Money, cards and everyday payments
Use KM for the everyday budget, with small cash for a bakery, market or taxi and a card where it is accepted. The convertible mark’s banking code is BAM. A fixed euro relationship helps you understand prices, while fees still affect the amount charged.
Cash, cards and the first evening
Hotels, supermarkets, fuel stops and restaurants may take cards, but use the method agreed with the business. A deposit can have different arrangements from payment on arrival. Keep small KM cash for stops that do not take your card.
For a late arrival, settle how you will pay for the journey and collect the keys before leaving home. Keep the agreed price and receipts with the booking details.
Change for the smaller stop
If an ATM gives you a 100 KM note, use it for a larger purchase where change is available, then keep 10 and 20 KM notes for the smaller stops. One, two and five KM coins and smaller fening coins cover everyday change. Ask for the amount due in KM if a quotation starts in euros; agree the payment currency rather than assuming euro cash will be accepted.
Understand a price in KM
The official relationship is €1 = 1.95583 KM. Halving a price in KM gives a rough euro equivalent: 20 KM is about €10. Bank, card-provider or exchange-service fees still affect what you actually pay.
ATMs, exchange counters and currency conversion
At an ATM or exchange counter, compare the offered rate, fees and final amount. Your own bank may add a charge. Use the fixed euro relationship to compare the final cost, including fees.
A card terminal or ATM may offer to bill you in your home currency. This is dynamic currency conversion: the offer has its own exchange rate and possible markup. Paying in KM leaves the conversion with your card provider. Visa says the screen should show both currency amounts, the rate and any extra fees, and that you can decline conversion without losing the ability to pay or withdraw.
If the conversion details are missing or you feel pressured, decline that offer. Keep enough cash for the next part of the trip, with cash and cards in separate places. Save your card provider’s help number; keep the card in sight when paying.
Recognise valid notes
One mark is divided into 100 fening. Banknotes in circulation are 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 KM. Some denominations have different regional designs, so two valid notes of the same value can look different.
Have you kept cash from an earlier visit?
Certain 10, 20, 50 and 100 KM notes issued from 1998 to 2009 ceased to be legal tender on 1 January 2025. The withdrawal applies to those older issues, rather than every note of those denominations. Use the Central Bank’s illustrated guide to identify them.
The Bank’s replacement period runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2035. Old notes need that replacement process before they become spending money; read the Bank’s current instructions if you intend to exchange them.
Describe a trip budget clearly
For a planning request, name the currency, say whether your budget is per person or for the whole party, and list what it should cover. Compare accommodation, transport, activities and exclusions on the same basis.