Money, cards and ATMs in Sweden

The cashless reality

Swedish contract law lets a shop refuse cash if it displays a sign saying so, and a great many do.

• Cash is used for well under a tenth of payments and has been falling for a decade.
• Cafes, restaurants, buses, museums and even some banks are card only. "Vi tar ej kontanter" means they do not take cash.
• Do not change money before you come. You will struggle to spend it and lose on the rate twice.
• There are very few ATMs, branded Bankomat, and they are mostly in city centres.

What to bring instead

• Two cards from different networks. Visa and Mastercard both work everywhere; Amex does not.
• Contactless and phone payments are universal and there is no meaningful tap limit.
• A card failure here strands you, because there is no cash fallback. This is the whole reason for the second card.
• Since 1 July 2026 Swedish card terminals must be able to take offline payments, a Riksbank-brokered change made in case of a cyber attack or network failure. It helps, but it is not a reason to travel with one card.
• Swish, the app everyone uses, is closed to visitors because it requires a Swedish bank account and BankID.

Costs

• The dagens lunch is the trick. Weekday lunchtime, a main plus salad, bread and coffee for around SEK 130, at restaurants that charge triple in the evening.
• Alcohol is the expensive part, deliberately, through tax.

Tipping

• Tipping is not expected. Service is included and Swedes typically round up or leave nothing.
• Card terminals sometimes prompt for a tip, which is a recent import. Zero is a normal answer.
• 10% for exceptional restaurant service is generous and appreciated, not required.
• Taxis: round up. Nothing in bars or cafes.