Money, cards and ATMs in Kosovo

The euro, without the eurozone

• Kosovo uses the euro and is not in the eurozone.
• It adopted the currency unilaterally - first the Deutschmark, then the euro - and with Montenegro is one of only two territories using it with no monetary agreement with the EU.
• For you this means nothing to change and nothing to calculate.
• Cards work in Pristina, less reliably in smaller towns.
• Prices are among the lowest in Europe.

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.