ATM fees and limits in Dominican Republic?

During my Dominican Republic trip, I mainly used Scotiabank and Banco BHD León ATMs. They worked fine with my Monzo card, with limits of 15,000-20,000 DOP. Fees ranged $3-5 USD. I usually withdrew around 15,000 DOP at once, which covered food, taxis, and beach bars for several days. Credit cards are widely accepted at resorts and restaurants, but you’ll need cash for tours, local guaguas (buses), and shops. ATMs were reliable in Santo Domingo and Punta Cana, but scarcer in smaller towns like Samaná.

Honestly, fees in the DR can be painful if you’re not careful. They all charge 300 DOP. Limits are all 10,000 or 20,000. You can use any like Banco Popular, BanReservas, BHD Leon - all reliable. But ATMs also sometimes ran out of cash on weekends in tourist zones. My HSBC debit card was rejected twice at Banreservas. Scotiabank was the only consistently reliable one. If your bank refunds ATM fees, you’re okay, otherwise take out max limits to minimize costs.

I actually had a pretty good experience withdrawing in the DR. Scotiabank in Santo Domingo accepted my Revolut card, and the limit was 20,000 DOP. The fee was about 300 DOP ($4 USD equivalent),  which wasn’t bad. Banco BHD León ATMs also worked great in Punta Cana, and they were located right near resorts. Withdrawing in bigger amounts saved me from multiple fees. I was able to get 20,000 on most times. Most excursions and taxis wanted cash, so I was glad the limits were decent compared to other Caribbean countries.

In the Dominican Republic, found BHD Leon and Scotiabank ATMs are the most reliable for foreign cards. They charged me about 300 DOP (~$3.50 USD) per withdrawal, and the limit was 20,000 DOP (about $340 USD). Banco Popular also worked with my Visa debit, but the fee was same at 300 DOP. Banco BHD León accepted Mastercard and Wise cards easily, with limits around 15,000-20,000 DOP. My Amex card wasn’t accepted at most ATMs.