Money, cards and ATMs in Andorra

The euro, unofficially

• Andorra uses the euro and is not in the eurozone. It has a monetary agreement with the EU and even mints its own euro coins.
• Cards work everywhere.

The duty-free question

• Andorra's consumption tax is 4.5 per cent - the IGI, the lowest standard rate in Europe, against 20 per cent in France and 21 in Spain.
• Alcohol, tobacco, perfume and electronics are the traditional buys.
• The savings are real and are why the country has more shops than seems plausible for its size.

And the allowance

• You are leaving a non-EU customs territory when you drive out, into France or Spain.
• Duty-free allowances apply and are enforced at the customs posts.
• Exceeding them means paying duty at the border, and the officers do search cars, particularly on Sunday evenings.
• Check the current allowance for the country you are entering before you fill the car - it is published by both French and Spanish customs.

ATMs

• Always refuse the machine's offer to charge you in your own currency. Dynamic currency conversion at an ATM or a card terminal costs several per cent, every time, and the offer is worded to sound helpful. Choose the local currency and let your own bank convert.
• Use bank ATMs rather than the independent machines in tourist areas, which add their own fee on top.