💰 Quick Context: The Georgian Lari
Georgia uses the Georgian Lari (GEL / ₾). Georgia is not in the EU and does not use the euro. A coffee costs 5–10 GEL, a restaurant meal 20–50 GEL, and a hotel night 100–400 GEL. Georgia is very affordable for visitors. Quick math: divide by 3 for a rough USD estimate (e.g., 30 GEL is about $10). Check the current GEL/USD rate before your trip. Tbilisi is increasingly card-friendly, but the country is still quite cash-dependent overall, especially outside the capital.
🎧 Order Georgian Lari Before You Fly
Have cash in hand when you land. Insured delivery, 2–5 day shipping.
Order GEL → CEI Currency ExchangeCash vs. Card: What to Expect in Georgia
Georgia is a mix of modern and traditional when it comes to payments. Tbilisi is modernizing fast and most businesses accept cards, but smaller cities and rural areas remain heavily cash-based.
Cards are widely accepted at hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and shops in Tbilisi (especially Rustaveli Avenue, Old Town, and Vake). Batumi is also fairly card-friendly. However, many situations still call for cash: marshrutkas (shared minibuses), most taxis outside the Bolt app, wine tastings in Kakheti, rural guesthouses, market stalls (Dezerter Bazaar), churches and monastery donations, and mountain regions.
Rural areas need cash. Smaller cities and villages (Kazbegi, Svaneti, Kakheti wine region) are heavily cash-based. Withdraw before heading out of Tbilisi. Carrying 100–200 GEL is a good backup for Tbilisi, with extra if heading to wine country or the mountains.
How to Get Lari for Your Georgia Trip
Georgia has modernized its payments scene fast, especially in Tbilisi. Rustaveli Avenue cafes, Old Town wine bars, every Carrefour and SPAR, every Bolt taxi, and most Vake-district restaurants take Visa and Mastercard contactless. Cash still matters at marshrutka shared-minibus terminals, the Dezerter Bazaar and Eliava market stalls, Kakheti wine tasting rooms in family cellars, the Kazbegi homestays at the foot of Gergeti Trinity Church, and Svaneti mountain guesthouses. The Tbilisi exchange-shop ecosystem is also unusually transparent: licensed shops along Marjanishvili Avenue and around Liberty Square consistently offer some of the eastern European region's best USD-to-GEL spreads. Two routes for getting lari: pre-order if you can, or pull from a TBC Bank or Bank of Georgia ATM after landing.
Bring USD to exchange or order lari before you fly
For pre-arrival GEL, two paths. A currency-exchange service like CEI Currency Exchange may stock Georgian lari on request, with insured 2–5 day delivery (confirm before ordering). Most US home banks (Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi) generally do not stock GEL. Backup that works particularly well in Georgia: pack USD $200–500 in clean post-2009 bills and exchange at a licensed Tbilisi exchange shop on landing. Tbilisi's licensed exchange offices around Marjanishvili Avenue and Liberty Square consistently offer some of the eastern European region's tightest USD-to-GEL spreads, often beating ATM withdrawals after fees by a meaningful margin. Georgia does not have a Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner. The cleanest setup for most Georgia trips: a Wise card for hotel and Tbilisi card payments, plus USD cash to swap at a licensed Tbilisi exchange office for street and rural spending.
Withdraw from a Georgian bank ATM
On the ground, the cheapest source of lari is a major Georgian bank ATM. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia dominate the network and are the most reliable for foreign cards; Liberty Bank, Credo Bank, and Basisbank also have wide coverage. All give the actual interbank rate with no markup, and most don't add their own operator fee for foreign cards. Withdrawal limits run roughly 1,000–2,000 GEL per transaction. Bank ATMs cluster around Tbilisi's Old Town, Rustaveli Avenue, the Vake and Saburtalo neighborhoods, the Tbilisi Mall, and at TBS airport arrivals. Coverage thins in Svaneti, the Kakheti wine villages, and along the Georgian Military Highway, so withdraw enough in Tbilisi before mountain trips. Avoid the standalone independent ATMs at smaller hotel arcades and inside Old Town tourist hubs; they layer DCC pitches and operator fees. Decline DCC every time the screen offers "charge in USD". See the Best ATMs section below for the bank-by-bank lineup. Want to know what a TBC Bank withdrawal will actually cost on your card? Drop it into our ATM fee calculator.
