Travel Q&A
Money in Morocco, currency, ATMs, cards, exchange
Short answer Morocco runs on cash and dirhams. Cards work in mid-range hotels and modern restaurants; everything else, taxis, street food, souks, riad tips, is cash-only. Here's how to handle it without getting fleeced.
Morocco runs on cash and dirhams. Cards work in mid-range hotels and modern restaurants; everything else, taxis, street food, souks, riad tips, is cash-only. Here’s how to handle it without getting fleeced.
The currency
Moroccan Dirham (MAD or DH). Closed currency, you can’t bring large amounts in or out. Notes come in 20, 50, 100, 200. Coins in 1, 2, 5, 10 dirhams + half- and quarter-dirhams (centimes).
Exchange rate (2026, approximate)
- 1 EUR ≈ 11 MAD
- 1 USD ≈ 10 MAD
- 1 GBP ≈ 12.5 MAD
Daily mental math: divide euros by ~11, dollars by ~10.
Where to get dirhams
Option 1: ATM withdrawal (recommended)
The simplest. ATMs are everywhere in cities, Attijariwafa Bank, BMCE, Banque Populaire, CIH, Société Générale, Crédit du Maroc. All accept Visa and Mastercard.
- Withdrawal fees: ~30 MAD per transaction (charged by the Moroccan bank).
- Your bank fee: depends on your card. Foreign-transaction-fee-free cards (Wise, Revolut, Charles Schwab, Chase Sapphire) cost ~30 MAD total. Standard cards add 1–3% on top.
- Daily limit: 2000–4000 MAD per transaction at most ATMs.
Strategy: withdraw 2000–3000 MAD at a time. Don’t pull small amounts repeatedly, you’re paying 30 MAD per withdrawal.
Option 2: Currency exchange (OK for small amounts)
Exchange counters at airports, banks, and tourist zones. Rates are 2–5% worse than the ATM rate.
- Airport exchange: convenient for the first 100€ or so. Worse rates than in town.
- Bank exchange: OK rates, requires passport.
- Casual exchange shops in tourist zones: worst rates. Avoid.
Option 3: Bring cash and exchange
Bring 200–500€ in cash as backup, exchange at the airport or hotel. Useful if your card gets blocked or ATMs are down.
Don’t bring large amounts of cash, currency declarations apply over 100k MAD equivalent (~9000€).
Option 4: Bring 100% dirhams from home
Don’t. Most banks outside Morocco don’t carry dirham, and those that do charge 5–10% margins. Wait until arrival.
Best cards for Morocco
| Card | Why |
|---|---|
| Wise debit | Real interbank rate, 0% foreign fees on withdrawals up to £200/€200 per month. Excellent. |
| Revolut | Similar to Wise, also good. |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred (US) | No foreign transaction fees, decent ATM access. |
| Charles Schwab debit (US) | Reimburses all ATM fees worldwide. Best ATM card. |
| Curve | UK/EU multi-card aggregator with FX features. |
Avoid: standard high-street debit cards with 2–3% foreign fees + £2–5 per ATM withdrawal. Costly.
What about Visa vs. Mastercard?
- Visa is slightly more accepted than Mastercard in Morocco, but both work fine.
- American Express rarely accepted outside high-end hotels and a few restaurants. Don’t rely on it.
Card acceptance, what works where
| Place | Cards? |
|---|---|
| 4–5 star hotels | Yes, all major cards |
| Mid-range hotels (3-star) | Visa/Mastercard, sometimes |
| Riads (mid-range) | Sometimes, varies wildly. Confirm at booking. |
| Cheap hostels and budget riads | Cash only |
| Modern restaurants (Plus 61, Nomad, etc.) | Yes |
| Local tagine restaurants | Cash only |
| Cafés | Cash only |
| Petits taxis | Cash only |
| Trains (ONCF online) | Yes |
| CTM buses (online) | Yes |
| Supermarkets (Carrefour, Marjane) | Yes |
| Souk shops | Cash only (rarely accept cards) |
| Street food | Cash only |
| Pharmacies | Cash or card |
| Museums and monument entries | Sometimes card, often cash only |
| Hammams (local) | Cash only |
| Hammams (spa) | Yes |
| Souvenir / argan shops in tourist areas | Mixed, many do cards but rates are worse |
Rule of thumb: assume cash. Use cards as a backup for big-ticket items.
