Money in Kazakhstan: A Tourist Guide to ATMs, Cards and Exchange
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You’ve come to the right place to learn how to manage money on your trip to Kazakhstan.
Wondering if ATMs in Kazakhstan charge a commission for withdrawals? Actually, no, most don’t! What currency to bring or if you can reliably use your foreign card – yeah, I’ve got you covered!
| Best foreign currency to bring | USD, EUR, RUB |
| Where to exchange? | Banks, exchange bureaus |
| ATMs without a fee | All |
| Can you withdraw USD directly? | No |
| Can you use Revolut, Wise, Monese, etc? | Yes! |
| Cash or card? | Both |
Here are all the nitpicky details about money in Kazakhstan as a tourist!
Currency in Kazakhstan
The currency in Kazakhstan is the Kazakh Tenge with code KZT. In Kazakh using Cyrillic letters, it’s spelled “теңге” and that’s how it’s written on the money.
Fun fact: the Russian word for money “деньги” (pronounced ‘dengi‘) is linguistically related to the tenge.
The Kazakh Tenge has been relatively stable against the US dollar since 2016. Despite that, the Kazakh Tenge is not a strong currency. 100 tenge trade for around 0.2$.
The tenge is technically divided into 100 tiyin. In reality, tiyin coins were withdrawn in February 2001 and subsequently stripped of legal tender status after 2012. Today you may find a tiyin coin on the street in which case – you’re lucky! Keep it as a souvenir!
The tenge coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 KZT.
All that being said, the smaller denomination coins are rarely used because they are worth little. Most often you will come across 100 KZT and 200 KZT coins (0.2 and 0.4 USD).
The most common banknotes in circulation are 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 KZT.
Can you use you use your card in Kazakhstan?
Yes, you can use your foreign card to pay while in Kazakhstan.
I had no problems paying with my Revolut card in most places in Almaty. Some places, however, wanted to charge me a 2% commission for paying by card, so I politely declined and paid cash – I don’t pay a commission when withdrawing.
Kazakhstan is really living in the future when it comes to payments. Cashless is the name of the game.
Across Kazakhstan, you will see the name Kaspi. Everybody uses the Kaspi app for payments and the Kaspi terminals for online transactions or withdrawing cash.
As a foreigner, you will have a hard time registering to use the Kaspi App but you can deposit cash into the terminals to pay for certain things. For example, I paid for a local tour to the Charryn Canyon by depositing money in a Kaspi Terminal.
Don’t worry though. As a tourist, an international debit card is good enough in Kazakhstan.
Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro are accepted on most POS terminals. American Express cards are rarely accepted.
ATMs in Kazakhstan
There is no shortage of ATMs in the bigger cities of Kazakhstan – Almaty, Astana, Shymkent, etc. They are at every corner and you won’t have to walk long before you stumble upon an ATM.
Kazakhstan is very well connected to the world economy and you can use your foreign card to withdraw money from the ATMs.
The most popular bank with the most ATMs is Kaspi Bank. It’s also the one with all the terminals and the cashless payments app. Yeah, they hold the reins on Kazakhstan’s economic system!
All ATMs will accept Visa and Mastercard. Some ATMs may also accept Maestro cards. Almost no ATMs accept American Express.
The maximum withdrawal amount on most ATMs in Kazakhstan is 100,000 KZT (~224$).
Withdrawal Fees
Even if you aren’t a budget backpacker, I bet that you don’t want to pay unnecessary ATM withdrawal fees.
I’m not talking about the fees you get charged by your bank – those you can avoid by using a FinTech solution like Revolut, Curve, or Monese.
This is about the fees that the ATMs themselves charge.
Thankfully, most ATMs in Kazakhstan do NOT charge a withdrawal fee!
I tried Kaspi, Halyk Bank, and Bereke Bank and they had no withdrawal fees.
If an ATM displays that it will charge you a withdrawal fee, just cancel the transaction and go to a different one.
