Best Bitcoin Exchange for Zambia

Zambia, like other African countries, offers some national parks worth seeing. The Kafue National Park is one of the most beautiful nature reserves. In the North Luangwa National Park, which is one of the most spectacular national parks in Africa, there are numerous tourists every year due to the buffalo herds. During a round trip through Zambia, impressive rock paintings of the San can be found again and again, whose origin probably lies in the late Stone Age. In no case one should miss a visit of the world-famous Victoria Falls.

Accommodation can be found in Livingstone, which was the first city in Zambia and is very close to the waterfalls. The city itself also has a number of attractions, including the National Museum and the Livingstone Museum. In order to pay for admission to museums or accommodation, it is helpful to know where to withdraw money in Zambia to replenish your travel budget. The following sections describe some interesting facts about means of payment, travel credit cards, additional fees, cashless payment and some important tips about the security of money cards in Zambia.

Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) – the local currency

Overview Banknotes Zambia KwachaZambian KwachaZambia’s national currency and official means of payment is the Zambian Kwacha, divided into 100 Ngwee.

The Zambian Kwacha is available in coins and banknotes as shown in the table below:

• Coins 5, 10, 50 Ngwee and 1 Sambian Kwacha
• Banknotes 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 5,000, 10,000 Zambian Kwacha

The import of the national currency is not permitted, the export however up to 1000 Sambian Kwacha. Foreign currency must be declared upon entry. The export is limited to the amount of the amounts declared upon import, minus the amounts exchanged. Sum.

Exchange money in Zambia

The import ban on the national currency eliminates the need for a prior exchange at the local bank. Nevertheless, you should consider an exchange into US dollars, because in Zambia, if at all, the euro is often only exchanged at a bad exchange rate. When taking US dollars with you, you should make sure that you only carry newer banknotes with you. It is also worth knowing for the exchange of money that small notes are sometimes only exchanged at a worse rate. Exchange possibilities exist in Zambia in exchange offices and banks. The banks are usually open from Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 14:30 and on Saturdays from 09:00 to 11:30.

Cashing traveller’s cheques in Zambia

The acceptance of traveller’s cheques is declining worldwide. In Zambia, too, they are only accepted in very few places. For this reason, it is more advisable to take a credit card, the EC card and sufficient cash with you in your travel fund.

Cashless payment in Zambia

In Zambia, cashless payment is mainly possible in larger hotels and shops with credit cards. However, this payment method can fail due to the frequent technical transmission errors. It is therefore advisable to always have sufficient cash in your travel kitty to be able to pay the bill in cash in such cases. In case of doubt, you should always assume in Zambia that the option of cashless payment is not available. If the cashless transaction works, you should consider the fees.

Between 1% and 4% of the payment amount will be charged by your local credit card company as a foreign exchange fee each time you withdraw money from a Zambian machine. With a corresponding number of card payments, these additional costs add up constantly, so that it is often cheaper to pay the amount in cash. However, this is only worthwhile for owners of a free credit card, since with the usual card formats when withdrawing money for the cash payment also a fee is calculated.

Withdrawing money in Zambia with an EC card

With the help of an EC card bearing the Maestro or Circus symbol, it is possible to withdraw money at some ATMs in Zambia. These can only be found in the larger cities. You should pay attention to whether the Maestro or Cirrus symbol is attached to the ATM, then you can withdraw cash in local currency as usual after entering the valid PIN. Depending on the bank, between 100 and 250 euros per day are possible.

For each withdrawal at an ATM in Zambia, the responsible bank charges a foreign assignment fee. This fee is usually between EUR 5 and EUR 10, regardless of the amount withdrawn. A more broadband and cheaper way to withdraw cash in Zambia is to use a suitable credit card. When selecting a credit card, care must be taken to ensure that the provider does not charge a foreign assignment fee for the third-party use of the card. More on the subject of credit card fees is summarised in the next section.

Withdraw money in Zambia by credit card

The most widely accepted credit card in Zambia is the Visa Card. Depending on the bank and per day, the availability limit is between 100 and 250 euros. You only need to enter your PIN. However, providers of common credit cards charge a foreign exchange fee of between 1 and 4% of the amount withdrawn for each withdrawal at a non-bank ATM. This amount adds up each time you go to the ATM and can be an annoying but also unnecessary expense factor in the travel balance at the end of the journey. Unnecessary because there are some providers on the market who do not charge these fees.

Only a few banks offer the worldwide free variant of travel credit cards. In Traveller circles, these credit cards are enjoying increasing popularity, as a considerable sum of money can be saved on every trip worldwide. Even if the name “travel credit card” does not show it at first glance, these cards also save costs in everyday life, for example if it cannot be avoided to withdraw money in Germany from third-party banks, because the fee for third-party use of the card is also waived at domestic third-party banks. Thanks to this enormous broadband capability, this type of credit card is currently the most effective and cheapest way of withdrawing money worldwide free of charge.

The application form can be completed online and then printed out. The bank then has various options for completing the application identification process. The Post-Ident procedure is probably the best known and simplest method. With the printed application and a valid passport or identity card, you can complete this process at the nearest post office together with sending the application.

Security when withdrawing money in Zambia

In Zambia, the burglary rate is above average, especially in the tourist centres. For this reason, travel documents and valuables should be deposited in the hotel safe. When withdrawing money in Zambia, it is important to enter your PIN at the ATM, as it is everywhere when travelling. The PIN and card should also never be kept together. It is also helpful to take a closer look at the card input device in order to detect any signs of tampering.

For your own safety, you should avoid handling large bills in public or leaving your wallet open in hotels or restaurants, as this can quickly attract dangerous attention. When visiting traditional markets or taking a trip inland, always make sure you have small denominations of cash with you. In small restaurants, markets and taxi drivers in Zambia it is often not possible to change large bills.

In case of problems such as theft, loss or indications of misuse of the card, there is the possibility to have the card blocked immediately. Completely independent of the time of day or night, this specially set up blocking emergency call can be contacted. The number can be reached via the following link. In order to protect yourself from major financial damage, it is important to act immediately after detecting the loss, theft or misuse of the card.

These simple measures contribute to a safe stay in Zambia. If one equips oneself or the travel fund after thorough research with the necessary and cost-effective means of payment, one can enjoy the stay – hopefully not only in money matters – more relaxed. Further information on security can also be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.