Travel Money Guide: Poland

Want to know how you can organise your travel money before your trip to Poland? This guide is for you.

Which option is right for your next trip?

Compare travel cards for Poland

• Travel Credit Cards
• Travel Debit Cards
• Prepaid Travel Money Cards

How much zloty do I need to bring Poland?

Poland is still cheap compared to Western Europe and Australia. How you choose to travel will dictate the final cost of your trip. If you eat out (and drink out) every night and stay in nice hotels, your trip will be much more expensive than somebody who rents a bed in a dorm and cooks with food from the market.

Krakow	Budget	Midrange	Expensive
	$15 - $30 per night	2 star hotel $40 - $80 per night	5 star hotel $150 - $250 per night
	Zapiekanki (Polish pizza) $3 Pierogi (Polish dumplings) $5	Restaurant and wine bar $10 - $20 per dish plus wine $20 (500ml)	5 star restaurant traditional set 3 course menu plus drinks $80 a head
	1 hour river cruise $15 Bike tour of Krakow $35 per person	Auschwitz-Birkenau guided tour from Krakow plus museum entry $60 per person	Private wine tour of Krakow over 2 nights with accommodation $250 per person

^{_{*Prices are approximate and for one guest in summer.}}

Exchange rate history

Following a period of economic instability as a result of the global financial and European debt crisis, in recent history, the Australian dollar has been worth about 2.6 - 3 Polish zloty.

Year	Average annual exchange Australian Dollar (AUD) to Polish złoty (PLN)
2012	3.370230
2013	3.057843
2014	2.843892
2015	2.834151
2016	2.854570

Which travel card, debit card or credit card?

You won’t have a problem using your Visa or Mastercard debit card, credit card or travel money card at point of sale terminals and Polish bancomat machines. Like in Australia, American Express is not accepted in as many places as Visa or Mastercard. Card payments are the norm in supermarkets, shops, petrol stations, restaurants and more, especially in major towns and cities such as Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw and so on. There are two charges to worry about: compare products which waive the currency conversion fee when you spend in zloty and compare cards that let you withdraw from Polish ATMs without paying the international ATM withdrawal fee.

Travel money options for Poland at a glance

Travel money option	Pros	Considerations
Debit cards for travel	No currency conversion, international ATM withdrawals or both ATMs are the common feature of the public spaces in Krakow	There is a fee for ATM cash withdrawal (approx. $3) from bankomats
Prepaid travel money cards	Convenient and safe Prepaid travel cards can be used to spend and withdraw (fees may apply)	No Australian travel money cards support Polish zloty There are cheaper travel money products to use than a prepaid travel card
Credit cards for travel	Credit cards are widely accepted, especially Visa and Mastercard Some cards have no annual fees, no foreign exchange fees and they perform currency exchanges at the best possible interchange rate	Credit cards can usually only be used in larger cities and tourist areas and you may be charged to use them Smaller businesses and out-of-city areas credit card acceptance might not be so common
Traveller's cheques	Security Traveller's cheques can be exchanged at the larger hotels	Only accepted by main banks and hotels They are not accepted by kantors.
Cash	Greater payment flexibility Convenience	More difficult to manage expenses Higher risk of theft

_{This table is a general summary of the travel money products in the market. Features and benefits can vary between cards.}

How travel cards, debit cards, credit cards and more work in Poland

Using Australian debit cards

Transaction accounts with travel features don’t charge for currency conversion, international ATM withdrawals or both. Because Poland is not a Eurozone member, you’ll pay a local ATM operator fee when you withdraw cash (approx. $3) from bankomats. You can avoid the international ATM withdrawal fee using the Citibank Plus Transaction Account (the currency conversion fee too). You can save even more money using your Citibank Plus Visa Debit Card to withdraw from Polish Citibank ATMs. Cardholders can withdraw for free from all Citibank ATMs in Poland and all over the world.

• Tip: If you’re a Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne or BankSA cardholder, use Deutsche Bank ATMs in Poland and you won’t pay the international ATM withdrawal fee.

