Bosnia and Herzegovina
Cards, ATMs and cash in Bosnia and Herzegovina: what to expect
Cards work in Sarajevo and Mostar hotels, malls and larger restaurants, but cash in konvertibilna marka (KM) still runs cafés, bakeries, buses, taxis and small towns. Carry 100–200 KM in small notes, withdraw from bank-branded ATMs, and always choose to be charged in KM, not your home currency.
- Source checked
- A source and a date are on record: we read it from an official or published page. Not yet confirmed on the ground.
- Field checked
- Someone checked it on the ground, with the date shown.
- Plan calculated
- Worked out by Voykit from its own data (times, distances, budgets). A calculation, not a measurement.
Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify
Key facts
- Currency
- Konvertibilna marka (KM), pegged to the euro at about 1 EUR = 1.9558 KM
- Cards acceptedcheck
- Hotels, malls, supermarkets and larger restaurants in Sarajevo and Mostar; rarely in small cafés, bakeries, markets and rural areas
- Cash still needed for
- Buses and trams, taxis, ćevabdžinicas, bakeries, market stalls, bus station toilets, luggage fees
- ATM feescheck
- Local bank ATMs often add a fixed fee per withdrawal; your own bank may add more — check the screen before confirming
- Always choose
- Charge in KM, not your home currency, to avoid dynamic currency conversion
- Typical daily cashcheck
- 100–200 KM covers food, transport and small entries; more if you pay a guesthouse in cash
- Cards that workcheck
- Visa and Mastercard widely; American Express and Discover much less so
Details
Bosnia and Herzegovina runs on cash more than its neighbours Croatia and Montenegro. The country uses the konvertibilna marka (KM), fixed to the euro at roughly 1.9558 KM, so prices are easy to convert in your head. Euros are sometimes accepted informally in tourist areas of Mostar and Sarajevo, but the rate you get is rarely good and change comes back in KM. Plan to hold KM.
Card acceptance splits by place, not by price. Chain supermarkets, shopping malls, larger hotels, rental car desks and mid-range restaurants in Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka take Visa and Mastercard without comment. Walk one street into Baščaršija's side lanes or a Herzegovina village and you are back to cash: bakeries, ćevabdžinicas, market stalls, small guesthouses and almost every bus, tram and taxi. American Express and Discover are accepted in very few places, so treat them as backup only.
ATMs are common in cities and towns and thin out in the countryside. Use machines attached to a bank branch during opening hours where you can, and prefer well-lit, indoor locations at night. Two costs stack up: the local bank's own fee, shown on screen before you confirm, and whatever your home bank charges for a foreign withdrawal. Declining the machine's offer to convert the amount into your home currency keeps the exchange rate with your own bank, which is usually better.
Contactless is normal at card terminals, and phone wallets linked to Visa or Mastercard work where the terminal accepts cards. Keep a physical card as backup: some smaller terminals still want a chip and PIN, and a dead phone battery in Mostar's old town is a bad time to discover you have no plastic.
If you are staying longer or travelling outside the cities, take out larger amounts less often to reduce per-withdrawal fees, and keep a reserve of small notes. Breaking a 100 KM note at a bakery at 07:00 is not always possible.
| Situation | Card or cash | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel, mall, supermarket, rental car | Card | Visa and Mastercard fine; Amex rarely |
| Mid-range restaurant in Sarajevo or Mostar | Card usually | Ask first in smaller places |
| Ćevabdžinica, bakery, market stall | Cash | Small notes help |
| Bus, tram, taxi | Cash | Luggage fees and tickets paid in cash |
| Guesthouse in a village | Cash | Confirm before arrival |
| ATM withdrawal | — | Local bank fee plus your bank's fee; choose KM |
Acceptance varies street by street; carry cash even in the cities (check).
Summary table
The short version of what to carry and what to expect.
| Item | What to expect | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | Konvertibilna marka (KM), pegged near 1 EUR = 1.9558 KM | No |
| Card networks | Visa and Mastercard widely; Amex and Discover rarely | Yes |
| Cash needed for | Buses, trams, taxis, bakeries, markets, small guesthouses | Yes |
| ATM fees | Local bank fee shown on screen, plus your bank's fee | Yes |
| Charge in | KM, never your home currency | No |
Fees and acceptance change; confirm at the terminal or ATM screen.
Tips
Withdraw from bank-branded ATMs inside or beside a branch, in daylight, and cover the keypad.
Always tap 'charge in KM' when a terminal or ATM offers your home currency; the conversion rate on that screen is usually worse.
Keep 100–200 KM in mixed notes: small for bakeries, buses and toilets, one larger note for guesthouses.
Tell your bank you are travelling so a Sarajevo withdrawal does not trip a fraud block.
Carry a second card from a different network, stored separately from the first.
Euros are handy as an emergency backup in tourist areas but expect a poor rate and KM change.
- Withdraw in KM, not euros or dollars.
- Photograph your card details and keep the photo offline.
- Save your bank's lost-card phone number before you fly.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Are credit cards widely accepted in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
In Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka, hotels, malls, supermarkets and larger restaurants take Visa and Mastercard. Small cafés, bakeries, markets, buses, trams and taxis are usually cash only, and rural areas are cash almost everywhere. Carry KM.
Which ATMs have the lowest fees in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Bank-branded ATMs at branches are the safest choice, but the local fee varies by bank and is shown on screen before you confirm. Your own bank's foreign withdrawal fee stacks on top. Take larger amounts less often to reduce the number of fees.
Should I pay in local currency or my own?
Always choose the local currency, konvertibilna marka. If a terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, that is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is usually worse than your bank's.
Deep dive
Every source; changeable facts are marked check