ATMs in Bulgaria keep asking Charge in LEV or Charge in USD - what does that mean? Shows high charges for this
At Sofia Airport, the ATM from First Investment Bank gave me the same screen. “Charge in USD?” sounded tempting with my US card, but it’s a trap. I chose BGN and my Monzo card did the conversion properly. Accepting USD would’ve cost around $15 more on a 300 BGN withdrawal. Always pick BGN in Bulgaria.
In Varna, I used a Raiffeisen ATM. It asked if I wanted to be billed in USD. I tried it once and regretted it. The markup was about 8%. If you stick with BGN, your bank gives you the real rate. Lesson learned-always local currency.
At a UniCredit Bulbank ATM in Plovdiv, the same thing came up. The USD option was labelled as “recommended.” It’s not-it’s a rip-off. I hit BGN instead, and Revolut converted at the perfect interbank rate. Always stick with local currency in Bulgaria.
In Sofia, I used a DSK Bank ATM. It asked “Charge in BGN (lev) or in USD?” That’s DCC again. If you pick USD, the ATM applies its inflated rate. If you pick BGN, your card provider converts at the fair Visa/Mastercard rate. I withdrew 400 BGN-choosing USD would’ve cost me $18 more. Always pick BGN.