Money, cards and ATMs in North Macedonia

The denar

• The currency is the Macedonian denar (MKD).
• It is effectively pegged to the euro, so conversion is predictable.
• Euro cash is accepted informally in tourist areas at a poor rate - pay in denars.
• Cards work in Skopje and Ohrid, less reliably elsewhere.
• 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.