Tiendas en MLC en La Habana Hoy: Status Guide

If you’re searching for tiendas en MLC en La Habana hoy, you’re probably trying to answer one of two questions: which stores still take MLC, or whether it’s even worth sending money that way anymore. Fair questions. Cuba’s currency situation has shifted so much since 2020 that a guide written even a year ago is already out of date in places.

Here’s where things actually stand this September, and how the shift toward dollar-only stores is changing the picture for MLC shoppers in the capital.

What “Tiendas en MLC” Actually Means

MLC stands for Moneda Libremente Convertible, a currency the Cuban government created in 2019 with no physical bills or coins. It exists only as a balance on a magnetic bank card, and for years it was the only way to buy imported goods, appliances, and higher-demand groceries in state-run stores.

The government originally called it a temporary fix. Six years later, it’s still around, though its role is shrinking fast as more stores convert to accepting only U.S. dollars in cash or on international cards.

The Big Shift: MLC Stores Are Turning Into Dollar Stores

This is the part most articles on this topic skip, and it’s the one that actually matters if you’re planning a trip or sending help to family. Dollar-only stores in Cuba went from roughly 85 nationwide in May 2025 to over 200 by October of that year, and the trend hasn’t slowed down. Some of the reconversions have happened at large, well-known locations in provincial capitals and in Havana itself, not just small neighborhood shops.

In practice, that means a store you remember as “the MLC place on 3ra y 70” might now only take dollars. Sometimes the shelves and prices look almost identical to what they were under MLC, just relabeled. Other times a shuttered MLC store reopens weeks later under the dollar system with no warning posted on the door.

For anyone still holding an MLC card, this matters because MLC isn’t accepted at these newly dollarized stores at all. You’d need actual dollars in cash, or a card tied to a foreign bank.

MLC and Dollar Exchange Rates This Week

The informal market, not the official bank rate, is what determines real buying power in Cuba right now. Here’s a snapshot from early September 2026:

Two things stand out. First, MLC has been sliding relative to the dollar and euro, which tracks with its shrinking usefulness as more stores stop accepting it. Second, these numbers move daily and sometimes swing by 20+ CUP in a single day, so treat any figure you read, including this one, as a snapshot rather than a fixed rate. Sites like elTOQUE and CiberCuba update their tracking multiple times a day if you need something closer to real time.

MLC Stores Still Operating in Havana

Despite the dollarization push, plenty of MLC stores are still running in the capital. Here are some of the ones people mention most often when asking what’s open right now.

Stock at any of these can vary week to week, and a product that’s there on Monday may be gone by Friday. If you’re going in person, it helps to check a local Telegram group or a live-updates page before you head out, since standing in line only to find empty shelves is a common complaint.

Buying MLC Groceries Online Instead of In Line

A growing number of Cubans skip the physical lines entirely and buy through MLC-based online stores instead, paying with the same magnetic card through Enzona or Transfermóvil. If that route interests you, Katapulk’s daily deals in Cuba is a good place to see what’s currently listed and at what price, and Villa Leche is worth checking if dairy and basic groceries are what you’re after. For anyone shipping something sweeter for a birthday or holiday, Supermarket23’s confituras selection covers candy and treats specifically.

If you’re not familiar with how these online stores actually operate day to day, from payment quirks to delivery windows, this breakdown of running an online store in Cuba explains the mechanics better than most.

An Alternative: Sending Goods Directly Instead of Relying on MLC

Here’s the thing worth saying plainly: MLC stores are unreliable enough right now, between empty shelves and sudden dollar conversions, that a lot of families abroad have just switched to shipping items directly instead of funding an MLC card. It’s not always cheaper, but it’s more predictable.

If that’s the direction you’re considering, a few resources are worth a look. Mandar comida a Cuba walks through the basics of sending a food package to relatives. If you’re in South Florida, sending food to Cuba from Miami covers the local agencies people use most. For those in Texas, shipping agencies in Houston is a solid starting point, and if you want to compare a specific provider’s pricing and reviews, Maracuba Envíos has that laid out. Appliances are their own category entirely; if a family member needs a fridge and the state stores are out of stock or dollar-only, this guide to sending a refrigerator to Cuba is a useful reference before you commit to a specific model or courier. And if you’d rather have someone else coordinate the whole shipment, Tu Envío a Cuba explains what that process looks like end to end.

None of this replaces knowing your options at the actual stores, but it’s worth weighing both paths before deciding where your money goes.

FAQs

Are MLC stores still open in Havana in 2026? 

Yes, several are, including long-running locations like 3ra y 70 and Carlos III. But the number is shrinking as more convert to dollar-only, so don’t assume a store that took MLC last year still does.

What’s the difference between a tienda en MLC and a tienda en dólares? 

A tienda en MLC accepts the digital MLC currency loaded onto a bank card. A tienda en dólares only takes cash US dollars or specific international/national bank cards (Classica, AIS, Tropical), and will not accept MLC at all.

Can I still load money onto an MLC card from abroad? 

Yes, that option still exists through several remittance and card-loading services, but given how many stores have dropped MLC, it’s worth confirming which locations near your family still accept it before sending funds that way.

Why is the MLC exchange rate dropping? 

As more stores stop accepting MLC and shift to dollars, demand for the currency on the informal market has weakened, which is part of why its rate against the CUP has been falling faster than the dollar or euro recently.

Is it better to send dollars or load an MLC card? 

It depends on where your family shops. If their nearest store has already converted to dollars only, an MLC card won’t help them there. If it’s still MLC, sending dollars in cash carries its own logistics and risk. There’s no single right answer, it comes down to which stores are actually usable in their specific neighborhood.

What happens if a store I know converts to dollars while my family still has MLC saved? 

The MLC balance doesn’t disappear, but it becomes usable only at whichever MLC stores remain open. Some families end up traveling across town to a store that still takes it, or converting the balance informally, which isn’t official but does happen.

Conclusion

The honest answer to “what’s open in MLC in Havana today” keeps changing month to month, and that’s the real story here. A handful of well-known stores like 3ra y 70 and Carlos III are still running on MLC, but the government’s dollar-store rollout has already swallowed a couple hundred locations nationwide, some of them in Havana. 

If you’re planning a purchase or trying to help family shop, it’s worth checking current listings the same week you act rather than relying on a list from even a few months back, and worth weighing whether shipping goods directly might be the steadier option this year.