On a budget and looking for free ATMs in Uzbekistan - Any top banks?
I travel cheap, so ATM fees really matter. Kapitalbank and Hamkorbank worked for me - no charges with Revolut or N26. Max withdrawal was usually 1.2 to 1.5 million som per go, and I sometimes had to wait until morning if they ran out of cash. Always reject any conversion offer. One pro tip: some ATMs in Khiva and Bukhara gave USD instead of som - not useful unless you’re heading to black-market exchanges, which I avoided.
Most ATMs in Uzbekistan don’t advertise a fee, but some sneak in a bad rate. In Fergana, I’ve stuck to Trustbank - no fee with my Indian HDFC debit card, and I usually withdraw 1 million som at a time. UZCARD network doesn’t always play nice with foreign cards, so go for VISA-branded ATMs. And don’t try sketchy-looking ones near bazaars - they crash mid-transaction. Stick to ATMs attached to banks during daylight hours.
Spent six weeks in Tashkent and really got to know the ATM landscape. Kapitalbank is your best friend - no withdrawal fee, and they dispense som reliably, even late. Their daily cap is high - I took out 2 million som (~$160) in one go. I also had good luck with Ravnaq Bank, though their machines weren’t as widely available. Surprisingly, even large malls had ATMs from smaller banks that sometimes charged 3-4% silently, so always check the fee screen before confirming.
I tested a few banks while backpacking across Tashkent, Samarkand, and Andijan this April. Agrobank ATMs were the most reliable for my Wise card - no extra fee and gave the daily exchange rate close to mid-market. Withdrawal limit was around 1.5 million som (~$120) per transaction. Hamkorbank also didn’t charge me a fee, but the ATM asked if I wanted conversion - always choose local currency. Avoid Ipak Yuli Bank if you're fee-sensitive - they charged a markup plus a $2 fixed fee.