Need cash when I land, best place in Sweden? Airport or places in the city?
Studying in Uppsala, I always hit a local Bankomat or a Nordea machine downtown near the university. Withdrawing 2k–3k SEK via a Wise Multi‑Currency debit card gives me the interbank rate, only a 1.75 % fee above two free monthly withdrawals. My Swedish friends use SEB or Handelsbanken ATMs, which are reliable and free of extra charges. Hostels like Fyrishov or Uppsala Budget Hostel are near bank zones with plenty of Bankomat kiosks. Rural areas? Bring cash: mobile wallets may glitch. Avoid DCC prompts, always choose SEK to dodge poor conversion.
My partner and I landed at Malmö Airport and opted against the currency booth (those rates are terrible). We hopped into town and found a SEB branch near Lilla Torg. Within, the SEB ATM let us withdraw SEK without a surcharge, and we used our Halifax Clarity via Visa to minimize foreign‑transaction fees. Got ourselves local SIM, enjoyed fika with the rest in Lund. In Stockholm, we later used Nordea and even ICA grocery store ATMs - all Bankomat linked. Keeping withdrawals under 5k SEK meant avoiding foreign bank fees. Would do it again!
Just got off the overnight bus into Gothenburg, needed some krona fast. Avoided the flashy Euronet machines (heard horror stories about hidden fees). Walked into a Swedbank kiosk on Avenyn, used my N26 card - zero ATM fee and nailed the mid‑market rate. Union‑owned Bankomat machines are your friend in train stations or near hostels like STF Göteborg City. Only downside: machines sometimes run dry in evenings, so hit one during bank hours (9:30-15:00). Bring two cards though – better safe than stuck with no cash in Feskekôrka!
Landed at Stockholm‑Arlanda and headed straight to a Bankomat ATM in the arrivals hall. No bank surcharge, just my own home‑bank’s FX fee. Withdrew 4,000 SEK (max per day is typically 2–5k) in one transaction, avoiding multiple flat ATM fees. Used my Chase Sapphire Preferred – works perfectly in Sweden. If you want to skip airport cash‐exchange rates, go with Bankomat at the airport or city branches of SEB, Nordea or Swedbank. For larger sums, top up one ATM session rather than several. Sweden is mostly cashless, but ATMs give great rates compared to Forex booths downtown.