Which is better - choosing With or Without Conversion at ATM in Namibia?
I pulled cash at a Bank Windhoek ATM near Post Street Mall. It asked With or Without. I hit Without, got my Namibian dollars, and Wise billed me exactly right. At my lodge in Etosha, a South African traveler told me he hit With at Standard Bank in Windhoek and instantly lost enough money to cover his dinner. Pretty much all of us on safari agreed - never choose With Conversion in Namibia.
Namibia’s ATMs are straightforward once you know the trick. Always choose Without Conversion. FNB and Bank Windhoek across Independence Avenue both gave me the option, and my Revolut card billed me cleanly in NAD when I declined. Choosing With means you get an inflated USD or EUR rate that costs way more than your bank’s normal fee. Whether you’re in Windhoek, Swakopmund, or on the road to Etosha, the advice is the same: Without Conversion is better every time.
I was staying in Swakopmund near the Jetty and tried a Standard Bank ATM. Pressed With Conversion because it showed EUR, and I figured that was safe. My Deutsche Bank account later told me otherwise - €14 gone on one withdrawal. The next day at Bank Windhoek in Windhoek city center, I pressed Without Conversion, and the exchange rate was spot-on. Host at my guesthouse warned me after the fact that tourists often get stung here.
In Windhoek and Swakopmund, ATMs from FNB Namibia, Standard Bank, and Bank Windhoek will show “With Conversion / Without Conversion” for foreign cards. That’s dynamic currency conversion. With = the ATM converts your withdrawal into USD, GBP, or EUR at a marked-up rate. Without = the machine charges you in Namibian dollars (NAD) and your card company does the exchange at the fair rate. I used FNB at Maerua Mall in Windhoek, pressed Without, and my Chase card billed me correctly. With Conversion at Standard Bank was nearly 7% worse.