Which is better - choosing With or Without Conversion at ATM in Gambia?
I went for cash at an Ecobank ATM right outside Senegambia Beach Hotel. It flashed the dreaded With Conversion screen. I ignored it, hit Without, and my Revolut billed me in dalasi at the fair rate. Later that night at a bar in Kololi, I met another traveler who’d pressed With and ended up short on cash for dinner. Everyone here says the same - go Without Conversion in Gambia.
Tourists in Gambia often get confused by this screen. Always pick Without Conversion. Even if your card has a foreign transaction fee, it’s less than the markup GTBank or Ecobank tack on with DCC. I usually stick to Trust Bank ATMs around Banjul city center and decline the conversion every time. Works fine with my Canadian RBC Visa. Choosing With only benefits the ATM operator, not you.
I was staying near Kololi Beach and went to an Ecobank ATM. Thought choosing With Conversion would be better since it showed GBP. My Lloyds account later proved me wrong - I lost about £10 on a single withdrawal. Next time I tried Trust Bank ATM in Serrekunda, pressed Without, and it billed in dalasi properly. Big difference. Local expats all told me the same thing: never choose With, the banks in Gambia love that trick.
In Banjul and Serrekunda, GTBank, Ecobank, and Trust Bank ATMs will show “With Conversion / Without Conversion” for foreign cards. That’s dynamic currency conversion (DCC). If you pick With, the ATM forces the transaction into EUR, USD, or GBP at a bad rate. Without leaves it in dalasi (GMD) and your card network handles it. I used my Chase card at GTBank near Westfield Junction - pressed Without, and the rate matched what I saw online. With would have added around 6%.