Trying to figure out which ATMs in Greece are the best to use while traveling?

Whether you’re visiting for a few days, weeks or months – it’s important to find the best ATMs to use that have the lowest withdrawal fees and avoiding the worst ATM in Europe (more on that below).

We have been to Greece 5 times (and we’re currently planning our next trip). We know that getting money out of ATMs in Greece can be a struggle (and costly) if you don’t know what you’re doing.

After living in Athens for 2 months as digital nomads and Matthew being Matthew (not wanting to pay any fee at all), we figured out the best ATMs to use and the ones with the lowest withdrawal fees.

Our helpful guide provides you with useful information on ATMs, card payments and all things money in Greece.

Let’s get started!

Key Takeaways

These are the key things to remember when it comes to handling money in Greece.

What Currency Does Greece Use?

The official currency of Greece is the Euro (€).

Greece adopted the Euro back in 2002 when the country joined the Eurozone. The Euro is used by over 20 countries across the Eurozone like Spain, France and Italy.

The currency code for the Euro is ‘EUR’ and the currency sign looks like this €.

If you plan on traveling to other European countries in the Eurozone, you will be using the same currency which is good to keep in mind.

Which ATMs In Greece Should You Use?

These are the 3 best ATMs in Greece to withdraw money:

• Alpha Bank
• Piraeus Bank
• National Bank of Greece

We used Piraeus Bank the most to withdraw cash. We also recommend Alpha Bank!

These are trusted Greek banks with plenty of ATM locations across the country offering the best conversion rates with the lowest withdrawal fees.

With our Revolut and Wise cards, we always get the best conversion rates and our cards are accepted at all 3 ATMs machines.

ATMs To Avoid In Greece

Which bank (ATM) to avoid? Well, let me tell you…

Euronet is the one ATM we despise and it’s all over Greece (plus Europe, for that matter). You’ll find them at most European airports and beware, they are a trap!

Okay, not literally a trap – just an expensive way to withdraw money. If you can’t be bothered to wait and find a Piraeus Bank ATM then it can be convenient because Euronet ATMs are everywhere.

However, if you don’t want to pay high fees and get horrible conversion rates…

…Just avoid Euronet all together!

Euronet has very high withdrawal fees compared to what’s available and they do not give good exchange rates! We say, “PASS”!

Are ATMs Free In Greece?

Unfortunately, no ATMs in Greece we experienced in Greece offer free withdrawals.

We have visited Greece 5 times and lived in Athens for 2 months. Trust me when I say Matthew tried to find an ATM that didn’t charge a withdrawal fee.

But alas, we had to pay a €1.80 withdrawal fee per transaction. This definitely adds up if you’re doing it weekly!

The foreign transaction fee for ATMs in Greece range from €1.50 to €2.50, depending on the bank.

If you do find an ATM with zero withdrawal fees, please let us know! Matthew will be ever so thankful. 😉

Where To Find ATMs In Greece?

An ATM in Greece is never too far away.

Whether you’re traveling through the mainland like Athens and Thessaloniki or you’re hopping between islands through the Cyclades… You can easily find ATMs almost everywhere!

Here’s where you can find ATMs in Greece:

• next to Greek banks
• shopping malls
• along the streets
• near restaurants
• at the airport

The only place it becomes difficult to find an ATM is in rural areas on the mainland or on some islands that are more isolated.

In our experience, we struggled to find ATMs on the island of Paros. Matthew and I traveled from Athens to Paros on our honeymoon and we stayed in a town called Naousa located north of the island.

Back in 2019, we had to travel from Naousa to Parokikia (the main port city) to withdraw from an ATM. In recent years, there are now multiple ATMs available in Naousa.

We also needed to go the main town to get SIM cards but thankfully, we use eSIMs in Greece now which have removed the hassle of going to a store to get mobile data.

We took the ferry from Paros to Antiparos for a day trip and withdrew cash beforehand because there’s only 1 ATM on the small island. If you have the chance to visit Antiparos, we highly recommend it!

Other than these unique situations, if you find yourself in a (very) rural area, you should be able to find ATMs all around Greece!

ATM Withdrawal Limit In Greece

The maximum withdrawal limit in Greece is generally €600 to €900 EUR ($650 to $975 USD) per transaction.

If you’d like to take out more cash, you will have to withdraw multiple times and pay the withdrawal fees each time.

Most ATMs in Greece dispense €50 euro notes. It’s can be rare to receive €100 euro notes.

Some businesses will not accept €100 euro notes so €50 euro notes are the norm. If you want smaller notes, you can break up your change at convenience stores or transportation ticket machines.

⭐️ TTA TIP: When withdrawing large amounts of cash (more than the max withdrawal limit), we suggest going to a trusted Greek bank branch instead of a stand-alone ATM.