Airport counters & "no commission" booths
Three traps to walk past in Georgia, and one important exception. The currency-exchange counters in arrivals at TBS (Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli) and BUS (Batumi) advertise rates that look reasonable but routinely run 5–10% off the interbank rate, plus per-transaction fees. Honest exception worth knowing: licensed exchange offices along Marjanishvili Avenue, around Liberty Square, near Rustaveli metro station, and along Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue offer some of the eastern European region's tightest USD-to-GEL spreads. Tbilisi Forex and the various unbranded "valuta" shops in Marjanishvili are widely used by locals and consistently beat both the airport rate and the bank ATM after fees. Just verify the rate against your phone before handing money over. The unlicensed booths near Old Town and the Narikala Fortress base use the "no commission" framing while baking the markup into the rate. Third, the standalone independent ATMs at smaller hotel arcades layer DCC pitches and operator fees on top. Stick to bank-branded ATMs at TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia, Liberty Bank, or Credo; decline DCC; and the licensed Marjanishvili Avenue exchange shops are the one acceptable cash-to-cash route. Georgia does not yet have a city-specific guide on this site, but the Best ATMs section below covers the bank lineup.
For a side-by-side comparison of every method (bank wire, travel card, pre-order, ATM, exchange counter) including USD-to-GEL timing tips, see our complete Getting Currency guide →.
Best ATMs to Use in Georgia
Georgia's major banks operate ATMs across the country. These machines offer very fair exchange rates for foreign card withdrawals. Your home bank may charge its own foreign transaction fee. Always choose GEL when prompted.
TBC Bank
Georgia's largest bank with the most extensive ATM network. Green branding makes them easy to spot. You will find TBC ATMs everywhere in Tbilisi, at the airport, and in virtually every town across the country.
Recommended
Bank of Georgia
Georgia's second-largest bank with excellent ATM coverage. Orange branding is easy to recognize. ATMs are found in major cities, towns, and tourist areas throughout the country.
Recommended
Liberty Bank
Georgia's third-largest bank with good coverage, especially in smaller towns where TBC and Bank of Georgia may have fewer machines. A reliable option across the country.
Recommended⚠ Watch Out for Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)
DCC is rare in Georgia compared to tourist-heavy Western Europe, but it can appear at standalone ATMs near Tbilisi's Old Town and along Batumi's seaside boulevard. The screen will offer to charge you in USD or EUR instead of GEL. Always press the button for GEL. Accepting the conversion locks in a 3–8% markup that goes to the ATM operator, not your bank. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia ATMs almost never push DCC, which is another reason to stick with them.
ATMs to Avoid in Georgia
Georgia's major banks offer very fair exchange rates, so the main risk comes from standalone machines rather than branded bank ATMs. Stick to TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia, and Liberty Bank ATMs.
Standalone Unbranded ATMs
Unbranded machines found near Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, along the Batumi Boulevard, and near hostels in the Old Town. These may charge extra fees and offer unfavorable exchange rates. Walk a few minutes to find a TBC or Bank of Georgia ATM instead.
AvoidPaying by Card in Georgia
Card Networks
Visa and Mastercard work at nearly every terminal in Tbilisi and Batumi, from Carrefour supermarkets to wine bars on Aghmashenebeli Avenue. Amex is rarely accepted outside international hotel chains like Marriott Tbilisi and Radisson Blu Batumi. If Amex is your only card, you will struggle. Discover and UnionPay have almost no presence in Georgia.
Contactless & Mobile Payments
Tap-to-pay is standard in Tbilisi. Goodwill and Nikora supermarkets, restaurants on Rustaveli Avenue, and most cafes in Vake and Vera neighborhoods all have NFC-enabled terminals. Outside Tbilisi, contactless is hit-or-miss. In Batumi it works at larger restaurants, but in Kutaisi, Mestia, and Kazbegi, expect chip-and-PIN or cash. Apple Pay and Google Pay work wherever contactless is accepted. The Bolt ride-hailing app links to your card and is how most visitors navigate Tbilisi without needing cash for taxis.
Where Cards May Not Work
Marshrutkas (shared minibuses connecting cities and towns) are cash-only. Most taxis outside the Bolt app expect cash payment. In wine country (Kakheti), many wineries and rural guesthouses prefer or require cash. Mountain regions like Kazbegi and Svaneti (Mestia) are largely cash-only, especially for guesthouses and local shops. Markets like Dezerter Bazaar and other open-air markets in Tbilisi are mostly cash-only. Churches and monasteries require small cash for donations and candles.
Tipping in Georgia
Tipping Guide
Tipping is not traditionally expected in Georgia but is becoming more common in Tbilisi and Batumi. At upscale restaurants, 10% is considered generous, though it is not expected at casual spots. At cafés, no tip is expected, but leaving small change is a nice gesture. For taxis, round up to the nearest lari. Tour guides appreciate 10–20 GEL per person for a full-day tour. At hotels, 2–5 GEL for porters is appreciated if they assist with luggage, and tipping housekeeping is not expected.
