The unit of currency is the Hryvnia (UAH) (гривня) [pronounced: Hryvnia (in Ukrainian), Grivna (in Russian)], which has currently (september 2011) fallen to about 11 UAH to the Euro and 8 UAH to the US Dollar. There are many exchanges that will convert Euro or USD to UAH, just look for signs with exchange rates posted on just about any block in the downtown area or any bank outside downtown. Exchange rates vary a lot and deteriorate fast when you get into less competitive places or outside of standard business hours. You should also make sure to get a receipt when buying UAH. Rates at the airport are not as good as in the city center. However, beware that not all hotels will change money and if you arrive in the evening or Sunday you could find yourself with no money for dinner if you don't change at least some at the airport. Most banks operate on Saturdays as well as Mondays to Fridays.
ATMs are known as 'bankomat' (банкомат), and can be found everywhere. All major credit cards and debit cards can be used at some ATMs throughout Ukraine, but do not work in many. You can withdraw UAH but in some cases also US dollars. Be sure to contact your credit card company prior to your visit or they will freeze your card! As a backup, it is possible to get dollars from most banks using a cash advance from a Visa or Mastercard. There is a small service charge (3%) to do this in addition to whatever your bank charges. Debit cards such as maestro do work in ATMs. Cirrus/Maestro/Plus bank cards could be most effective way to get cash in Ukraine. Many ATMs, such as Aval Bank and Expres Bank ATMs do not charge any transaction cost to cash withdrawal transactions from foreign cards (unless you are withdrawing dollars). Not all ATMs indicate that they support the Plus system, but in most cases they do support it if they support Visa. PrivatBank ATMs do indicate that they support Plus, but they do not work with North American cards.
It is often expected that one carries small change in Kiev. Most retail establishments will scowl at you if you try to pay for a UAH4 purchase with a UAH20 note. They generally keep very little change on hand and will always ask if you have the right amount. Keep small change to use the toilets.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Kiev
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Kiev - updated May 2024
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Kiev Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
