💰 This page covers what you need on the ground: card acceptance by neighborhood, the high flat ATM fee and how to beat it, Beep card and Grab payments, and where cash is essential. For ATM networks, tipping norms, and the peso overview:
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Order PHP → CEI Currency ExchangeDo You Need Cash in Manila?
Yes, a good amount. Manila's business districts and malls are card-friendly, but the Philippines is one of Southeast Asia's more cash-reliant countries, and the jeepneys, tricycles, markets, and small eateries that you will actually use run on pesos. Carry ₱1,000–2,000 ($17–35) a day in small notes.
Where You Will Need Cash
Jeepneys, tricycles, and pedicabs (cash, small notes). Carinderias (local eateries) and street food. Sari-sari stores (corner shops). Public markets like Quiapo and Divisoria. Wet markets and palengke stalls. Tips for grocery baggers, bellhops, and drivers. Tricycle trips on the smaller islands if you travel onward. Keep a stack of ₱20, ₱50, and ₱100 notes; vendors rarely break a ₱1,000.
Where Cards Work Fine
Malls (SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, Ayala's Glorietta and Greenbelt, BGC's Uptown and High Street). Hotels and serviced apartments. Mid-range and upscale restaurants and BGC bars. Grab (links a foreign card). Supermarkets (SM, Robinsons, Landers). The LRT and MRT via a Beep card. Makati and BGC are as card-friendly as any modern Asian business district.
Paying by Card in Manila
Visa and Mastercard work across malls, hotels, and the mid-range-and-up restaurant scene; Amex is more limited. Acceptance is sharply geographic, so know which district you are in before assuming cards work, and always carry a peso cushion.
Makati CBD
The original business and dining hub. Ayala Center (Glorietta, Greenbelt), the hotels, and the restaurants of Salcedo and Legazpi Village are fully card-friendly. Bank ATMs line Ayala Avenue, and the rare no-fee HSBC ATMs are found here. The Salcedo and Legazpi weekend markets, though, are cash, so bring pesos for the food stalls.
Bonifacio Global City (BGC)
The modern, planned district and Manila's most card-friendly area. The High Street and Uptown malls, the cafes, and the rooftop bars all take cards and contactless. Bank ATMs are plentiful, including HSBC. It is easy to spend a whole day in BGC on a card, though small coffee carts and some food-park stalls still prefer cash.
Ermita & Malate
The older tourist and budget-hotel belt near Manila Bay. The mid-range hotels and the bigger restaurants take cards, but the cheaper guesthouses, the streetside eateries, and the bars along Adriatico are a cash-leaning mix. Robinsons Place Manila mall here is card-friendly and a good spot for a bank ATM. Carry pesos for the street level.
Binondo (Chinatown)
The world's oldest Chinatown and a food-lover's maze. The famous hopia bakeries, the hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants, and the market stalls are overwhelmingly cash. A few larger restaurants take cards, but assume pesos and small notes. Binondo also has some of Manila's licensed money-changers with competitive rates if you carry USD.
Intramuros
The historic walled city. The museums and the bigger heritage restaurants (like those near Fort Santiago) take cards, but the kalesa horse-carriage rides, the small souvenir vendors, and the street snacks are cash. Bring pesos for entrance tips and the smaller sellers. A handful of cafes inside the walls accept cards.
Quiapo & Divisoria
Manila's busiest traditional markets. Quiapo (around the Black Nazarene church) and Divisoria (wholesale bargain shopping) are cash-and-haggle zones through and through. Keep your cash secure and bring small notes. These are not card areas at all, so withdraw beforehand from a mall ATM in a safer district.
Mall of Asia & Pasay
SM Mall of Asia, one of the largest malls in the world, is fully card-friendly across its shops, restaurants, and entertainment, as are the bay-area hotels and the casinos of Entertainment City nearby. Bank ATMs throughout. An easy card district, handy because it is on the way to and from the airport.
Ortigas & Mandaluyong
The third major business district, spanning SM Megamall, Shangri-La Plaza, and the Ortigas towers, all card-friendly. The malls have bank ATMs throughout. Like Makati and BGC, this is comfortable card territory, with cash needed mainly for transport and the small food stalls.
The High ATM Fee, and How to Beat It
The single most important Manila money fact is that Philippine ATMs are expensive: bank machines charge a flat operator fee of about ₱250 per foreign-card withdrawal and cap each pull low. For the full bank-by-bank lineup, see the Philippines guide.
Withdraw the Maximum, Every Time
Because the ₱250 fee is flat per transaction, the way to cut it is to withdraw the maximum each pull rather than several small amounts. Local caps run roughly ₱10,000–20,000 per transaction (BPI tends to allow more than BDO). One ₱20,000 withdrawal costs the same ₱250 as a ₱4,000 one, so make it count.
The No-Fee and Refund Routes
HSBC Philippines ATMs charge no operator fee and allow up to ₱40,000 per transaction, but they are scarce (mainly Makati and BGC). A Charles Schwab card refunds the ₱250 fee worldwide, effectively erasing it. And if you carry clean US$100 bills, a licensed Manila money-changer often beats the ATM after fees. The full ATM playbook is in our Manila ATM guide.
