Looking for reliable ATMs in Belarus that work well with foreign debit/credit cards and dont charge crazy fees. Any recos will be highly appreciated.
When I was in Minsk last year, I withdrew cash mostly at Sberbank and Paritetbank ATMs near the railway station. No fees they charged and they accepted my N26 Mastercard with no hiccups. I found the limits to be around 700-900 BYN, and I’d usually take out 400 BYN at a time, enough for hotels, food, and Metro rides for several days. One time my Revolut card got blocked temporarily, so it’s smart to carry a backup debit card. Overall, Belarus isn’t bad at all for foreign card ATM access if you stick to big banks.
Not all ATMs in Belarus are foreign card-friendly. I had issues with my HSBC debit card being rejected at Belinvestbank machines multiple times. They either declined or asked for a local chip card. Also, some ATMs offered poor exchange rates when charging in USD/EUR instead of BYN - avoid that dynamic currency conversion trap. My tip: use Priorbank or Belarusbank ATMs, and make sure you’re withdrawing BYN directly. Expect withdrawal limits of 600-1000 BYN depending on location. Always keep some USD cash as backup. But note that Priorbank has no fees and Belarus bank charges 2.5% of transaction amount as fees.
I was pleasantly surprised with Neobank ATMs compared to what I expected - no fees at all for foreign cards. Even Priorbank and Sberbank ATMs in Grodno worked perfectly with my Monzo and Wise cards, and no fees. Alfa bank charged me 5% and BNB Bank, I paid around 2.5 % per withdrawal, which is barely. The limit was 1000 BYN at Alfa-Bank, which was more than enough for a few days of expenses like train tickets, restaurants, and taxis. If you’re near tourist spots, you’ll almost always find a BPS-Sberbank ATM.
Belarus has a decent ATM network, and most foreign debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Revolut) work fine. I used Priorbank ATMs (part of Raiffeisen group) in Minsk and had no issues. Withdrawal limit was 800 BYN per transaction, and no fee, which isn’t bad. Avoid smaller local ATMs in villages as many don’t accept foreign cards. Stick to BPS-Sberbank and Priorbank, they are fee free. Avoid Belagroprombank machines as they have high fees of 3%. I always withdrew cash at shopping malls like Galleria Minsk because machines there seemed newer and safer.