Quick answer. Roughly half the people in Frankfurt Airport (FRA) never leave it: it is Lufthansa's main hub and one of Europe's biggest transfer points. That matters for cash, because the machines you meet airside on a connection are almost all blue Euronet ATMs, which charge a high operator fee and push DCC. If you are only connecting, withdraw nothing, or take the smallest amount that gets you through the layover. If you are actually entering Germany, the better ATMs are a 15-minute train ride away around Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, not in the terminal. Either way, decline DCC and choose euros. The S-Bahn S8/S9 leaves from the Regionalbahnhof under Terminal 1, about 15 minutes and around €5.80, contactless accepted; long-distance ICE trains use the separate Fernbahnhof, so you can be in Cologne or Stuttgart without ever touching a German ATM.
Where to get euro at FRA
Your options at Frankfurt divide by where you are standing. Airside on a connection you are choosing between a Euronet machine and simply paying by card; landside you are choosing between withdrawing here and waiting fifteen minutes for the bank machines around the Hauptbahnhof. The figures below assume the equivalent of a $100 withdrawal.
| Option | Where | Markup | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Bank ATM (BoA Alliance: flat fee waived) | City; airport where available | BoA's 3% still applies; interbank otherwise | ~$113 on BoA debit; ~$110 on a no-FX-fee card |
| Other bank ATM on a no-FX-fee card | Airport and city | Interbank rate, little or no surcharge | ~$110 + $0 fee |
| Blue Euronet ATM | FRA terminals | High operator fee + DCC pitch | ~$95-102 |
| Airport exchange counter | FRA arrivals | A wide spread plus fees | ~$95-100 |
| Accepting DCC at any machine | Anywhere | +4-12% if you choose 'charge in USD' | ~$96-104 |
Airside versus landside at Frankfurt Airport (FRA): which ATMs you can actually reach
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is Germany's largest airport and one of Europe's great transfer hubs, and that single fact should shape how you handle money here. A very large share of FRA's passengers are connecting between flights and never clear immigration, which means the question is not really where the best ATM at Frankfurt Airport is, but whether you are airside or landside. Airside, in the piers of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, your realistic options are thin and expensive: the visible machines are overwhelmingly the blue Euronet ATMs, which dispense real euros but layer an operator fee on top and steer you hard toward dynamic currency conversion. A connecting passenger who needs twenty euros for a coffee should either pay by card, which works everywhere in the terminal, or accept the fee on a deliberately small withdrawal. Do not take out a week of spending money airside at Frankfurt.
Landside is a different calculation, and it is mostly an argument for patience. The Regionalbahnhof beneath Terminal 1 puts you at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof in about fifteen minutes, and the streets around the main station and the Zeil carry a genuine density of German bank branches. Waiting those fifteen minutes is the cheapest single decision available at this airport. There is a pleasing irony in it: Frankfurt is home to the European Central Bank and the Bundesbank, the city that issues and governs the euro, and its airport is still not where you should buy them. Central banks set policy rates, not the retail spread you pay at a machine in a departure pier. If you hold a Bank of America card, Germany is one of the better countries for you, because Deutsche Bank sits in the Global ATM Alliance; the mechanics and the exact fees are on our Deutsche Bank guide. For everyone else, a no-FX-fee card at any German bank machine is the clean answer.
Terminal 1
Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners, and the airport's rail interchange: the Fernbahnhof for ICE and IC long-distance trains, and the Regionalbahnhof beneath the terminal for the S-Bahn
Airside in the piers the machines are mostly Euronet and priced accordingly, so withdraw only what a layover needs. Landside in arrivals, keep walking to the Regionalbahnhof, ride fifteen minutes to the Hauptbahnhof, and use a bank machine there instead. Whichever you choose, refuse the offer to be billed in your own currency
Terminal 2
Other carriers including SkyTeam, Oneworld and leisure airlines, linked to Terminal 1 and both rail stations by the free Sky Line people mover
The same Euronet-heavy picture as Terminal 1, and riding the Sky Line across will not find you a better machine. Arriving passengers should take the Sky Line to Terminal 1 for the S-Bahn and withdraw in the city; connecting passengers are better off paying by card
Do you actually need cash at Frankfurt (FRA)?
