away when using a country’s currency.
In 2022, international passenger traffic at Denver International Airport reached more than 3.3 million passengers, according to the airport. Denver International Airport is considered to be the third busiest airport in the world, accord- ing to data from Airports Council International. The airport also ranked as the seventh-busiest airport in the world for the first five months of the year. Officials at the airport project that 100 million passengers will travel through the airport by 2028.
Quintana praised current Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington, saying the current leadership is a pleasure to work with, and that the changes leadership has made has been something to look forward to.
“As someone who has been here since day one, I think (Washington) has come in here with a very different attitude about diversity than probably anyone else has,” she said.
World Wide Money Exchange is open Monday through Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information about the business can be found at worldwidemoneyexchange.net or by emailing sales@worldwidemoneyexchange.net. To reach World Wide Money Exchange, you can call the main terminal at 303,342,0190, Concourse A at 303-342-0191, or Concourse B at 303-342-0613.
