🇵🇪 This is the brand hub for Scotiabank Perú. For the bigger picture on soles, the cambistas, and the dual-currency ATM screens, see the Peru Money Guide. For exact ATM areas and the fee-beating playbook, see the Lima ATM Guide. For card acceptance by district, see the Lima Money Guide. For Peru's largest network, see the BCP guide. Flying in? Jorge Chávez (LIM) guide.
🧾 Order Soles Before You Fly
A sol float means your first machine can be a careful one. Insured 2–5 day US delivery, rate below the airport counters.
Order Soles → CEI Currency ExchangeWhat Scotiabank Perú is, in one paragraph
Scotiabank Perú is the Peruvian subsidiary of Canada's Scotiabank (the Bank of Nova Scotia), built up largely from the former Banco Wiese and Banco Sudamericano, and today one of the larger banks in the country with a solid ATM presence in Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, and the other main cities. For most foreign banks it behaves like any Peruvian bank, but it has one feature none of its local rivals share: it is the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner in Peru. That single fact makes its red cajeros the fee-free choice for the large number of American travelers who carry a BoA debit card, which is why it earns its own guide alongside the much larger BCP.
The Alliance advantage: why a BoA card is free here
The Bank of America Global ATM Alliance is a reciprocal network of overseas banks where BoA customers withdraw without the usual penalties. In Peru, Scotiabank Perú is that partner. Use a BoA debit card at a Scotiabank ATM and two charges disappear: Scotiabank waives its own operator surcharge, and BoA waives its $5-or-3% non-network fee. You are left paying only BoA's international transaction fee of about 1 percent on the converted amount, at the interbank rate. That is as cheap as cash gets in Peru for a traditional US bank account, and it is the reason a BoA cardholder should seek out the red Scotiabank machine rather than the nearest BCP or Globalnet.
The catch is that the waiver is specific to Bank of America cards in the US Alliance program. A card from any other US bank gets no Alliance benefit at Scotiabank; it pays Scotiabank's normal operator fee plus its own bank's charges, exactly as it would at BCP.
What Scotiabank Perú charges, by card
| Your card | What you pay at a Scotiabank ATM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of America debit (Alliance) | ~1% only (BoA international fee), interbank rate | Surcharge and non-network fee both waived |
| Wise / Schwab debit | Interbank rate; Schwab refunds the operator fee | No FX markup; cleanest all-rounder |
| Other US bank debit | ~S/16-20 operator fee + your bank's 1-3% FX + ATM fee | No Alliance benefit; same as BCP |
| Any card accepting DCC | +5-12% on top | Always decline; choose soles, not US dollars |
Scotiabank posts its operator fee on screen before you confirm. The sol is freely convertible, so you can pre-order a first-day float. BoA's Alliance waiver is the standout reason to use this bank.
Where to find Scotiabank Perú
Jorge Chávez arrivals
The red Scotiabank cajero in the new LIM terminal is the fee-free first stop for BoA cardholders, away from the standalone Globalnet machines. See the LIM airport guide.
Miraflores & San Isidro
Scotiabank branches and ATMs through Miraflores and the San Isidro financial district, plus Larcomar and Jockey Plaza. Mapped in the Lima ATM Guide.
City-centre branches
Scotiabank ATMs in central Cusco; pair with BCP for redundancy in the region, where high-season demand empties machines.
Arequipa, Trujillo, Piura
A solid presence in the larger cities, though the network is smaller than BCP's, so do not count on a Scotiabank machine in small towns.
Worth a short detour
If you bank with Bank of America, it is worth walking a block to a Scotiabank machine rather than paying 3% at the nearest BCP or Globalnet.
Branch & mall machines
Use Scotiabank ATMs inside branches, lobbies, or malls rather than street-facing standalones, especially in central Cusco and Aguas Calientes.
Scotiabank Perú vs BCP: the actual decision
| Scotiabank Perú | BCP | |
|---|---|---|
| BoA Global ATM Alliance partner | Yes (the only one in Peru) | No |
| Cost on a BoA card | ~1% only | ~S/15-20 + BoA 3% |
| Cost on a non-BoA card | ~S/16-20 + your fees | ~S/15-20 + your fees |
| Network size in Peru | Major, good in cities | Largest, most reliable |
| Best for | Bank of America cardholders | Everyone else, and Cusco region |
Decision tree: carry a Bank of America card and Scotiabank Perú is clearly your cheapest cash, effectively just the 1% international fee. Carry anything else and the two banks cost about the same, so default to BCP for its larger, more reliable network, especially around Cusco. Whichever you use, take soles not dollars and decline DCC.
Best card pairing with Scotiabank Perú
BoA for the Alliance, Wise and Schwab for everything else
If you bank with Bank of America, Scotiabank Perú is your fee-free ATM, so bring that card for cash. For purchases and as a backup, a Wise debit card gives zero FX markup and the interbank sol rate, and a Charles Schwab card refunds Scotiabank's operator fee if you ever use a non-Alliance machine. Take soles not dollars and decline DCC every time.
Get the Wise Card →Bank of America debit (the Alliance win)
This is the one Peruvian bank where a BoA card is cheap. The Alliance waives Scotiabank's surcharge and BoA's non-network fee, leaving roughly a 1% international fee at the interbank rate. Withdraw a useful amount and decline DCC.
Charles Schwab Investor Checking
Not in the Alliance, but Schwab refunds ATM operator fees worldwide, so even at a non-Alliance Scotiabank or BCP machine your cash is effectively free. A strong all-rounder if you do not bank with BoA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Scotiabank Perú in the Bank of America Global ATM Alliance?
Yes, it is the partner in Peru. A BoA debit card withdraws soles with no Scotiabank surcharge and no BoA non-network fee, paying only ~1% international. No other Peruvian bank offers this.
What does Scotiabank charge a non-BoA foreign card?
A posted ~S/16-20 operator fee at the interbank rate, plus your home bank's charges, same as BCP. A Schwab card refunds the operator fee; a Wise card removes FX markup.
What is Scotiabank Perú?
The Peruvian arm of Canada's Scotiabank, a major bank with good city coverage, defined for travelers by its BoA Alliance membership.
Where do I find it at the airport and in Lima?
The red cajero in LIM arrivals, and across Miraflores, San Isidro, and the main malls. Use branch and mall machines, decline DCC, take soles.
Will my US debit card work at Scotiabank ATMs?
Yes, with a Visa, Mastercard, Plus, or Cirrus logo. Spanish/English option, 4-digit PINs. BoA cards get the fee waiver; others pay the posted fee.
Should I use Scotiabank or BCP?
BoA cardholders: Scotiabank, for the free withdrawal. Everyone else: BCP, for the larger and more reliable network, especially around Cusco.
Scotiabank + BoA Alliance, or Wise + Schwab
BoA card free at Scotiabank via the Alliance; otherwise Wise for the real rate and Schwab to refund the operator fee.
Get the Wise Card →