How much does Scotiabank DR charge foreign cards at ATMs?

About RD$150 per withdrawal, the lowest operator fee among the major Dominican banks (Banco Popular, Banco León, and BHD charge around RD$300, and the standalone resort-lobby machines charge RD$300-500 plus DCC). Just as important, Scotiabank's per-transaction cap is the highest in the country at roughly RD$20,000, versus about RD$10,000 at Banco Popular and only RD$2,000 at Banreservas. Because the fee is fixed per transaction, a high cap matters as much as a low fee: you pay one ~RD$150 fee for a full cash run instead of stacking fees on small pulls. It dispenses at the real Visa or Mastercard interbank rate; always decline DCC and choose pesos.

Where can I find Scotiabank ATMs in the Dominican Republic?

Across the country and, helpfully, in the places travelers actually land. There is a Scotiabank ATM in Punta Cana (PUJ) airport arrivals and branches around Bávaro / El Cortecito and the Downtown Punta Cana mall. In Santo Domingo, Scotiabank has branches in Piantini, the Blue Mall, Ágora Mall, and along the main avenues. Scotiabank also covers Santiago, La Romana, and Puerto Plata. The network is smaller than state-owned Banreservas or Banco Popular, so when you find a Scotiabank machine it is worth using it to pull a larger amount given the low fee and high cap.

Scotiabank DR for Travelers: Lowest Fee, Highest Cap, BoA Alliance

Q: Is Scotiabank still in the Dominican Republic?

Yes. Scotiabank is very much still operating in the Dominican Republic, where it has been since 1920 and now runs one of its Caribbean hubs with dozens of branches and over a thousand ATMs. This is a common point of confusion because Scotiabank sold its retail operations in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama to Grupo Davivienda in a deal that closed on 1 December 2025, but that divestiture did NOT include the Dominican Republic. So in the DR, Scotiabank remains a full retail bank, the local subsidiary of Canada's Bank of Nova Scotia, and crucially it is still the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner here.

Q: Is Scotiabank DR in the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance?

Yes. Scotiabank is the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner in the Dominican Republic, so a BoA debit card used at a Scotiabank DR ATM avoids BoA's non-network usage fee. BoA's 3 percent international transaction fee still applies, and Scotiabank's own ~RD$150 fee may show, but it is the cheapest combination available to a BoA customer in the country. The DR is now one of the few places in the Americas where the Alliance still works, since Scotiabank exited Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama in 2025 but stayed in the Dominican Republic. For non-BoA travelers, a Charles Schwab card (refunds operator fees) or a Wise card (zero FX markup) at a Scotiabank ATM is the cleanest setup.

Q: Does Scotiabank DR dispense US dollars?

Many Scotiabank DR ATMs let you choose Dominican pesos or US dollars at the screen, because the resort economy runs on both currencies. Take pesos for everything outside the resort gate (colmados, motoconchos, beach vendors, comedores), since paying USD to a peso-priced vendor means accepting their 10-15 percent markup. Withdraw USD only if you specifically need dollar bills for resort-staff tips, though bringing small USD bills from home is cheaper. Keep the currency-choice prompt separate from the DCC prompt: always decline the home-currency DCC conversion, whichever currency you withdraw.

Q: Is Scotiabank DR safe and reliable for foreign cards?

Yes. As the local arm of a major Canadian bank, Scotiabank DR runs a modern, reliable EMV network with consistent foreign Visa and Mastercard acceptance and an English-language option. Its machines sit inside branches, malls (Blue Mall, Ágora, Downtown Punta Cana), and airport terminals rather than exposed street corners. The only practical limitation is network density: there are fewer Scotiabank machines than Banco Popular or Banreservas units, so plan to withdraw a larger amount when you find one. Avoid the standalone non-bank ATMs in resort lobbies and casinos regardless of brand.

🇩🇴 This is the brand hub for Scotiabank in the Dominican Republic. For the bigger picture on Dominican banking, the dual peso/USD economy, the low-cap fee trap, and the always-decline-DCC rule, see the Dominican Republic Money Guide. For where the machines are in the resort zone, see the Punta Cana ATM Guide. For resort card acceptance and tipping, see the Punta Cana Money Guide. For the largest local network, see the Banco Popular Dominicano guide.

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What Scotiabank DR is, in one paragraph

Scotiabank Dominican Republic is the local subsidiary of The Bank of Nova Scotia, the Canadian global bank that has operated in the Caribbean for over a century. It has been in the Dominican Republic since 1920 and today runs one of Scotiabank's Caribbean hubs, with several dozen branches and more than a thousand ATMs across Santo Domingo, Santiago, Punta Cana, La Romana, and Puerto Plata. The point of confusion worth clearing up: in 2025 Scotiabank sold its retail banking in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama to Colombia's Grupo Davivienda, and that has led some out-of-date guides to say Scotiabank left Central America and the Caribbean entirely. It did not leave the Dominican Republic. Here it remains a full retail bank and, importantly for travelers, the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner. For a US or European visitor, the relevant facts are that Scotiabank DR has the lowest ATM operator fee in the country and the highest withdrawal cap, which together make it the cheapest place to pull pesos.

