Money, cards and ATMs in Georgia

Money and paying for things

Georgia uses the Georgian lari (GEL).

• Cards work in the cities. Visa and Mastercard are taken in hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and shops across Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi.
• Cash is still mandatory for marshrutka minibuses, street markets, rural vendors, public toilets and small mountain guesthouses. Carry lari before leaving a city.
• Use bank ATMs: Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank. Avoid standalone machines in tourist areas, which mark up heavily.
• Foreign cards pay a local ATM fee of 3 to 10 GEL per withdrawal on top of your own bank's charge, and per-transaction limits are typically 1,000 to 2,000 GEL. Take out more per visit and fewer visits.
• Decline dynamic currency conversion. Choose "bill in GEL" or "proceed without conversion"; accepting the terminal's rate costs 8% to 15%.
• Exchange in town, not at the airport. City exchange offices run narrow spreads; the booths at Tbilisi and Kutaisi airports are much wider. Withdrawing lari from an airport bank ATM beats exchanging cash there.

Tipping

Check the bill first. Restaurants in Tbilisi and Batumi commonly add a 10% to 15% service charge automatically. Where they have, nothing more is expected. Where they have not, 5% to 10% in cash is a normal gesture.

What things cost