Money, cards and ATMs in San Marino

The currency

• San Marino uses the euro under a monetary agreement with the EU and mints its own coins.
• Sammarinese euro coins are collectors' items and are minted in small numbers - you will not get one in change, they are sold in sets.
• Postage stamps are the other collecting tradition and the philatelic office is a genuine attraction for those who care.

Prices

• Prices are broadly Italian, with a tourist premium in the old town.
• VAT works differently - San Marino has its own import tax rather than Italian VAT - which historically made electronics and jewellery cheaper. The gap is much smaller now than the shopfronts suggest.

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.