Money

"While there are guns and money, there won't be any freedom, Luisa."

- John Marston

Money, in 20th century US Dollars, is the primary currency in Red Dead Redemption. It can be exchanged for goods such as weapons or Consumables. Money can be made for completing certain activities and missions or selling items such as animal pelts. Money can also used to bribe people or to pay off any bounties that may be on the player's head.

Money in Red Dead Redemption is a substantial currency. The scarcity and the value reflect the pre-inflationary value of modern American dollars. The frontier environment is a region of economic growth; sources of income will be ever-present, as will opportunities to spend, lose, and steal. Money is hard-earned and easy to lose after a few bad calls in gambling games. In Multiplayer, money is used for two things, gambling with other players and how much XP you earn, though the only ways to obtain money in multiplayer is to complete challenges, kill enemies, and win at Liar's Dice or Poker against other players. (Note: If you gamble, and lose, you lose money)

Due to the fact that money is useless in fighting the Undead, money is absent and of no use in the Undead Nightmare DLC, being replaced by ammunition and weapons as the new form of currency, usually used to reward the player.

Generating Cash
Various activities and missions can be completed to generate cash for the player:


 * Bounty Hunting: Apprehending bounty targets rewards you cash as well as a boost in honor. The money received depends on whether the apprehended criminal is dead or alive. A live bounty rewards twice as much as a dead bounty. Blackwater and Manzanita Post seem to be the most profitable place to do bounty hunting. Several of the bounties are worth $600 if the criminal is kept alive.


 * Cattle Rustling: Marston can earn loads of quick cash by going to ranches at night and killing and then skinning all the cattle.
 * Gambling: The games of Poker, Blackjack, Liar's Dice, Arm Wrestling, Five Finger Fillet, and Horseshoes are all methods of gambling that can earn the player money. The Elegant Suit outfits allow the player to cheat at poker and the Gentleman's Attire allows one to enter high stakes poker games in Blackwater respectively, which can make it easier for the player to earn large amounts of money. A good opportunity to earn a lot of money from gambling is during Part 1 of the stranger mission Lights, Camera, Action. The player has to win a land deed from playing Liar's Dice, and this is the only time in the game where the ante is $200, as opposed to the normal $20. Repeatedly joining the Liar's Dice session will keep the ante at $200, the game being autosaved everytime the game is won. However, if autosave is loaded then the ante will drop back down to $20.
 * Gang Hideouts: Some of the gang hideouts in the game can yield the player considerable amounts of money from treasure chests found within the hideout. For instance, after killing all the gang members at Fort Mercer, a treasure room is located with two chests containing over $100, and Gaptooth Breach hideout has a treasure chest with over $100 in it. Gang hideouts can be done more than once.
 * Hunting: Hunting involves killing a wild animal, skinning it, and selling its provisions. Many people consider this the best way to get money, especially when hunting animals such as Grizzly Bears, Cougars and Bobcats. Doing this, you can easily make thousands, however be careful as the animals won't just stand there and let you kill them.


 * Plant Gathering: Gathering involves roaming wilderness until a flower icon appears in the mini map, this indicates a plant of some sort. Picking these plants and selling them will net you money. However this is not a very good method as most often the plants are scarce.


 * Robbery: The player can earn money through robbery. This can be done by presenting a weapon to an NPC and demanding money, by robbing bank vaults, or by committing a robbery in randomly generated events. Doing this will cost the player honor, unless the bandana is equipped. If your honor is low enough, this offense will NOT be reported to officials.


 * Treasure Hunter Challenges: Acquiring treasure maps and locating the item(s) within the game's environment can generate money. This is done by either keeping the treasure (if it is coins you find) or by selling it to an NPC (if the treasure is gold bullion)


 * Looting: Money can also be earned by looting dead bodies which usually carry around $5-$10 each. Looting dead bodies can also give you other goods such as Bait or Snake Oil.
 * Quick money can be made with the 'Nice Eyes' random encounter.
 * Certain Missions may also provide income.

Mexico
In Mexico, Marston still uses American dollars even though the form of currency should be the Mexican peso. This was likely to not overcomplicate monetary transactions between the two countries.

American dollars seem to be accepted by just about everyone in Nuevo Paraiso, but it appears that Marston is paid for bounty hunting and other activities or missions in Mexican pesos, according to NPC dialogue.

1 US Dollar is 12.82 Mexican Pesos (July 2010). There was likely a different exchange right during the time of Red Dead Redemption, but historical exchange rates don't extend that far back.

Trivia

 * Just like in the Grand Theft Auto series from Rockstar, money has little value if the player knows what he or she is doing. (For 100% Completion, all buyable properties are needed, as well as all rare weapons and outfits, where some of them have to be bought). Ammunition and consumables can be looted, and horses can be caught and tamed.