Currency and payment in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is one of the few European Union member states that still uses its own currency – the Bulgarian LEV (BGN). The Bulgarian lev has a fixed exchange rate for the EUR with a currency rate of...

ATM withdrawal in Spain without fees

In Spain, you'll find that most ATMs ("cajero automático" in Spanish, "caixer" in Catalan) have a withdrawing fee for international cards like Visa/Mastercard. ATMs are legally required to indicate...

Using the Japanese Yen

Japan is a county that relies heavily on the use of cash in its society. It was a cultural shock for me during my time abroad to carry so much paper money around. Growing up in the US, I much...

ATM withdrawal in Costa Rica without fees

In Costa Rica you'll find that most ATMs ("cajero automático") have a fix withdrawing fee for international cards like Visa/Mastercard. ATMs that have fees are legally obliged to display a screen...

Thai ATM swallowed my card!

"For security reasons all cards that have been retained by ATMs are destroyed." (Bangkok Bank Website) This is now the stated policy of all Thai Banks. In the case of overseas visitors using cards to...

How to pay for your stay in Iran

As you may know, Iran has been subject to several embargo's over the past years. As a result, banking relationships between the country and the rest of the world are non-existent. What does it...