Does anyone have any experience using Monzo in the Ukraine? Any problems with ATMs or are they mainly chip & pin?
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Chip & Pin is everywhere in shops, restaurants and ATMs.
Withdrew some money yesterday with my Monzo card. First ATM failed with a generic could not complete transaction which could mean anything, but the second one worked fine. No problems, no fees.
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Quick update as I’m in Ukraine again and I’ll try to update as I use more ATMs.
Banks with no fees
- Ukrisbank
Banks which charge withdrawal fees:
- Pumb Bank
- PrivatBank
Also card works fine using contactless in places such as McDonalds.
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I’m shortly going to Kiev where the currency is restricted so I can’t get any until I arrive. US dollars are generally accepted so plan on taking some so I can use on arrival for a taxi
There’s a Raphaels Bank near me that contains USD, anyone know if I use this whether Taphaels Bank will set the rate or whether I’d get a closer to market rate from Monzo? I suspect it’s the former which would make the Post Office a slightly better option
I have used one of their machines that vends £ and € rather than £ and and it gave Dynamic Currency Conversion options to charge me in £ where they apply their own FX rate or by saying No to the DCC option I would be charged in € (so in your case ). I did 2 transactions to compare rates and the one converted by my card at the MasterCard rate (which is the rate Monzo use) was cheaper than letting them convert it for me.
I am not sure how the MasterCard rate compares to Post Office but would assume it better than the Post Office having compared their € rates recently.
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I’m not sure where you’ve seen that US dollars are generally accepted, I’ve never seen this before in Kiev. If you’re lucky you might find a taxi which will take them or there’s a currency exchange in the airport.
Monzo is best used to withdraw UAH here from ATMs for the best rate, but most banks will charge a fee, usually around 60 UAH (~£2). Ukrisbank ATMs have no fee and I think there’s a couple of others too.
For a taxi, you’d be best using Uber and linking your Monzo card to avoid getting ripped off at the airport.
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You may find this website useful for more up to date information on exchanging and using money in Kyiv and The Ukraine as there are lots of websites on the internet with out of date information from the period when the peoples of the Crimea were exercising their right to self determination.
I use Monzo extensively in Ukraine, Kiev and White Church (Bela Teskya) in shops restaurants bank machines and it works great, better than my other cards with usually no fees except at some ATM so saves me a lot.
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In addition to Ukrisbank (BNP Paribas logo) listed above,
I could also use the bank with no fees
- Oshadbank (Ощадбанк)
After getting declined from the first cash machine, I found Oshadbank’s when I arrived in Lviv train station and it worked perfectly fine without fees - mind you the maximum I could withdrew per transaction was only 200 UAH (£5).
Monzo helped me a lot throughout my entire travel in Ukraine where mastercard were accepted. Thanks!!
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Also Euronet machines are fee free and no limits as far as I’m aware. I’ve taken 2400 UAH - approx £68 with no problems.
Heading off to Kiev next week, thanks for the fee-free ATM details. Will come back with any additional info if I find any.
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Were you able to withdraw large amounts of cash easily?
Ukraine is all chip and pin if anything their shops, bars and restaurants etc are ahead of the UK in this respect.
I was warned that some of the ATMs could be a bit dodgy but I never had any problems when I was out there.
Also all machines had option for English Kiev is booming at the moment so you should be fine.
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Can I use Monzo in Kiev, Ukraine, to pay for items, in restaurants and to withdraw cash, please?
If anyone has done this, please could you let me know if there are any options in English?
Thanks in advance.
Check out:
There’s a little bit of advice and discussion on this thread.
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@Maria2019 popped your post in here to tidy things up 
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Thank you, Martin. I appreciate it.
I didn’t need to in the end. My monzo card worked perfectly as chip and pin everywhere and I used the machine at the airport to change €50 which lasted me the while weekend. You don’t need large amounts of cash, it’s not an expensive city at all.
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Hi everyone. I’ve just returned from Kiev and used my Monzo card exclusively- to both pay for things in shops and once to withdraw some cash. It was very easy really, nothing to worry about.
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That’s great to hear as I have just booked a holiday to Kiev.