Travelling soon and looking for best ATMs in Sao Tome and Principe that work well with foreign debit/credit cards and dont charge crazy fees. Any recos will be highly appreciated.
I found that Energy Bank and BISTP and Afriland were good. but charged about 110 dobra. I couldn’t figure what the daily limit was but i did 3 back to back transactions of 1,500 dobras and they worked at the same ATM so guess its higher than that. Get cash in bulk here because smaller shops and markets prefer it over card payments. and ATMs are few and far in between.
For anyone traveling on a budget in São Tomé and Príncipe, stick to Ecobank of BISTP - they have the most ATMs here. Dont expect anything free- be ready to pay 110 dobra per transaction. Visa works, Mastercard doesnt. Got 1,500 dobra in 2 transactions. Cash is still very useful here, so avoid relying solely on cards.
Honestly, São Tomé’s ATM network is small and hardly any ATMs. they also only accept Visa. Whether you use BISTP or Ecobank of Afriland - all have 110 dobra fee.
Thwre are no free ATMs here. All are part of the Dobra 24 network. There is a 110 dobra fee and 1,500 dobra in 1 transaction - thats it.