Money, cards and ATMs in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The convertible mark

• The currency is the convertible mark (BAM, or KM locally).
• It is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate - the peg dates from the Deutschmark it was designed to replace - so prices convert predictably.
• Euro cash is often accepted in tourist areas at a rate that favours the seller. Pay in marks.
• Cards work in cities, less so in villages.

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.
• Beware the standalone Euronet machines in tourist areas across the region. They add a large fee and push dynamic currency conversion hard. Use a bank's own machine.

Tipping

• Rounding up is normal, 10 per cent for good restaurant service.