When we travel we tend to pay for as much as possible in cash. We carry an ATM card that has no foreign transaction fees and a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees. Plus, because we’re cautious, we have spares. One of the items on our list for each country we visit is how to obtain cash. Here’s what we’re learning about Cash and ATMs in Guatemala. We endeavor to keep this post up to date with current fees and rates – if you have further information please drop us a line in the comments and we’ll update the costs!
This is a community updated post. If you would like to receive updates whenever we get them – you’ll get them same day, then Click Here and I’ll send them to you.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN COMPENSATED AND AFFILIATE LINKS MORE INFORMATION IN OUR DISCLAIMER
Guatemalan Currency – The Quetzal
The currency of Guatemala is the Quetzal. (GTQ) It’s named after the national bird – the quetzal (ket-zal). It used to be that in ancient Mayan culture, the tail feathers from the bird were used as currency. The Quetzal is divided into 100 centavos. (you might hear lenes, which is the local slang for centavos).
The largest note you’ll get is the 100 Quetzal Note. There are also 50Q, 20Q, 10Q, 5Q and 1Q notes. Coins include the 1Q coin, 50 centavos, 25 centavos, 10, 5 and 1 centavos.
#1 TIP FOR CASH IN GUATEMALA
Get a WISE Card to take to Guatemala. Two free ATM withdrawals per month, plus free to use to pay by card with zero foreign transaction fees.
Use Cash in Guatemala
Guatemala is primarily a cash society. Certainly for us. That’s usually because most of the places we eat at, and the buses and transport options we catch, operate in a cash society. Most of our purchases (food, bus tickets, occasionally water, etc) are small ticket items.
Even, when you look at the top places to visit in Guatemala nothing is particularly expensive. So, whipping out a credit card to pay for a US$1.50 bill for two coffees just doesn’t feel right. It also makes sense to us not to use a credit card for a number of reasons. Most places, unless you’re traveling at the very high end do NOT accept credit cards at all.
Don’t Use Credit Cards In Guatemala
We rarely use credit cards. In Guatemala, we didn’t use it once. That’s for a number of reasons.
- Most of our spending is small A couple of cups of coffee or a few tacos.
- We buy from small shops (tiendas), market stalls, or street food vendors. Don’t even begin to think that they accept credit cards
- In most countries, there will be a credit card fee. It may be laid out as an additional charge or built into the pricing. We found this (as a shock to the system) in Australia and New Zealand. Here in Guatemala, it’s around 8%. You read that right. EIGHT PERCENT.
- The more times I get out my credit card and have someone wander off with it, or it put into paper or electronic swipes, the more chance I have of getting it cloned, stolen, or misused. Trying to get a new credit sent to us while we’re on the move isn’t something I really want to contemplate.
Finding ATMs in Guatemala
Just because you see a map entry for a bank in Guatemala doesn’t mean that there’s an ATM there. ATM’s and banks don’t necessarily co-locate. An ATM in Guatemala is called a “Cajero Automatico”. Or Cajero. You might see signs for Cajera too. If you’re asking for directions, then this phrase will help you.
¿Donde esta un cajero automatico?”
ATM Withdrawal Costs in Guatemala
The first thing that you’ll find about ATMs is that they’re temperamental. Sometimes you’ll need to put your card in (and pull it out) several times. Depending on the ATM you need to leave your card in. Or take it out. While making the transaction. As always follow the instructions on the screen. And if it’s not accepting your card, give it another go. Or five.
ATM Limits in Guatemala
There is a withdrawal limit on each ATM in Guatemala. Sometimes this is per withdrawal (usually 2,000 to 3,000 Quetzals) and sometimes you can make multiple withdrawals per day. I use the word sometimes a lot here because that’s the reality. An ATM of the same brand in a different location in the same city may have different rules to the one you just used. Ask why and you’ll get a shrug. Mostly, take what you can get and be thankful that the machine spits your card out again.