ATMs that dispense USD
The tenge is relatively stable so demand to withdraw USD directly from an ATM is not high in Kazakhstan.
Thus, few ATMs dispense US dollars.
You may find such next to bigger banks’ offices, but even then they are rare.
If you need USD cash (say to have money for Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan), you will need to withdraw KZT and exchange it in a change bureau.
What currency to bring to Kazakhstan
If you’re a fan of bringing cash and not using your card as much, then bring US dollars.
Other currencies that are traded and exchangeable in Kazakhstan (in order of ease of exchange) are:
- Euro
- Russian Rouble
- Chinese Yuan
- British Pounds
- Kyrgyz Som
Some exchange bureaus may offer better rates for higher denomination banknotes. In general, 50 and 100 USD notes are seen as “better” and may yield a slightly higher rate.
Make sure your banknotes are crisp and new. Exchange bureaus abroad are notoriously picky about foreign currency banknotes.
Currency Exchange in Kazakhstan
Currency exchange in Kazakhstan is easy, although unnecessary – just use your card!
But if you carry cash anyway, don’t do it at the airport – it’s always the worst place to exchange cash!
Also, don’t bother buying Kazakh Tenge outside of Kazakhstan – the rates are always best inside the country.
Exchanging at a Bank or an Exchange Bureau
Exchanging money in a bank in Kazakhstan is pretty straightforward and no different than anywhere else in the world.
Mind these points:
- Bring your passport with you
- Your foreign currency banknotes must be clean, crisp, and have no signs of wear or tear
- Most banks’ opening times are 09:00 to 17:00, closed on the weekends
- Avoid exchanging money at the airport because of the bad exchange rate
- There are exchange bureaus at the busiest borders, for example, the Korday Border with Kyrgyzstan or the Zhibek Zholi border with Uzbekistan. If you’re taking a train from Almaty to Tashkent, exchangers come on board and trade Tenge for Som. As you may imagine, the rate is not as good as on solid ground.
Black Market Currency Exchange
There is no black market for currency exchange in Kazakhstan.
There is no need for it.
The Tenge is a publicly traded currency there have been no currency controls in place in the past decade. Moreover, the Tenge has been stable and hasn’t suffered sizable inflation like neighboring Uzbekistan.
Do NOT exchange money on the street or with a shady dealer in one of the open-air bazaars (like the Green Bazaar in Almaty). You are setting yourself up for a scam and best case scenario – poor exchange rate.
Traveler’s Cheques
Does anyone still travel with those? I may be too young to understand but I’ve never even seen one.
Traveler’s cheques are mostly not accepted in Kazakhstan.
How much cash to bring to Kazakhstan?
As with many things in life – it depends. Since using your card to obtain cash in Kazakhstan is pretty easy, you don’t need to bring that much foreign currency inside the country.
My advice is to have at least 200$ just in case something goes wrong with your bank cards and you need emergency cash until you sort it out.
When I went to Kazakhstan I had just a bit more than that stashed away. I didn’t exchange any money as withdrawing with my Revolut Card was free and easy.
On the other hand, if you’re wondering how much money you need to travel to Kazakhstan, you can check out my backpacker’s budget report for Kazakhstan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s answer some of the internet’s (and certainly your) most burning questions about money in Kazakhstan.
What is the ATM withdrawal limit in Kazakhstan?
The maximum withdrawal limit on most ATMs in Kazakhstan is 100,000 KZT (~210$).
Where to exchange money in Kazakhstan?
You can exchange money in various places:
- At the airport just after you arrive. All international airports have change bureaus, although their rates are bad compared to the city;
- At a land border. Look for exchange bureaus just before or just after land borders with neighboring countries;
- At a change bureau in the city (almost certainly the best rates);
- At a bank;
- At a dodgy-looking guy at the corner of a bazaar (just don’t).
Can you use US dollars in Kazakhstan?
You can’t use US dollars to pay for things in Kazakhstan. However, the US dollar is easily exchangeable for local Kazakh Tenge.