Using credit cards

Travel credit cards let you spend in zloty without paying the additional 3% charge to convert Australian dollars into a foreign currency. This is a handy feature when you’re overseas as it allows you to use you credit card in Poland for approximately the same price as Australia. In Poland, as in most developed countries, credit cards are widely accepted, especially Visa and Mastercard. However, be mindful that in smaller businesses and out-of-city areas credit card acceptance might not be so common.

• Tip: Some credit cards offer complimentary insurances when you meet conditions like pay for your return airfare with your credit card.

Exchange rates. When you make a transaction in zloty using your credit card or debit card, the Visa or Mastercard (or American Express) foreign exchange rate applies. This rate is usually better than the rate you’ll get on a travel card and is pretty close to the market rate.

Using travel prepaid cards

No Australian travel money cards support Polish zloty. Unless you’re using a no currency conversion fee travel card, you’ll pay an additional fee when you use your travel card to spend and withdraw. The cards which don’t charge for currency conversion charge for ATM withdrawals and vice versa. While travel cards may be suited to take to trips to Eurozone member countries, there are cheaper travel money products to use in Poland than a prepaid travel card.

Using traveller's cheques

Traveller’s cheques are a travel money dinosaur. These products have been replaced by debit cards and travel cards and you will have trouble finding a place where you can get your traveller’s cheques cashed. Taking traveller’s cheques to Poland is not advised. Learn more on this guide how to get a refund if you're a victim of a fraudulent transaction.

Paying with cash in Poland

You will find that you can pay using your card in Poland in a similar number of places to Australia. The difference is the time it takes for the transaction to process. It can be minutes rather than seconds with some merchants, and you may get the odd look while a line builds up behind you. Some stores will only take cards for transactions over the Polish equivalent of $20 Australian dollars. Pubs and clubs are frequently cash only as with some restaurants. Of course, markets are cash only.

Back to top

Back to top

Buying currency in Australia

If you want to purchase zloty in Australia, banks and foreign exchange providers can sell you cash before you leave. The following banks and foreign exchange providers can sell you zloty in Australia. Banks charge a commission, Australia Post and Travelex. You can even order your foreign cash online with Travelex and Australia Post and collect the money from Australian international airports.

There’s no limit to the amount of foreign cash you can bring with you to Poland. If you’re carrying more than the foreign currency equivalent of €10,000, and you’re entering Poland from a non-EU member state, you must declare your cash when you enter the country.

Exchanging cash

Aussie dollars, euros, pounds and US dollars can all be easily changed at Polish ‘Kantors’ or exchange offices. Kantors can offer a very good exchange rate. Always use a Kantor which displays a ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ rate, if there is only one rate on display, there’s a good chance it’s a dodgy exchange office and you may get ripped off. In Krakow, head to Slawkowska Street close to the main square of the city to find a decent place to exchange cash. There should be no commission but double check before you start the transaction. Avoid changing money at the airport. If you find yourself in smaller villages, banks will usually change foreign currency, but come prepared with enough Zloty beforehand.

• Tip: Some towns near the border of Eurozone member states may accept euros as a form of payment. Always pay in the local currency to avoid an unfavourable exchange rate.

Finding cash and ATMs in Poland

Contactless payments

Contactless payments are extremely handy when you’re overseas. This form of payment eliminates the minimum transaction limit so common among merchants. Poland has had an enthusiastic uptake of contactless payment technology and is currently the biggest market in Europe for Visa PayWave. Almost half of all Visa payments in Poland are contactless and all Visa point of sale terminals will support contactless payments by 2017.

Why you’ll need a combination of travel money options

The best advice for how to carry and use your travel money while in Poland is to split up your travel funds between cards, always have access to cash to make small payments, and carry enough cash on your person to get you through any small emergency. In larger cities like Krakow and Warsaw, pulling out your card to pay for lunch is not likely to raise an eyebrow; paying with card is perfectly normal. There will definitely be some situations where cash is the preferred, if not the only way to pay. That’s why it makes sense to keep your options open, and have easy access to both cash and cards. If you are planning a trip to Poland, or are considering traveling to Europe, compare the travel money options before you leave. If you have any other tips for traveling wisely and using travel money in Poland, leave a comment in the forum. If you have any questions, ask us using the form below.

Back to top

Get travel insurance quotes for your holiday in Poland

Back to top