Charges from Your Bank
When we first set off traveling we were somewhat wet behind the ears and didn’t contemplate how many times we would visit an ATM. So we traveled for the first 9 months with a regular debit card account. We moved money into it when we needed it. (We ensured that we hooked up our VPN before we did ANYTHING like this. – FIND OUT WHY you should use a VPN in our guide to VPNs). The best VPN for Guatemala is ExpressVPN, find out more!
We recommend ExpressVPN, which we’ve used in some of the world’s most difficult countries to access the internet – check it out here. This link will give you up to 49% off RRP or 3 months for free!
The fees from our bank soon mounted up, especially when we hit India and our maximum withdrawal per transaction was only around GBP100 for the ATMs there. (In the UK a usual daily amount is between GBP250 and GBP300). With a fee for each transaction, it got pretty expensive.
We moved our account to one which gives us free foreign currency withdrawals. It’s worth looking into! We have since moved to a different account that has no fees. We are also Wise (formerly TransferWise) debit card holders for their borderless account > read how the Wise account can save you a WHOLE LOT OF MONEY here
ATM Guatemala Airport 2024
The Guatemala City (La Aurora) Airport ATMs are at the airport AFTER you exit customs on arrival. The ATMS at La Aurora Airport are for both BI and 5B. You’ll find them near the pay machines at the parking garage entrance. It’s across the street when you exit the airport.
If you need cash at the airport you can get it, but its going to cost you. Try arranging an airport transfer to get you to your first destination.
Guatemala ATM fees from the ATM provider
As well as the charge from your financial services or card provider there’s often a cost from the ATM provider too. This varies IMMENSELY and can add up to a significant amount. Here are the costs we’ve found for Guatemala ATMs.
ATMs Guatemala – The Providers
5B ATM Guatemala (The Yellow ATMs)
You’ll find more of these ATMs than any other in Guatemala. They can be found at petrol/gas stations, Despensa Familiars, and shopping centers. They are however EXPENSIVE when it comes to fees. They may, however, be your only choice, as they tend to work when other ATMs don’t.
2,000 Quetzales usually costs 45 Quetzales as a fee. The maximum amount per transaction from a 5B ATM is 2,000 Quetzales. However, La Aurora Airport fees in 2023 were 31 Quetzales
BAC Guatemala (Usually Red and White)
These will give up to 3,000 Quetzales per day (and per transaction). There’s one under the colonnade around the edges of Central Park in Antigua. The fee for 2,500 Quetzales is 22 Quetzales. You can also find a BAC ATM in Xela (Quetzaltenango) on the opposite side of the central park (in Zone 1) to the Xela Pan bakery.
BI Guatemala (Silver/Black)
We used BI more than any other ATMs because we were not charged ANY FEES for using these machines on our first trip to Guatemala. That changed on our return and there are now usually fees on all BI ATMs in Guatemala.
The maximum withdrawal is 2,000 Quetzales per transaction. The fee to withdraw is now around USD$4 in December 2018.
There’s a BI ATM inside the Despensa Familiar near the central park in Xela. It’s right next to the 5B ATM in the same location.
Advice on Cash in Guatemala
- Don’t carry all your money with you all the time. Or in one place.
- Smaller shops, buses, and restaurants will struggle to break a 100 quetzales note for you. Split larger notes and keep change with you.
- Be sure to get your change when on a bus – “sencillo, por favour”
We’ll keep updating this as the situation changes. Keep us posted with the latest on ATMs in Guatemala and we’ll keep this post updated.
Save Money on Accommodation in Guatemala
One of the ways you can save money on ATM fees is to pre-book and prepay your accommodation using popular sites.
Pay for Hotels and hostels in advance online
Booking and paying for your accommodation online means you’ll save the need for cash. This meant using a booking site that allowed us to pay in advance on a credit card where possible. We used Booking to get the best deals in Guatemala and also to book our rooms and pay for them before we arrived.
