I need to take out quite a bit of cash during my trip. Anyone know cheapest ATMs & daily withdrawal limits for foreign cards at Zambia ATMs?
Visited Lusaka and chose ABSA Bank ATM three times in June. Withdrawal limit per transaction was ZMW 4,000 (~$200), with a $5.50 fee. You could do two daily withdrawals. ABSA beat out CBZ Bank’s ATM, which only allowed ZMW 3,000 and hit with ~$7 fee. So if I needed $600, I'd hit Stanbic or Standard Chartered in the morning. Always ask bank staff about daily limits for foreign cards.
In Ndola, a Standard Chartered ATM let me withdraw ZMW 10,000 per day using my Mastercard - split into two ZMW 5,000 draws. Fee was about $5 each time in May. They gave me both coins and banknotes, which is handy. Also doesn’t push DCC if declined. For someone needing large cash chunks, that’s the most cost‑effective route I found.
Popped into a First National Bank ATM in Livingstone last month. I could draw ZMW 5,000 per transaction (~$250) with a $6 fee each time. They allowed two transactions per day, so max was around $500/day. Best to keep withdrawals piling up early in the day before they hit daily quotas. Avoid private ATM booths, stick to FNB, Stanbic, or Standard Chartered for foreign card reliability.
Used my Wise debit card in Lusaka's Stanbic ATM in early June - daily limit was ZMW 8,000 (approx. $400) and fees were about $4 flat. They didn't push DCC if you choose “Without Conversion.” Compared to Barclays / Absa machines that charged up to $7 per withdrawal, Stanbic was the cheapest. Took out twice daily to hit the limit when needing more.