Paying in Poland: Card, Cash or Zloty? Our Experience
By Jérôme R · Visited in July 2026 · Updated · How we work
Poland isn't in the eurozone: its currency is the Polish zloty (PLN). Here's how we handled payments on the ground, with the real fees we found on our bank statements.
The Polish currency
Poland uses the zloty (PLN, symbol zł), not the euro, despite being an EU member. During our stay in July 2026, the exchange rate sat around 4.3 zloty to 1 euro (with a range of 4.25 to 4.34 observed from day to day).
Card or cash: our strategy
True story, July 2026: we used a mix of both. Bank cards are accepted almost everywhere, even for small amounts. We topped up with cash withdrawals from ATMs for everyday spending and smaller shops.
We made 3 ATM withdrawals during the trip, for a total of 5,063 zł (around €1,172). Each withdrawal carried a surcharge of around 21 zł (about €5), typical of the independent ATMs (Euronet-type) you'll frequently find in tourist areas.
Across all the card payments we recorded (around 4,162 zł, or nearly €970), conversion and out-of-zone transaction fees came to a little over €41, a range of 0.9 to 1.7% of the amount paid depending on the transaction.
Watch out for the DCC trap (forced euro billing)
True story: when hiring our car at the airport, our bank card was refused for the deposit because it was flagged as a debit rather than a credit card — see our article on the airport-to-centre transfer in Kraków for the full story. More generally, watch out for DCC (*Dynamic Currency Conversion*): some card machines offer to bill you directly in euros rather than zloty, at a markedly worse exchange rate. The rule of thumb: always choose to pay in the local currency (zloty), never in euros.
Good to know
▸ Good to know
- Let your bank know about your trip to Poland if you don't already have overseas payments enabled.
- Check whether your bank card is recognised as a credit card (not a debit card) before hiring a vehicle.
- Always decline the euro conversion (DCC) offered by a card machine or ATM.
- A card with no foreign fees can noticeably cut exchange costs over a trip lasting several weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay in euros in Poland?
Officially no: the currency is the zloty. Some very touristy shops may accept euros informally, but usually at a poor exchange rate — it's always better to pay in zloty.
How can I pay in Poland without fees?
Use a bank card with no foreign transaction fees, always decline the euro conversion (DCC) offered by card machines, and favour ATMs linked to a Polish bank over independent machines.
How much is 1 euro in zloty?
About 4.3 zloty to 1 euro at the time of our trip (July 2026), with slight day-to-day variation.