Save on Booking Transport in Guatemala
Your transport between places can be an expensive drain on your cash resources. You can book transport between many locations in Guatemala using Bookaway. You can check all bookable routes here.
Booking Tours in Guatemala
Whether you want to take a workshop or cook with locals, climb a volcano, visit Tikal or explore Antigua – book your adventure in advance and you’ll save.
If you’re traveling to other countries, then our guides to ATMs and ATM fees are here – Chile ATM fees, Colombia ATM fees, Laos ATM fees, and Japan ATM fees.
Travel Tips for Exploring Guatemala
- Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.
- Get online immediately with an eSIM for Guatemala
- Download and install a VPN BEFORE you travel to Guatemala > discount coupon here
- Read about ATM fees in Guatemala here.
- Save money in Guatemala with a Wise debit card
- Book the best tours and attractions in Guatemala
- Book Buses & Trains in Guatemala with Bookaway
- Book accommodation in Guatemala with Booking
Final Words on ATMs in Guatemala
We hope you find this guide to ATMs in Guatemala useful. Let us know if you have updates so that they’re available for others traveling.
We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using our affiliate links. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
ASocialNomad is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, and amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
30 thoughts on “How to Use ATMs in Guatemala – [2024] Cheapest ATMS”
Thanks for sharing, I did not even know that his currency was the Quetzal
Thank you for sharing the information, but we have experienced something different in Antigua.
BAC: Did not work with our german Credit Card.
5B: The Fee is 45Q and the maxmium 2500Q.
BI: Max 2000Q and 32Q fee per transaction.
So, sadly, no free cash for us.
So far,
Sebastian
Thanks for all this information. Hopefully Guatemala soon will be more credit card friendly.
This was very helpful! I went to Guatemala in April and found this out the hard way. I am returning in 48 hours to Guatemala and will be in some rural areas, so I will need to hoard a bit of cash (stashed into different areas of my bag) to last me several days without an ATM. Do you know if it is possible that I could pull the maximum from a 5B, a BAC, and a Bi in one day? Luckily, I have a zero fees card (thank you Charles Schwab), so the fees won’t be an issue, but the maximum withdrawal is certainly an issue.
Thanks!
Hi there – we did that too: although you need to be aware of the daily limits on your card itself, ours was GBP500 so we had a reasonable amount to play with.
Bi asks 4USD commissions per withdrawal
Italian Bank account
Ouch! That’s expensive!
Curses, hadn’t seen Giovanni’s update from when I first read this page! Yep, believe it’ll be against all foreign cards.
Hi guys, in Xela at the moment and can confirm that Bi now charge $4USD per (2,000 max) transaction. B5 charge 31.2Q per (2,000 max) transaction on Mastercard or 41.2Q for Visa. Couldn’t get BAC to “make a connection to your card issuer” with Starling (or Caxton).
We’ll try to post useful similar advice on mindfulwings.wordpress.com when we’ve a bit more time, but know I was going off the well-written advice above.
Ack. Sorry to hear that I’ll try and get this updated too – thanks for the update. Seems like “free money” is getting harder and harder to find around the world! But isn’t Starling Bank fabulous?
Hola, traveling to Guatemala in 2 days and have been reading about ATM scams that take your card information. Are 5b and Bi reliable sources to get cash out from or does the company not matter?
5b and BI are godd sources, you will see them everywhere. The best ones are those attached to banks, but mostly you will only see the 5b ones (they’re quite distinctive). Always check to see if there are any attachments, for skimming, but we didnt see any in our 2.5 months in Guatemala.