Cash or Card In Greece?

You can pay by cash and card throughout Greece.

Nowadays, it’s very common to pay by card at restaurants, activities and transportation.

We rarely had cash with us in Greece but we always kept around €20 to €50, just in case the odd shop doesn’t take card payments.

These are usually at smaller shops like bakeries or gyros stands further out of the city center of Athens, for example.

For most places, especially if you’re visiting popular tourist destinations like Athens, Santorini or Mykonos, you won’t have any issues paying by card at restaurants, shops and transport rentals.

The best thing to do is to have both cash and card!

We recommend bringing multiple debit cards and credit cards with you. It helps to have a variation, in emergency sitations!

We have Wise cards which are Mastercard and Revolut cards which are Visa.

There are plenty of times where Revolut wouldn’t work but Wise would for some reason. Having both options have saved us on many occasions!

You don’t need to have Euros before you land in Greece. We find you get worse exchange rates if you withdraw in your home country before your trip.

It’s easy to pay with a bank card in Greece (tapping or inserting) which you can do until you get to your hotel/Airbnb or the city center to find an ATM nearby.

If you want the best conversion rates and lowest withdrawal fees, wait until you get into the city center.

Which ATMs To Use In Greek Airports?

The airport ATMs in Greece are complete rip-offs! 😝

We don’t recommend withdrawing money from an ATM at the airport, usually. Ehem, (Euronet)! These ATMs have high withdrawal fees and bad conversion rates.

Matthew absolutely hates paying these kinds of fees and we avoid them like the plague.

In our experience, it’s better to wait till you get to the city center to use the right ATM.

But how to get from Athens Airport to the city center or to Piraeus port easily?

We use and recommend Welcome Pickups for the smoothest arrival. Simply book online in advance and someone will be waiting for you in the arrivals area to take you to your hotel or to the ferry port.

You can ask the driver to make a stop along the way at a Alpha or Piraeus ATM machine.

If you’re looking to be more cost efficient, the metro is a good option but it can take longer!

Either way, avoid getting cash out of the ATMs at the airport and get it once you’re at your destination!

Can You Use Your ATM Card In Greece?

Most debit and credit cards will work in Greece.

The US, Australian and UK cards will work in most places throughout the country as long as they are attached to a common network.

If you’re worried about not being able to withdraw money (which is an absolute nightmare fyi), the best thing to do is have both of the most popular card networks:

• VISA
• Mastercard

Between Matthew and I, we have a VISA card, a Mastercard card and an American Express card.

Note: The AMEX card isn’t widely accepted in a lot of establishments in Greece!

That’s why it’s good to have a variation of cards.

Don’t worry though, card payments are widely accepted in Greece. If you’re visiting any of the popular tourist destinations like Athens, Santorini, Naxos, etc – you shouldn’t have a problem.

Best Travel Cards For Tourists & Nomads

As you know, Matthew hates these small (but annoying) withdrawal fees and horrible conversion rates.

You can bet he does extensive research on the best travel cards as we travel full-time.

So, what did results did he come up with?

Revolut and Wise.

If you don’t know what Wise or Revolut is, they are basically fintech companies that offer free ATM withdrawal and the best currency exchange rates.

Since 2019, we use these cards every day while traveling. Now, we barely worry about how we’re going to pay or get cash withdrawals.

After much testing and experience, we’ve written our honest thoughts in this Revolut review and Wise review.

And what if you’re already traveling?

They deliver the cards to most countries! They’ve delivered cards to us in Bali, Colombia and Australia with ease.

The best part? Both companies have user-friendly apps making it easy to regularly convert, exchange, transfer and withdraw cash.

5 Useful Tips For Handling Money In Greece

Visiting Greece for a few days, weeks or month?

There’s nothing worse than not being able to access your cash or use your cards in a foreign country.

Here are 5 helpful tips that we’ve learned over our time in Greece.

Conclusion: Use ATMs in Greece Wisely

Here’s the bottom line on ATMs in Greece:

Alpha Bank and Piraeus Bank are the most reliable and in our experience, they had the lowest withdrawal fees.

The best part? You can find both Alpha and Piraeus ATms them everywhere in Greece (mainland or islands)!

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that you DO have pay a foreign transaction fee to withdraw money in Greece. The withdrawal fee ranges €1.50 to €2.50 per transaction, depending on the bank.

Debit and credit cards are widely accepted across Greece. So you don’t need to take a huge wad of cash out of the ATM as most places allow you to pay by card. But we highly recommend having €20 to €50 euros for “just in case” situations.

The only time you’ll have trouble paying by card is at smaller bakeries or gyros shops on more remote areas and islands.

We hope you have a great time in Greece and this blog answered any questions you had about the ATMs in Greece, getting cash out and making card payments!

Frequently Asked Questions