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Polish currency

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Money that is good to have in Krakow. 

Poland is a member state of the European Union but the euro zone stretches beyond its western and southern borders. So the country has its own currency, zloty, which is the nation’s legal tender. Nevertheless some establishments, notably hypermarkets, accept payments in euros. 

Zloty can be abbreviated to zl though PLN, the international symbol of the Polish currency, is widely used in Poland as well. 

The Polish currency system. 

A zloty is divided into one hundred smaller units called grosz (abbreviation gr). 

The Polish money is available in the following denominations: one-grosz, two-grosz, five-grosz, ten-grosz, twenty-grosz, and fifty-grosz coins; one-zloty, two-zloty, and five-zloty coins and ten-zloty, twenty-zloty, fifty-zloty, 100-zloty, 200-zloty, and 500-zloty bank notes. 

Tip: It’s advisable to have always some coins and small bank notes in your pocket as Krakow’s various vendors, newsagents, even small shops may lack enough cash to give you the change when you pay with a 100-zloty or 200-zloty bank note. Also, hardly anybody is ready to break a large note for a stranger. 

 

Exchanging money in Krakow. 

Polish currency is fully convertible, its rate of exchange depending on the money market.

In Krakow banks you may exchange practically any of the world’s currencies. Small currency exchange bureaus called ‘kantor’, popular in Poland and ubiquitous in Krakow, trade in major currencies such as euro, the American dollar, the British pound, the Swiss franc, and the Canadian and Australian dollars as well as the money of some Eastern European countries such as the Czech koruna and the Hungarian forint.

Poland enjoys free money market thus individual banks as well as forex businesses may sell and buy currencies at whatever price they wish so even as competition flattens the rates it’s good to shop around a little for a better deal. As a rule of thumb, the kantors buy currencies dearer and sell cheaper than banks though a few of the former establishments evidently try to cash in on the ignorance of tourists. 

Since Poland’s accession to the UE the exchange rates have proved fairly stable even if zloty has appreciated over the years rather than the opposite. One euro buys roughly 4.7 zlotys, one British pound is an equivalent of some 5.6 zloty, and one US dollar buys about 4.2 zlotys /November 2021/. 

Krakow’s cash machines. 

Automated teller machines – ATMs are the common feature of the public spaces in Krakow. The cash dispensers can be found at bank branches (indoor or outdoor) that are in plenty in the city, in shopping centers, on campuses, etc. People queuing before street cash machines are a frequent sight in Krakow’s central Old Town historic district

Note: It's advisable to watch out for bank card skimmers when withdrawing cash from ATMs. At least obstruct view of your fingers dialing PIN to protect it from a spy camera. Cash machines inside banks and busy shopping centers are thought to be securer.

Paying money in Krakow. 

Cash still remains the king in Krakow but plastic money rapidly catches on. The bulk of businesses, from hotels to retailers to restaurants to gas stations to casinos to art galleries, accept major payment cards – be it credit or debit – such as MasterCard or Visa. Save newsstands, kebab joints, and neighborhood groceries every Krakow establishment that caters to the general public seems equipped today with a terminal for processing credit cards electronically, able to verify their validity and check the balance online in real time. 

Travelers checks. 

One can cash travelers checks in a Krakow bank. Otherwise they are of little use here as almost nobody – some hotels may be the exception – accepts them by way of payment. 

Click here for more tips.

 
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