The currency of Kyrgyzstan is the Kyrgyz som (KGS, in Russian “сом”). If you travel around the country by rental car, you need both: a credit card for hotels, supermarkets and restaurants in the cities – and cash for almost everything else. Here is how best to split your travel money.
What currency is used in Kyrgyzstan?
You pay in som only. Euros and dollars are not accepted in everyday life, but they are easy to exchange in the cities. Banks and exchange offices show the current rate on boards at the entrance. The rate shown by Google or your banking app is an interbank rate – nobody on the ground exchanges money at exactly that rate. So compare the boards of two or three exchange offices or the websites of local banks.
Cash: essential outside the cities
Cash is still the most important means of payment in Kyrgyzstan, especially in the countryside. You usually pay cash:
- in guesthouses and yurt camps,
- at markets and in small shops,
- in cafés and chaikhanas (teahouses) outside the cities,
- at smaller petrol stations,
- for entrance fees to national parks and sights,
- in marshrutkas and at many car parks.
Cash has practical advantages too: you can haggle at markets, and you don’t depend on card terminals, which don’t work without a network. Some vendors also add a surcharge for card payments. The downside: cash can get lost. So keep it in several places.
Credit cards: widely accepted in the cities
In Bishkek, Osh and Karakol, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and larger petrol stations usually accept Visa and Mastercard. American Express is rarely accepted. A card that only works on a domestic payment network, without a Visa or Mastercard logo, won’t help you in Kyrgyzstan.
The advantages of a card: you don’t have to carry a large cash reserve, and if it is lost, you can block it immediately. The disadvantages: outside the cities it is rarely accepted, and depending on your bank, there may be fees for payments in a foreign currency. Tell your bank about your trip before you leave, so that your card isn’t blocked because of unusual payments abroad.
ATMs
In Bishkek and the larger towns there are plenty of ATMs that accept foreign Visa and Mastercard cards. In villages and in the mountains, on the other hand, you will hardly find any, and not every ATM accepts every card. So withdraw enough cash for the next few days in Bishkek or the last larger town – before you set off for Son-Kul, Naryn or the valleys around Issyk-Kul. Look out for the fees charged by the ATM operator and by your own bank.
Euros or dollars? Where best to exchange
Euros and US dollars can be exchanged at good rates in Kyrgyzstan. The dollar rate is usually stable, while the euro rate fluctuates more. You don’t need to buy som at home: rates on the ground are usually much better. You can exchange money at:
- banks – a little more formal, but especially safe and straightforward;
- exchange offices (in Russian “обмен валют”) – on every corner in the cities, often with the best rates.
Bring clean, undamaged banknotes. Torn, written-on or very old notes are often exchanged only at a discount or not at all. Rates at the airport are slightly worse – only change what you need for your first day there.
Paying at AYDO
You pay the rental price by Visa or Mastercard or in cash; we don’t accept American Express. For the security deposit, you need a physical credit card: 30,000 KGS is blocked on it, not charged, and released again after you return the car. A cash deposit is not possible, and Revolut or similar non-physical bank cards are not accepted. All the details are in our rental conditions.
Tips for your travel money
- Bring both: cash for small amounts and the countryside, a credit card for larger expenses in the cities.
- Two cards, kept separately: if one fails, you still have the other.
- Emergency reserve: some cash in euros or dollars, kept somewhere other than your wallet.
- Withdraw before the mountains: get enough som for several days in Bishkek or the last town.
With a mix of cash and cards, you are well prepared for Kyrgyzstan. What else you should know for the trip: Petrol stations in Kyrgyzstan and Is Kyrgyzstan safe? – and you can find a 4×4 for your route here: car rental in Kyrgyzstan.