Tbilisi, Batumi & Beyond: Practical Money Tips
Things to Know
Tbilisi is modernizing fast. Card payments are normal in Vake, Vera, and the restaurant scene, and you can go mostly cashless in central Tbilisi. Batumi (Black Sea coast) is tourist-oriented and fairly card-friendly, with most hotels and restaurants accepting cards.
Wine country (Kakheti) wineries and guesthouses often prefer cash, so withdraw before heading out from Tbilisi. In the mountain regions (Kazbegi, Mestia/Svaneti), cash is essential. ATMs exist in main towns but can run out of cash in peak season.
The Bolt ride-hailing app accepts card payments and is the easiest way to get around Tbilisi without needing cash for taxis. Georgian cuisine is incredibly affordable: a huge khinkali meal might cost 15–25 GEL ($5–9). At the airport, Tbilisi International (TBS) has TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia ATMs in the arrivals hall. Use these instead of exchange counters.
Money Safety in Georgia
Staying Safe
Georgia ranks among the safest countries in the Caucasus for tourists. Street crime is rare in Tbilisi, and most visitors report feeling safer walking at night than in many Western European capitals. The main money-related risk is ATMs running out of cash in remote areas. In peak summer season, the single ATM in Mestia (Svaneti) or Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) can be empty for a day or two. Withdraw enough lari in Tbilisi before heading to the mountains.
Kakheti wine country day trips are another cash trap. Many family wineries and guesthouses between Sighnaghi and Telavi only take cash, and ATM options are sparse between towns. A second card on a different network is worth carrying since Georgian ATMs occasionally reject one brand but accept another. If your bank isn't used to seeing transactions from the Caucasus, a quick call before departure prevents your card from being frozen mid-trip.
Skip the Foreign Transaction Fees
The Wise card converts your money at the real mid-market exchange rate. No markups, no surprises. Spend Georgian lari like a local.
Get the Wise Card →Frequently Asked Questions
What currency does Georgia use?
Georgia uses the Georgian Lari (GEL). At roughly 2.7 GEL per $1 USD, a restaurant meal costs 15–30 GEL ($6–11), a beer 5–8 GEL ($2–3), and a hotel night 100–300 GEL ($37–111). Georgia is very affordable for Western visitors.
Do I need cash in Georgia?
Cards work well in Tbilisi and Batumi at restaurants, hotels, and shops. Cash is essential for marshrutkas (minibuses), rural areas, the Kazbegi region, wine country tastings at small family cellars, and market vendors.
Is tipping expected in Georgia?
Not traditionally, but it is becoming more common in Tbilisi. 10% at upscale restaurants is generous but not expected. At local cafes and restaurants, leaving small change is sufficient.
Can I use cards for Tbilisi public transport?
Tbilisi's metro and buses use a Metromoney rechargeable card. Purchase one at any metro station for 2 GEL. International contactless bank cards do not work on public transport.
Are there ATMs in Kazbegi and wine country?
Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) has a TBC Bank ATM, but it can run out of cash during peak season. The Kakheti wine region has ATMs in Sighnaghi and Telavi, but smaller villages may not. Withdraw in Tbilisi before heading out.
Is Georgia safe for tourists?
Very safe. Georgia consistently ranks among the safest countries in Europe for tourists. Petty theft is rare, and Georgians are famously hospitable. Standard precautions at ATMs still apply.
Quick Comparison
| Method | Cost | Convenience | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| No-FX-fee card (contactless) | Best (no fees, mid-market rate) | ★★★★★ | Daily spending in Tbilisi, Batumi, restaurants |
| Georgian bank ATMs (TBC, BoG, etc.) | Low (fair rate, no operator fee) | ★★★★★ | Cash for wine country, mountains, and markets |
| Standalone / unbranded ATMs | High (fees + poor rates) | ★★★☆☆ | Never recommended |
| Airport exchange counters | High (5–12% markup) | ★★☆☆☆ | Absolute emergency only |
Georgia Quick Facts
| Currency | Georgian Lari (GEL / ₾). Roughly 2.7 GEL = $1 USD |
| Cash vs. Card | Card-friendly in Tbilisi and Batumi. Cash essential outside major cities |
| Best ATMs | TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia, Liberty Bank |
| Contactless | Growing rapidly in Tbilisi. Less common in smaller cities |
| Card Acceptance | Good in Tbilisi and Batumi. Limited in Kakheti, Kazbegi, and Svaneti |
| Tipping | Not traditionally expected. 10% is generous at upscale restaurants |
| DCC Risk | Low, but can occur at some ATMs. Always choose GEL |
| Best Strategy | No-FX-fee card in Tbilisi. Bank ATM cash for day trips and rural areas |