Need cash when I land, best place in Macau? Airport or places in the city?
I landed in Macau late at night and used a Bank of China ATM at the airport - worked fine and gave me patacas directly. The next day in Cotai, I noticed casino exchange counters offering decent USD-to-HKD rates, better than the airport. Most of my trip I used HKD since restaurants and taxis accepted it easily. Only once did I get change in patacas. If I had to do it again, I’d skip the airport desk completely and just rely on ATMs and casino counters.
Airport exchange counters in Macau have higher margins. Safer option: use ATMs from Bank of China, ICBC, or BNU, available both at the airport and in the city. These allow you to withdraw in patacas or HKD. HKD is accepted nearly everywhere in Macau at 1:1, though you may get change in patacas. If you’re carrying USD, exchange at city banks or even in major casinos where rates are usually fair. Use the airport counters only for small amounts on arrival.
No need to rush into airport counters when landing in Macau. Most ATMs from HSBC, BNU, or Bank of China accept foreign cards and give you MOP or HKD at the proper rate. Since HKD is widely accepted, I often just withdraw HKD. In Cotai and around the big casinos, currency exchange desks give better rates than the airport, especially for USD. My usual plan is to grab 500 MOP at the airport ATM for taxis, then handle the rest in town.
At Macau Airport you’ll see exchange counters, but rates aren’t great. I usually withdraw directly from ATMs. Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) and ICBC ATMs are reliable and dispense in patacas or HKD. Many shops accept Hong Kong dollars too, so carrying HKD is often more convenient. My routine is to withdraw a small amount of MOP at the airport for taxis, then use city ATMs for larger sums. Exchanging cash in casinos also works since rates can sometimes be better than banks.