How much cash to carry
Daily carry
- 200–400 MAD for casual day spending (lunch, mint tea, taxi, snacks).
- Plus a 100 MAD “emergency” tucked away in a separate pocket.
Per trip cash flow
- Airport arrival: pull 1500–2000 MAD at the ATM on landing.
- Day 1–2: spend down, restock with another 1500–2000 MAD when below 500 MAD.
- Never carry more than you’d hate to lose. 1000–2000 MAD on you is plenty for a normal day.
Hidden / backup
- 100€ or 100 USD in a hotel safe as ultimate backup if card is lost/blocked.
- A second card stored separately from the main one.
Tipping cash
Tipping is constant and small, see our tipping guide. You’ll burn 200–400 MAD/day on tips alone in a normal trip.
Always have small bills: 10s, 20s, 50s. A wad of 200s with no change is awkward. Break larger notes at every café opportunity.
Common money mistakes
Tap & pay / contactless
Contactless works in modern places (supermarkets, chain stores). Most of Morocco doesn’t have it. Don’t rely on Apple/Google Pay alone.
Not warning your bank
Tell your bank you’re going to Morocco before flying. Otherwise, the first ATM withdrawal can trigger a fraud-block, locking your card mid-trip. Most banks now do this via app notifications.
Carrying all your cash in one pocket
Spread cash: front pocket (daily), money belt (backup), hotel safe (emergency). Pickpocketing is rare but real.
Exchanging too much at the airport
Airport exchange rates are bad. Exchange 30–50€ at most for taxi/initial costs, then ATM in town.
Not budgeting for the daily 30 MAD ATM fee
Pulling 500 MAD when you could pull 2000 MAD wastes 30 MAD/transaction. Pull more, less often.
Trying to spend large notes for small purchases
Vendors and taxis “don’t have change” for 200 MAD notes when the bill is 30 MAD. Often this is genuine. Break notes at supermarkets or cafés.
Leaving Morocco with lots of dirhams
You can’t easily exchange dirhams outside Morocco, it’s a closed currency. Spend or exchange dirhams before leaving. Airport exchange counters take MAD back but at worse rates.
Forgetting that some prices are quoted in euros/dollars
Souk vendors quote in euros, dollars, or dirhams depending on what makes the price sound cheaper. Always clarify: “Bshhal dirham?” (How many dirhams?).
Trusting “official exchange offices” outside banks
Hotel exchange, tourist-zone exchange, “casa de cambio” type shops, all have worse rates than ATMs. Use ATMs.
Specific scams to watch for
The bill-swap
You hand over a 200 MAD note. Driver pockets it, pulls out a 20 MAD note, says “you didn’t pay me.” Distraction technique.
Defense: count out the money in your hand visibly before giving it. Take a photo of the bill if you don’t trust the situation.
”I don’t have change”
Real or fake. Often real (small businesses run lean on cash). Sometimes a tactic to keep your change as a “tip.”
Defense: know the exact price before handing money over. If they “have no change,” accept it and walk on with what you can, or use the next 5 MAD coin as a tip closer.
The fake-bill ruse
Receiving counterfeit notes is rare but happens, especially at street ATMs in less-touristed areas. Look at notes, Moroccan dirhams have watermarks and security threads.
How much money do you actually need?
See our budget guide for full breakdowns. Quick summary:
- Backpacker: 350–500 MAD/day
- Mid-range: 800–1200 MAD/day
- Comfortable: 2000+ MAD/day
Last day, what to do with leftover dirhams
- Exchange at airport, worst rates but only option if you have a lot.
- Buy souvenirs / Moroccan wine in airport duty-free.
- Tip generously at your last riad / driver / cleaner.
- Donate to a women’s cooperative or street performer.
- Save for next trip, dirhams keep their value.
Quick reference
| Cost | |
|---|---|
| Daily ATM fee | 30 MAD |
| Single airport exchange | ~3–5% loss vs. ATM |
| Hotel exchange | ~5–8% loss vs. ATM |
| Riad cash bill | Cash always |
| Taxi to airport | 100–200 MAD cash |
| Petit taxi short ride | 15–50 MAD cash |
| Tip pyramid: cleaner / driver / scrub attendant | 30 / 100 / 50 MAD |
| Daily tips total | 100–300 MAD |
| Cash on hand at any time | 500–1500 MAD |
| ATM withdrawal per session | 2000–3000 MAD |