Hello. Thank you for the great information. I will be traveling to Guatemala City for a 2 month stay in the next few weeks. I am fluent in Spanish. Is it really as dangerous as I read ? I don t drink, party or go out at night. Any advice besides the common sense stuff will be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Hi William! Wow that sounds fabulous. Most of the problems in Guatemala are gang on gang – we met people who also lived in Guatemala City as gringos for several months, took local buses and had a great time. All the usual cautions apply – be aware of your surroundings, if you;re advised not to walk in a certain area, don’t, and if your host, or locals say take a taxi rather than a bus, then do that also. We never once, in our 2.5 months in Guatemala felt unsafe and the only folks we met who had problems was an English guy who got bitten by a dog at 0200 stumbling back to his room from a bar in Quetzeltenango!
I’ve used my (no foreign transaction fee) credit card all over Guatemala City and I have yet to see any additional fee added from the store/vendor. I was actually surprised how many places I could use my credit card, it seems to be normalizing here. Obviously, street food and very small mom and pop restaurants would be cash-only.
With 1% cash-back on my card and getting the raw exchange rate, it seems like a good deal to use your credit card wherever possible.
Are you still seeing the ~ 8% fee being added in Xela? Are they hiding it or is it transparent when using your card?
I guess it depends on the individual stores/businesses involved! I’ll check in with the Spanish schools and report back on fees
Excellent and super informative!
I was looking for info / locations for the supposed Guatemalan associated credit unions, You know, owned buy the members other than a bank that needs a bailout,
But became my second choice.
When you use an ATM in Guatemala, do you receive US cash or Quetzales?
Hi Chris – Quetzales.
I’ve been living in Lake Atitlan for the past 9 months. Recently all of the 5B ATM’s charge and additional 6.5% foreign transaction fee. That’s a huge amount on top of the already high fee of 44 Qz. Does anyone know what is the cheapest machines to use in Lake Atitlan?
First I told it as a joke, but then a sneaky thought came to mind that maybe there is something to it, maybe there is a hidden agenda, maybe some conspiracy (albeit I am far from conspiracy theories) – but the fact that nearly all Gua enterprises will receive only cash (and demand ONLY cash)- could it be connected somehow to the huge Bank and ATM fees?? Maybe they all work together in a hidden agenda. OK, maybe I am hallucinating, but coming from the first world where cash is actually useless (or banned), here in Gua it is so difficult with the carrying of huge amounts of cash all the time (and moreover in a Q.5 bills, as they will refuse Q.100 (somewhere $13) bill or even q.50 bills, go find your friends), not to mention each cashing out of ATM is $5. So if it is your last day and you need worth of $30, you pay $5 on that cash out! What is wrong with this country? Yes, avocadoes are cheap but none of the rest necessities.
I feel your pain Erik, we had that all the way through Guatemala, and now, we are in Morocco. Always cash, and no one ever has change. And yet the ATMs give out 200 MAD notes! I think small notes and coins are like socks that go into the washing machine and only one comes out!!
Hello, I can’t thank you enough for your insight. Is a daily limit per ATM or once you hit your daily limit with one all of them won’t work?
Hi Joshua – you’ll have a daily limit from your bank /card provider, but (unless you have a limit on the number of transactions, you can use it as many times as you like. Some of the Guate ATMs apply their own daily limit too. Sarah
As of January 2024 there are both BI and 5B at the airport after you exit customs upon arrival. They are located near the pay machines at the entrance of the parking garage across the street when you exit the airport.
Thanks so mucb for the update. I’ve added it into the post for everyone. Enjoy Guatemala!
Hi Erika,
Thank you so much for the update. What are the fees for those atms?
I find your tips very useful and accurate, people also when they see $ they sell you more expensive, I never thought in how many times we will use ATM machines but now with your tips l know. Thank you
Hello,thanks for your article.Withdrawing quetzals yesterday from a 5B atm in a Guatemala there was a cost of 49q,plus a 9 percent markup on the exchange rate from cdn dollars to quetzal.A withdrawl of
2000 quetzal cost 229 quetzal or 11.45 percent for the transaction
Paying for a hotel room with a credit card was reasonable,costing 2 dollars off the online exchange rate.As well other banks have more favorable exchange rates,seemed to be about 8 percent of the transaction,including the foreign bank fee.