Cards, ATMs and cash in Uruguay: what to expect

Uruguay is generally card-friendly by South American standards, but the details below are a guide, not a guarantee: acceptance and fees change, so confirm at the counter or machine (check). The gaps tend to be small transactions — taxi meters, kiosks, street markets, beach vendors and the cuidacoches who watch parked cars — so keeping a modest amount of cash in Uruguayan pesos is sensible (check).

ATMs are common in Montevideo, Punta del Este and Colonia, and in provincial capitals such as Salto, Rivera and Durazno; they are less certain in small coastal and interior villages, so top up before leaving a city (check). Bank branches keep short hours — typically Mon–Fri 13:00–18:00 — so an ATM is usually the practical option outside that window.

When a machine or terminal asks which currency to charge in, compare the rate it shows against your card network's rate before deciding. If the merchant's conversion is poor, choose Uruguayan pesos; if you cannot tell, pesos is the safer default (check).

Carrying two cards from different networks is a reasonable precaution in case one is blocked or a machine rejects it (check). Tell your bank you are travelling, and keep a backup card separate from the one you use daily.

For cash, banks and exchange offices in Montevideo are generally a better bet than airport kiosks or hotel desks, though rates vary — compare before changing (check). US dollars are often accepted for larger purchases and are easy to change, but this is not universal (check).