ATMs in Guinea-Bissau keep asking Accept or Decline Conversion - what does that mean? Shows high charges for this
One thing about using ATMs in Guinea-Bissau-the “accept or decline conversion” prompt is basically a trap to upsell hidden fees. I learned it the hard way at Banque Régionale de Solidarité. The “accept” option gave me a terrible exchange rate and nearly doubled my withdrawal cost. Using a Mastercard, I now always decline conversion and get my home bank’s rate, which saves a lot, even after their fees. Also, carrying some cash as backup is wise-ATMs can be glitchy.
Honestly, the fees in Guinea-Bissau annoyed me. Even declining conversion, the ATM fees at Ecobank and UBA Bank were steep, something like $6 per withdrawal. Accepting conversion was way worse; one time it was almost a 12% fee on top. If you can, bring a fee-free travel card like Wise or Revolut; that helped me dodge a few charges. Tip: double-check your receipts before confirming anything at these ATMs.
I found the “accept conversion” stuff confusing at the Bank of Africa ATMs in Guinea-Bissau. Turns out, accepting the conversion just means the ATM converts your withdrawal at its own rates, which are marked up. If you decline, your card's bank does the conversion and it generally ends up cheaper. Just be ready for local fees that add about $4-$6 per transaction. My Visa worked fine, but I made sure to always hit decline.
When I was in Bissau using ATMs from Ecobank and Banque Régionale de Solidarité, the Accept or Decline Conversion thing kept popping up. Basically, if you accept, the ATM picks the exchange rate and usually adds a hefty hidden fee-sometimes more than 10%. Declining means your bank handles the conversion with a better rate but still with local ATM fees of around $5-$7. I always declined to avoid the crazy markups. Plus, not a ton of fee-free ATMs there, so budget accordingly!