Why Scotiabank matters in the DR: lowest fee, highest cap, the Alliance

The Dominican ATM market is defined by a fixed per-withdrawal fee combined with a low per-transaction cap, and that combination punishes you when the cap is low. The state bank Banreservas caps foreign-card withdrawals at only about RD$2,000 while still charging roughly RD$300, so pulling real money there means paying the fee over and over. Banco Popular and BHD are better at ~RD$300 with a ~RD$10,000 cap. Scotiabank breaks the pattern on both axes: about RD$150 per withdrawal (half the norm) and a cap of roughly RD$20,000 (double Banco Popular's). One small fee buys a full cash run.

On a one-week trip needing the equivalent of $400-500 in pesos, that difference is real money. At Banreservas you might pay the fee a dozen times; at Banco Popular three or four times; at Scotiabank once or twice. Over a typical Punta Cana stay the Scotiabank route saves on the order of $15-40 in avoided fees versus the alternatives, before you even count the BoA Alliance benefit.

That Alliance benefit is the second reason Scotiabank matters here. Scotiabank is the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner in the DR, so a BoA debit card skips BoA's non-network usage fee at any Scotiabank DR machine. The DR is now one of the few countries in the Americas where this still holds, because Scotiabank's 2025 Davivienda divestiture covered Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama but not the Dominican Republic. The trade-off is density: Scotiabank has fewer machines than Banreservas or Banco Popular, so the habit to build is to pull a larger amount whenever you find a Scotiabank ATM.

What Scotiabank DR charges foreign cards at the ATM

Fee component	Amount	Paid to
Scotiabank operator fee	~RD$150 per withdrawal (the lowest in the DR)	Scotiabank (shown on screen)
Per-transaction cap	~RD$20,000 (the highest of the major banks)	One fee covers a full cash run
Exchange rate	Mid-market (interbank, ~RD$61 per USD)	Visa or Mastercard network
Bank of America Alliance	No BoA non-network surcharge here	BoA debit (DR is an Alliance country)
Dual dispensing	Choose pesos or USD at the screen	Take pesos for daily spending
Visa / Mastercard network fee	~1%	Card network, baked into total
Your home bank's FX fee	1-3% (0% with Wise or Schwab)	Your home bank
DCC trap on the screen	+4-8% if you accept home currency	Always decline, charge in pesos

Scotiabank is the only DR bank with both a low fee and a high cap, plus the BoA Alliance. Always decline DCC and take pesos. Indicative rate ~RD$61 per USD at time of writing.

Where to find Scotiabank branches and ATMs in the DR

Punta Cana / Bávaro: a Scotiabank ATM in PUJ airport arrivals, plus branches around Bávaro / El Cortecito and the Downtown Punta Cana mall. The cheapest pull in the resort zone.

Santo Domingo: branches in Piantini, inside the Blue Mall and Ágora Mall, and along the main avenues (Av. Winston Churchill, Av. 27 de Febrero). The Piantini and mall machines are the safest in the capital.

Santiago: branches in the second city and its malls, useful for Cibao-region and northern trips.

La Romana / Bayahibe: Scotiabank coverage for the Casa de Campo and Bayahibe / Saona excursion area.

Puerto Plata / Sosúa / Cabarete: branches on the north coast for the Amber Coast resorts and the kitesurf towns.

Airport note: the Scotiabank ATM in PUJ arrivals is the one airport machine worth using; it is the lowest fee and the Alliance partner. See the PUJ airport currency guide.

Best card pairing with Scotiabank DR

Wise + Scotiabank is the cheapest peso combo in the DR

A Wise debit card adds zero FX markup, and a Scotiabank machine adds the lowest fee in the country (~RD$150) with the highest cap (~RD$20,000), so one Wise pull at Scotiabank gives you a full cash run at the real interbank rate for one small fee. The same Wise card pays your excursions and Downtown Punta Cana restaurants without the resort's 10-15 percent USD markup.

Get the Wise Card →

BoA customers: this is your Alliance ATM

Because Scotiabank is the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner in the DR, a BoA debit card skips BoA's non-network surcharge at any Scotiabank machine here. BoA's 3 percent international fee still applies, so a Schwab or Wise card is still cheaper overall, but if you are stuck with BoA, seek out Scotiabank specifically.

Pull a larger amount when you find one

Scotiabank's network is thinner than Banreservas or Banco Popular, so when you reach a Scotiabank machine, use the high cap: withdraw enough for several days for a single ~RD$150 fee rather than making repeated small pulls at pricier banks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Scotiabank still in the Dominican Republic?

Yes, since 1920, running a Caribbean hub. The 2025 Davivienda sale covered Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama, not the DR.

How much does Scotiabank DR charge foreign cards?

~RD$150 per withdrawal, the lowest in the country, with the highest cap (~RD$20,000). One small fee for a full cash run.

Is Scotiabank DR in the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance?

Yes, the partner in the DR. BoA debit skips the non-network surcharge here (the 3% FX fee still applies).

Where can I find Scotiabank ATMs in the DR?

PUJ arrivals, Bávaro, Downtown Punta Cana, plus Santo Domingo (Piantini, Blue Mall, Ágora), Santiago, La Romana, and Puerto Plata.

Does Scotiabank DR dispense US dollars?

Many units do. Take pesos for daily spending; decline the separate DCC prompt either way.

Is Scotiabank DR safe and reliable for foreign cards?

Yes, a modern EMV network with reliable foreign-card acceptance. Fewer machines than Banreservas/Popular, so pull larger amounts when you find one.

Wise + Scotiabank DR

Lowest fee, highest cap, zero FX markup: the cheapest peso pull.