Honduras

Cards, ATMs and cash in Honduras: what to expect

Cards work in Roatán, Utila and city hotels, but cash (lempira) still runs markets, taxis, ferries and small comedores. Carry L 1,000–2,000 daily, withdraw from bank-branded ATMs inside malls or banks in daylight, and always pay in lempira rather than dollars to avoid a worse rate.

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Updated Sep 20263 min read

GuideHonduras

Key facts

Card acceptance: Good in Roatán, Utila and city hotels and supermarkets; limited in markets, taxis, ferries and small eateries
Cash you needcheck: L 1,000–2,000 (about US$40–80) per day for food, taxis and small tickets
ATM feescheck: Local bank fee plus your own bank's foreign fee; expect roughly L 50–100 per withdrawal — check
Withdrawal limitscheck: Often L 5,000–10,000 per transaction; some machines lower — check
Best ATM habit: Use bank-branded machines inside malls or branches, in daylight, one person at a time
Currency to pay in: Lempira. Card terminals may offer to charge in US dollars — decline
Cards to carrycheck: Visa and Mastercard widely accepted; Amex and Discover much less so
Backup: Two cards from different banks plus a cash reserve in US dollars

Details

Honduras runs on cash for anything small. Hotels, dive shops, supermarkets and better restaurants on Roatán and Utila take Visa and Mastercard without trouble, and card machines are common in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Outside those places — market stalls, comedores, tuk-tuks, colectivo taxis, ferry and bus counters, park and museum tickets — assume you need lempira in hand.

ATMs are the practical way to get cash. Bank-branded machines (inside branches, malls and larger supermarkets) are the safer choice; standalone machines on the street are more exposed and sometimes charge more. Withdraw in daylight, cover the keypad, and take one transaction at a time rather than standing with a stack of notes in the open. If a machine refuses your card, try another bank rather than repeating the same one.

Cards can fail for reasons that have nothing to do with Honduras: your bank's travel block, a daily limit, or a chip that the local terminal cannot read. Tell your bank you are travelling, keep a second card in a different bag, and carry a cash reserve in US dollars — widely accepted on the Bay Islands and easy to change on the mainland.

Dollars are quoted for many island prices, but the lempira is the legal currency. When a terminal or a vendor offers to charge you in US dollars, decline and pay in lempira: the conversion is done at a rate that favours them. The same applies at ATMs that offer to convert your withdrawal — always choose the local currency.

Details
Situation	Card	Cash
Roatán and Utila hotels, dive shops, restaurants	Yes	Backup
Supermarkets and malls in the big cities	Yes	Backup
Markets, comedores, street food	Rarely	Yes
Taxis, tuk-tuks, colectivos, water taxis	Rarely	Yes
Ferry and bus counters	Sometimes	Yes
Park, museum and ruins tickets	Sometimes	Yes
Small towns and rural areas	Rarely	Yes

Summary table

The table below is the short version: what to carry, what to expect at the machine, and what to do when something fails.

Summary table
Item	What to expect	What to do
ATM fee	Local bank fee plus your bank's foreign fee — check	Withdraw larger amounts less often
Withdrawal limit	Often L 5,000–10,000 per transaction; some machines lower — check	Split into two withdrawals if you need more
Card refused	Chip or network mismatch, or a block by your bank	Try another bank's machine; call your bank
Dollar conversion offer	A rate that favours the machine or vendor	Decline; pay or withdraw in lempira
Bank hours	Shut Saturday afternoon and Sunday; closed Semana Santa and Semana Morazánica	Plan cash before holidays and weekends
Emergency cash	US dollars accepted on the Bay Islands	Keep US$50–100 separate from your wallet

Fees and limits change; confirm on the machine screen before you commit.

Tips

Carry small notes: L 20, L 50, L 100 and L 200 make taxis and market purchases easy.
Keep a folded US$50–100 note separate from your wallet as an emergency reserve.
Photograph your card fronts and your bank's lost-card numbers before you fly.
Use a card with no foreign transaction fee if you have one; the saving adds up over a two-week trip.
On the Bay Islands, many prices are quoted in US dollars but change comes in lempira — check the rate before you agree.
Banks shut Saturday afternoon and Sunday, and close for Semana Santa and Semana Morazánica; plan cash around those dates.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Are credit cards widely accepted in Honduras?

In Roatán, Utila, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, yes for hotels, dive shops, supermarkets and better restaurants. Elsewhere — markets, taxis, ferries, small eateries and rural towns — cash is the norm, so carry lempira.

Which ATMs have the lowest fees in Honduras?

Bank-branded machines inside branches, malls and large supermarkets usually charge less than standalone street ATMs, and are safer. The local fee is typically around L 50–100, plus your own bank's foreign fee — check the screen before withdrawing.

Should I pay in local currency or my own?

Always pay in lempira. If a terminal or ATM offers to charge you in US dollars, decline: the conversion rate used is worse than your bank's, and the difference is paid by you.

Deep dive

Every source; changeable facts are marked check