It depends entirely on whether you are leaving the airport. Connecting passengers can and should skip cash altogether; arriving passengers want a euro float, just not one bought in the terminal. Here is what actually takes cards, and where euros still matter:
S-Bahn (S8 / S9 to Hauptbahnhof) (~€5.80 one way): Fastest cheap option, about 15 min to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof and on into the city, from the Regionalbahnhof beneath Terminal 1. Contactless tap-to-pay accepted.
ICE / IC long-distance train (Varies by destination): From the airport Fernbahnhof (long-distance station) to Cologne, Stuttgart, and beyond. Book by card.
Taxi (~€30-40 to the city centre): From the terminal taxi ranks; cards generally accepted.
Regional / airport buses (Varies): Buses serve the wider region; contactless and tickets accepted.
⚠ DCC trap. When the ATM or terminal asks if you want to be charged in your home currency instead of the local currency, always decline and choose the local currency. Accepting locks in a 3-13 percent markup that your no-FX-fee card cannot undo. Full DCC explainer →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need cash to get from Frankfurt (FRA) to Frankfurt?
No. S-Bahn (S8 / S9 to Hauptbahnhof) accepts contactless. Most taxis accept cards. Uber and other apps are card-only.
Can I order euro before flying?
Only if you want to skip the question entirely. CEI Currency Exchange ships euros to a US address in 2-5 days at rates well below an airport counter, which is worth it if you land late, have a tight connection onward, or simply do not want to hunt for a bank machine at the Hauptbahnhof on arrival day. If you are only transiting Frankfurt, you need no euros at all.
I am only connecting through Frankfurt. Do I need euros at all?
Almost certainly not. Everything airside at FRA takes cards, including contactless, and the terminal shops, bars and restaurants have no cash-only holdouts. Since the machines you can reach without clearing immigration are mostly blue Euronet ATMs with an operator fee on top, a connecting passenger who withdraws cash is paying a premium for money they will carry back onto a plane. The exception is a long layover where you plan to leave the airport, in which case treat yourself as an arriving passenger and use a bank machine in the city.
Where are the ATMs airside at Frankfurt Airport?
They are distributed through the Terminal 1 piers and Terminal 2, generally near the larger retail clusters and the transfer desks, and the great majority of them are Euronet. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are joined by the free Sky Line people mover, but crossing between them does not meaningfully improve your ATM options. If you have to withdraw airside, take the smallest useful amount, decline the machine's offer to charge you in your home currency, and accept that this is a convenience purchase rather than a good rate.
Is it worth waiting until Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof to withdraw cash?
Yes, if you are entering Germany rather than connecting. The S-Bahn covers the distance in roughly fifteen minutes for about 5.80 euros, and the area around the Hauptbahnhof and along the Zeil has a real concentration of German bank branches and their machines, including Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and Sparkasse. Fifteen minutes of patience replaces an airport operator fee with an ordinary bank withdrawal. Buy the S-Bahn ticket with a contactless card so you do not need cash to make the trip in the first place.
Frankfurt is the home of the ECB. Are exchange rates better here?
No, and it is a common assumption worth correcting. The European Central Bank and the Bundesbank are both headquartered in Frankfurt, but a central bank sets monetary policy; it has nothing to do with the retail margin an airport ATM operator or an exchange counter charges you. The rate you get at FRA is set by the same commercial logic as at any other European airport: captive customers, short dwell time, and limited competition. Frankfurt's financial significance does not follow you to the machine.
Can I get from Frankfurt Airport to another German city without any cash?
Easily, and this is one of FRA's genuine advantages. The airport has its own long-distance station, the Fernbahnhof, connected to Terminal 1, with ICE and IC services to Cologne, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Hamburg and beyond. Tickets are bought online, in the Deutsche Bahn app, or at machines that take cards, so you can land at Frankfurt and arrive in another city several hours later without touching a German ATM. Deal with cash at your destination instead, where the machines are ordinary bank ones.