Can you use Revolut in Kazakhstan?
Yes, Revolut cards work in Kazakhstan. Both VISA and Mastercard work. Similar fintech apps like Wise, Monese, and Curve also work there.
If you are going to the other Central Asian countries, you may want to read my money guides for them too:
Just went to the same supermarket, fully loaded with translation screen shots for non conversion fee and as soon as I got to the entrance I noticed the halyk Bank in the porchway. I was looking inside the store yesterday at p.o.box paying machines, not at the bank atm. The atm did have an English option and once you have logged in with your pin code it clearly states that they do not charge any transaction fees…truly transparent and idiot proof!!! Superb and apologies
Just checked my wise and the 10000 i withdrew was 13.62 pound sterling according to Google currency exchange rate and i got charged 13.75£…not bad at all😀
Just to set the record straight…it wasn’t a p.o.box, I was just guessing that. The kaspi atm machine (shown in your photo) is identical to how the two atms inside the supermarket looked…they had no english option. The halyk atm was like the ones in western countries found outside/inside bank branches.
That’s complete BS. Every country charges foreigners an atm transaction fee…only your bank might not charge you. Don’t spread incorrect information
Not sure exactly what is “BS” here, but there are plenty of countries that do not charge foreigners ATM transaction fees, some of the banks at least. Some include Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan (yeah, no charges on most ATMs!), Japan, Australia, New Zealand, many countries in Europe, etc.
Pinpoint the exact incorrect information I have “spread” and I will be happy to fix it – this is for readers’ help anyway.
-S.
AlibekD – reddit
“If you use your card to get cash you pay 3 times: Your issuing bank’s fee (some banks don’t charge), currency conversion rate, then the acquiring bank in Kazakhstan hits you with a fee. Banks are not obliged to disclose the conversion rate but expect to lose about 1% on it. Some greedy banks which advertise no foreign transaction fee may take 2% or more.
Halyk Bank ATMs charge a fixed fee for each cash withdrawal from foreign cards and limit withdrawals to a ridiculously low amount, something like 10000 KZT if memory serves me right.
So all in all expect to pay about 3-5% for getting KZT via ATMs.”
Just because the atm machine doesn’t say it’s going to charge you, that it’s withdrawl fee free. I was in Suriname a year ago, and withdrew 10 usd equivalent, and the atm didnt say anything about a withdrawl fee, so I thought it was withdrawl fee free, or 3-5% of transaction amount. When I looked at my wise account a couple of days later, when I had wifi, I found that I was charged 5usd. That’s 50%…WTF!!!
Also I just calculated a withdrawl i made in Japan and it was 2% fee as wise doesnt charge anything for first 2 atm withdrawls a month (375aud monthly allowance)
Should have said 350 not 375aud
Should have said 350 not 375aud
Just been to atm at supermarket (halyk Bank as shown on googlemaps) and there were 2 atm machines next to each other. Neither had English option, only kazak and Russian…
Walk me through your calculations so I can advise.
I was in Japan last June and there were ATMs that do NOT charge withdrawal fees (I don’t remember the name off the top of my head right now). I used Wise, within the allowance, and ended up paying very little: Wise’s fee for JPY is 0.31%!
I also remember paying a small fee at one ATM in Family Mart. It was 200 JPY for a withdrawal of about 40.000 JPY. That’s still just half a percent, add to it the 0.31% and I still can’t reach your figures. Perhaps you went above the free limit for withdrawals in Wise?
-S.
You are mixing up various things but the crux is that you never get the mid-market exchange rate and this is in effect a fee.
1) Yes, you will pay around 1% less on the conversion rate. This can be more or less depending on many factors, of which the most important are how global the currency is and how much supply of exchange actors there is. Now, Wise, for example, doesn’t add a markup/margin on exchanges, but instead charges a % fee which you can see in the app. It’s less than 1% in most cases, making Wise one of the best apps for travelers out there.
