Quick answer. You can land in Macau with Hong Kong dollars and spend them almost everywhere, but it quietly costs you. The pataca is pegged at about 1.03 patacas to the Hong Kong dollar, shops take HK$ one for one, and your change comes back in patacas, which nobody accepts in Hong Kong. For a stay of more than a day, withdraw patacas from a BNU or Bank of China machine in arrivals, choose the local currency and decline conversion. Macau is not on Bank of America's Global ATM Alliance list, so a BoA card pays its usual non-network fees here. Leaving the airport is cheap: the Light Rapid Transit Taipa line stops at the airport, public buses cost a few patacas, and the big Cotai resorts run free shuttle buses for their guests.
Where to get patacas at MFM
At MFM the currency you pay in matters more than the machine you use. Here is what MOP 1,000 of spending costs by each route, at roughly $1 = MOP 8.
| Option | Where | Markup | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank ATM in patacas with a no-FX-fee card | Arrivals, BNU or Bank of China | Network rate; read any fee on screen | ~$124-126 |
| Card payment in patacas | Resorts, casinos, malls | Network rate | ~$124 |
| Paying in Hong Kong dollars at par | Shops, buses, restaurants | About 3% (HK$1 is worth ~MOP 1.03) | ~$128 |
| Exchange counter at the airport | Arrivals | Several % off the official rate | ~$130-135 |
| Accepting conversion to your home currency | Machines and terminals | DCC margin | ~$131-136 |
Bank machines at Macau (MFM), and which currency to take out
Macau International sits on reclaimed land on the eastern edge of Taipa, minutes from the Cotai Strip. It is a single terminal handling flights from mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, and many visitors never use it at all, arriving instead by ferry or by bus over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Arrivals has exchange counters and machines from Macau's banks, including BNU and Bank of China, the two banks that issue Macau's banknotes. Some machines in Macau offer Hong Kong dollars as well as patacas. Which to take depends on your trip. If Macau is a day out from Hong Kong and you already hold HK$, spend those and accept the small loss. If you are staying, take patacas, which are worth slightly less than a Hong Kong dollar and are what your change arrives in anyway. The full picture, including how casino floors handle money, is in our Macau money guide.
Arrivals hall
Air Macau and carriers from mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia
Bank machines and exchange counters are in arrivals after customs. Choose a BNU or Bank of China machine, select patacas if you are staying, and decline any offer to bill your card in your home currency. Take a moderate amount: resorts and casinos take cards, but old-town snack shops and many taxis want cash.
Departures
Same building
Spend your patacas before you leave. They are not accepted in Hong Kong or mainland China, and counters elsewhere buy them back at a poor rate if they take them at all. Hong Kong dollars hold their value if you are heading back that way.
The Light Rapid Transit station
Taipa line to Cotai, the Taipa ferry terminal and on towards Barra
The Airport LRT station is a short walk from the terminal. Fares are a few patacas, paid at the ticket machines or with a stored-value Macau Pass. It is the simplest way to the Cotai resorts if your hotel's shuttle is not waiting.
Do you actually need cash at Macau (MFM)?
Not much to leave the airport. Here is how you reach Taipa, Cotai and the peninsula:
Resort shuttle bus (free for hotel guests): The large resorts run shuttles from the airport and the ferry terminals, but routes have been cut back in recent years, so check your hotel's current service before relying on it.
LRT Taipa line (a few patacas): Ticket machines at the station or a Macau Pass; it links the airport with Cotai and the Taipa ferry terminal.
Public bus (a flat fare of a few patacas): Exact change or a Macau Pass, because drivers give no change; Hong Kong coins are accepted one for one, which costs you slightly.
Taxi (metered, with a small surcharge from the airport): Many taxis still take cash only, though card and QR payment is spreading; carry patacas or small Hong Kong notes.
⚠ 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 Macau (MFM) to Macau?
No. The resort shuttles are free for guests, the LRT and buses cost a few patacas, and Hong Kong dollars are accepted one for one if you have them. Cash is useful once you reach the old town, where the almond-cookie shops, noodle stalls and many taxis prefer notes, and your change will come back in patacas.
Can I order patacas before flying?
Order Hong Kong dollars rather than patacas. CEI Currency Exchange ships currency to a US address in 2-5 days, and Hong Kong dollars are accepted throughout Macau and keep their value if you continue to Hong Kong, whereas patacas are hard to buy outside Macau and harder to sell back. Take patacas from a machine on arrival if you are staying more than a day or two.
Can I use Hong Kong dollars in Macau?
Yes, almost everywhere, and casino tables mostly work in Hong Kong dollars. Shops, restaurants and buses usually take them one for one with the pataca, but the official rate values a Hong Kong dollar at about 1.03 patacas, so paying in HK$ at par costs you roughly 3 percent, and your change comes back in patacas. That is a fair price for a day trip; for a longer stay, withdraw patacas.
Can I spend leftover patacas in Hong Kong?
No. Patacas are not accepted in Hong Kong shops or on its transport, and few exchange counters outside Macau want them. Spend them before you leave, pay the last bills of your trip in patacas rather than Hong Kong dollars, and keep coins to a minimum, because they are the hardest part to get rid of.