A warning: you might find some of this advice tedious. However, it comes – among others – from years of experience of taking American students to Poland.
Money
We already know that Poland, although a European Union member for twenty years, is still using its own currency the “Polish złoty” (PLN).
When you are in Poland, the prices for goods and services will be in PLN, so it is important to know the exchange rate of the American dollar to PLN.
The exchange rate changes all the time, but in recent months the American dollar has kept a steady value, over four PLN (May 7, 2024: $1 = 4.01 PLN). This, in comparison to previous years, is a very favorable rate for American tourists traveling to Poland (the dollar has been a strong currency!)
Credit cards
People in Poland, like people in the US, increasingly use credit cards, even for small transactions. Visa and Master Card are universally accepted in Poland.
As the exchange rate changes all the time, it will be reflected in your credit card statements, with purchases made on different days, having different exchange rates stated next to them. Also, most credit cards charge a “foreign transaction fee” which will be added to each of the transactions. These fees, which may vary from bank to bank, are not very high.
Even if there is this additional cost of using credit cards while traveling abroad, they are still the best way of paying for most goods and services.
Cash: do you even need it?
The answer is yes, and we recommend having some cash with you.
That being said, if you are planning to stay only in larger cities, you could probably get away with using almost exclusively credit cards. In big cities, even at local markets, most vendors (with the stress on “most”) would accept credit cards. However, if you want to buy some souvenirs or produce at markets in more rural areas, you might need cash.
Some city streetcars and buses have vending machines that accept credit cards, while some of them only accept cash (usually coins), so if you are planning to use city public transportation you will need some cash for tickets.
In addition, you will need a small amount of cash for public toilets. In Poland, as in other European countries, you need to pay for the use of public toilets. The fee varies, usually from 1 PLN to 5 PLN (highest in very popular places), and sometimes, for instance at religious sites, like Częstochowa, the amount might be at your discretion.
In addition to the instances mentioned above, most seasoned travelers carry some cash around “just in case”. It is “better to be safe than sorry”, when – for instance – your credit card is not accepted, or the card terminal does not work properly. As we say it in Polish, “strzeżonego Pan Bóg strzeże” …
ATM machines
ATM machines are popular in Poland and most of them will accept your American debit card and dispense Polish currency. The exchange rate will be decent, but there also will be a transaction fee (which may occur in the US as well, when you don’t use your bank’s ATM machine).
Is there an advantage of bringing cash (American dollars) with you to Poland?
If you want to make the most of your money, bringing cash and exchanging it in Poland, would be the way to go. This way you would avoid transaction fees and would be able to exchange your money at the best rate.
However, for obvious reasons, for most people it is not an advisable option. When traveling you don’t want to worry about keeping your money safe, misplacing or losing it.
When you are travelling, you are allowed to take out of the US (or bring in to the US) up to $10,000 in cash.
If you bring cash: where to exchange your $$ to get the best exchange rate?
If you are planning to exchange your $$, first of all, you should check the current exchange rate on the Internet. This will be your “benchmark”. Then you should look for a place which will offer the exchange rate as close as possible to that rate; the exchange rate usually will be a few “groszy” lower (1 PLN = 100 groszy).
It might come to you as a surprise, but it WON’T be a bank, but a place called “KANTOR”. For whatever reasons, banks offer lower exchange rates than kantors, assuming that you pick a good one.
What are “kantors”? They are legitimate privately owned businesses which sell and buy foreign currency, and the exchange rate might vary from kantor to kantor.
That’s why, if you want to get the best exchange rate, you need to look around before you decide to sell your $$.
Often kantors located right in the center of town, in the most touristy areas, will offer the lowest exchange rates. The same goes for the airports: they are even worse!
In Kraków, for instance, you could check kantors in Sławkowska or Szewska Streets (off the main square), which usually have much better rates, than kantors located in the main square (called Rynek Główny).
Please check the photo below. Look at the “USD dolar amerykański”: they buy $1.00 for 3.39 PLN, and they sell $ 1.00 for 4.15 PLN.
It means that the difference between the price they are selling at and the price they are buying (this is what you will get; you are the seller) is way too big; it should be a few groszy (preferably less than ten), not like in the kantor in the photo, 75 groszy. You should not use this kantor (unless you are in a pinch.)
In additional, in big and touristy cities with many kantors, some of them – unfortunately for a not very observant tourist – might present their exchange rates in a deceiving way, so please check the rates carefully, before deciding on a kantor.
Have you heard of “travelers checks”? They used to be a quite popular way of bringing money to a different country, but they most certainly are not anymore, at least in Poland. They have a reputation of being safe, but they could be quite difficult to change into cash, as not all banks will deal with them.
Safety: is Poland a safe country? How to stay safe
The answer is an overwhelming YES! Poland is a very safe country!
However, if you are in any big European city, you need to be aware of the fact that pickpockets might be there too.
It is easy to stay out of trouble if you remember a few simple rules:
1. Do not carry your wallet in the back pocket of your pants but have it in a front pocket (a deeper and buttoned/zipped pocket will be even better). A front pocket of your shirt is not a good place to carry it either.
2. If you carry a purse, always know where your purse is, don’t let it dangle behind you, especially if you are on public transportation, or in crowds of people. In these instances, keeping your hand on your bag is always a good idea.
3. If you carry a backpack, take it off when you are using public transportation, and follow #2 advice.
4. When there is a crowd of people around you, always keep your hand on your bag, backpack, or the pocket where you keep your wallet or passport. Especially, when getting on and off trains, busses and streetcars.
5. More about backpacks: if you buy one, select a backpack with a deeper zipped pocket, located INSIDE the backpack, preferably on the front panel (front inside). You could use this pocket for keeping your documents, wallet, etc., as it won’t be easily accessible, even if somebody unzipped your backpack (which is unlikely but better be safe than sorry …)
On a personal note: I used to give a similar “pep talk” about safety to students before the departure to Poland on a study abroad trip, and as far as I know, nobody ever fell victim to this kind of petty crime (or any other crime for this matter.) These are very simple and common-sense rules, follow them and you will be fine!
Safe travels! Poland is a beautiful and safe country, very much worth exploring!
Taylor Swift is playing three concerts in Warszawa this summer (August 1 – 3, at the National Stadium), so there will be for sure many “accidental” American tourists traveling to Poland this summer just for that! As a matter of fact, the Polish Weekly met one of them last Saturday at the OLS campus.
If you have any questions about traveling to Poland, please let us know!