2) When you withdraw KZT in Kazakhstan (for example, but you can substitute with the local currency in any country), the bank that does the exchange is YOUR bank. Of course, you have to REFUSE automatic conversion, so you withdraw in KZT. Your bank (say, Wise) receives a charge in KZT and exchanges your money (presumably another currency) into KZT. If your bank is indeed Wise, then see 1) for more info about what happens.
3) Yes, some banks charge an “access” fee, aka a withdrawal fee. This is normally a flat fee, regardless of the withdrawn amount. More often than not, this charge is shown on the ATM’s screen before you accept the transaction, so you have the chance to refuse, and try another ATM. Hence, why I recommend ATMs with no withdrawal fees in my money guides.
4) By “withdrawal fee” I mean the flat fee that an ATM charges because this is the only fee that is irrespective of the user’s bank. The other charges, which you correctly point out, depend on your bank (see again point 1) and, yes, you should look into minimizing them too, but they are beyond the scope of these guides.
5) The 3-5% that Alikbek on Reddit quotes is rather high. If you use Wise and are within your monthly allowance, you will pay around 0.76% for the exchange. Wise uses the midmarket exchange rates, so point 1 above doesn’t hold. If you use an ATM without a withdrawal fee, this is all. Just 0.76%. If you go above your limit, the fee rises to 0.76+1.75=2.51%. Still under Alikbek’s estimate.
6) What happened to you in Suriname is unfortunate and is bad practice by some banks. They should show any withdrawal fee charged before you agree to the transaction. Most ATMs around the world do so. If it didn’t, it’s misleading and predatory. Unfortunately, there is little you can do about it. And yes, since the fee is a flat sum (probably 4-5 USD), then if you withdraw a small amount (10 USD in your case), it ends up being a large percentage. In countries where all ATMs charge an arm and a leg to withdraw (Thailand comes to mind with its 7 USD withdrawal fee), withdraw the maximum to avoid paying the fee more than once.
7) Paying some kind of fee to exchange money is inescapable. Even if you carry all your physical cash with you and exchange at the bureau, you will still end up paying for the margin – I mean, how do these businesses make money, right? It’s the margin and that’s effectively a fee!
I hope that clear it up.
Best,
Simon
I took out 10000 yen, the fee was 200yen (going off memory, this was the amount it specified at lawson where I withdrew the money). 200 is 2% of 10000yen, so I wasn’t charged anything other than the conversion fee by wise. Also, why are there no English language option in the supermarket atms I went to in Aktau?
Seems about right then. The 200 JPY fee is flat, so if you withdraw more, it will form a smaller percentage.
About Aktau/Kazakhstan, you better ask the bank. My guess is they have no incentive to add English. But I am just providing advice on the internet and in no way affiliated with any banks in Kazakhstan (or elsewhere as a matter of fact).
-S.
Do the ATMs have an English menu option or it is easy enough to muddle through?
Yes they do, you won’t have a language problem 🙂
Hey. Just wondering. Are these ATMs accept 6-digit or 4-digit pin? I have a 6-digit pin card & am afraid it won’t be accepted there.
I am pretty sure the Kazakh ATMs accept cards with a 6-digit PIN number. Maybe not all of them, but most do.
-S.
Will do as suggested. Thanks again. 🙏
Thanks for the information. It is very useful. However, I have concerns about the pin digit number. I just asked a car rental company, they told me that they cannot accept credit card payment if it has more than four digit pins. Mine has 6 digits. Also, the ATM machines in Kazakhstan use 4 digit pins. I wonder if this problem of pins makes my cards useless in Kazakhstan. Please advise. Thank you.
Wira, I cannot tell you for sure but I’ve heard that Optima and KICB banks accept cards with 6-digit PIN numbers. I guess, you will have to try there.
Always carry a bit of hard cash (USD/EUR) with you regardless of your plans. In this case, perhaps carry a bit more, just to stay on the safe side.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help,
Simon
Will do as suggested. Thanks again. 🙏