I got cash at an HSBC ATM in Clarke Quay with my Revolut card. No local fees and better rate than the airport exchange. I avoid airport counters now.....

I used the Ups taxi app in Tirana and it lets you add a card, but when the driver showed up, he still wanted cash. Apparently the app doesn’t guarante...

Tried Amex in 3 cities : Durrës, Tirana, and Gjirokastër. Not accepted even at larger supermarkets. It’s mostly Visa and Mastercard that work. Even so...

I carried around 3,000 lek cash each day and used card for anything extra. That covered good meals, buses between cities, coffee, and a few random sou...

I called my bank after three failed tries, they said the card wasn’t blocked, but local banks might be rejecting it. I was using a Chase credit card.s...

It’s not just you. Some Albanian banks block or just don’t process certain foreign fintech cards like Revolut. I’ve seen it happen at Credins and Tira...

did both to compare. Airport exchange gave me a noticeably lower rate and wanted to charge a “handling fee.” Used a Credins ATM later in Tirana with m...

Don’t worry, we’ve all fallen for it once...happend to me at Credins ATM

Albania’s public transport is pretty basic, especially in smaller towns. No metro system yet, and buses don’t take cards. I kept a little pouch of lek...