ATMs in Manila
Look for these bank logos inside malls for the safest withdrawals.
BDO
BPI
MetrobankBest ATM Locations
BDO (the largest network) and BPI machines are inside every major mall (SM, Ayala, Robinsons) and across Makati, BGC, and Ortigas. Metrobank, Land Bank, and Security Bank round out the bank machines. Always use ATMs inside malls or branches (well-lit, guarded, well-stocked) rather than street-facing standalones, decline the "charge in USD" (DCC) prompt, and choose pesos. Full detail in the Manila ATM guide.
Paying for Transport
Grab
Grab is the default for getting around Manila and is far easier than hailing a taxi. Link a foreign Visa or Mastercard in the app and pay cashlessly. Fares are reasonable but swing with the city's notorious traffic (often ₱150–400 across town, more in rush hour). Grab also handles airport runs, since there is no train to NAIA.
LRT, MRT & the Beep Card
The elevated LRT and MRT lines are cheap and skip the traffic on their routes. Pay with a rechargeable Beep card, bought and topped up with cash at station booths and machines. Fares are roughly ₱15–30. The Beep card also works on modernized buses and some jeepney routes. Note the trains do not reach the airport.
Jeepneys, Buses & Tricycles
The iconic jeepneys are cash (pass your fare up the line) or a Beep card on modernized units. City buses take cash or Beep. Tricycles and pedicabs for short hops are cash only, small notes, and the fare is best agreed first. Keep a pocket of ₱20 and ₱50 notes for all of these.
Taxis & the Airport
Metered white taxis exist but Grab is usually easier and fairer. There is no train to NAIA: from the airport, take a Grab, an official airport taxi (metered yellow or fixed-rate white coupon), or the UBE Express bus. Carry pesos, since not every taxi takes cards, and allow extra time for traffic. See the NAIA airport guide.
Tipping in Manila
Philippines Tipping Customs
Restaurants: many add a 10% service charge. If included, a little extra for good service is appreciated; if not, around 10% is normal.
Grocery baggers & gas attendants: a few peso coins or a ₱20 note is customary and genuinely appreciated.
Grab & taxis: rounding up the fare is normal; a small tip for help with bags is kind.
Hotels: ₱50–100 per bag for bellhops and a similar amount per night for housekeeping at nicer hotels.
Prices in Manila
Manila is affordable, though Makati and BGC dining can climb toward Western prices. Eating and traveling local is where the peso stretches.
| Item | Price (PHP) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Jeepney ride | ₱13–20 | $0.25–0.35 |
| LRT / MRT ride | ₱15–30 | $0.25–0.55 |
| Carinderia meal | ₱80–150 | $1.40–2.60 |
| Bottle of local beer | ₱70–120 | $1.20–2.10 |
| Grab across town | ₱150–400 | $2.60–7 |
| Mall food-court lunch | ₱150–250 | $2.60–4.40 |
| Halo-halo dessert | ₱120–200 | $2.10–3.50 |
| Mid-range restaurant dinner | ₱500–1,000 | $9–18 |
| BGC craft cocktail | ₱350–550 | $6–10 |
| Flat ATM withdrawal fee | ₱250 | ~$4.40 |
| Mid-range hotel night | ₱2,500–5,000 | $44–88 |
| Intramuros walking visit | Free–₱200 | Free–$3.50 |
USD estimates based on approximately ₱57 = $1. Rates fluctuate. The flat ₱250 ATM fee is why you should withdraw the maximum each time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need cash in Manila?
Yes, plenty. Malls, hotels, and Grab take cards, but jeepneys, tricycles, carinderias, sari-sari stores, and markets are peso-only. Carry ₱1,000–2,000 a day in small notes.
Why are ATM fees so high and how do I reduce them?
Philippine banks charge a flat ~₱250 per foreign-card withdrawal and cap each pull at ₱10,000–20,000. Withdraw the maximum each time. A Schwab card refunds the fee; HSBC PH ATMs charge none.
Can tourists use GCash or Maya?
Mostly not. The local e-wallets generally need a Philippine number and ID. Use a Beep card for trains plus Grab and cash instead.
How do I pay for transport?
Grab for door-to-door (links a foreign card), a Beep card for the LRT/MRT, cash for jeepneys and tricycles. No train reaches the airport.
Should I tip?
More customary than elsewhere in Asia. Restaurants often add 10% service charge; tip baggers and drivers small peso notes. Round up Grab fares.
Is Manila expensive?
Affordable overall, though Makati and BGC dining climbs. Carinderia meals are a couple of dollars, mid-range dinners ₱500–1,000. Mid-range hotels ₱2,500–5,000 a night.
Pay Across Manila the Smart Way
The Wise card converts at the real mid-market rate with no FX markup. Works in the malls, links to Grab, and holds PHP, USD, and 40+ currencies. Pair it with a Schwab card to claw back the ₱250 ATM fees.
Get the Wise Card →The Manila Money Cluster
The deep-dive guides that build on this one: the Manila ATM-fee playbook, Ninoy Aquino International arrivals, and the major Philippine banks.
Manila money toolkit
Country-specific deep dives for Manila: which card to bring, where the no-fee ATMs are at the airport, and how to dodge the local DCC traps.