Getting euros for your trip to Finland
Finland uses the euro, and pounds are of little use once you land: Helsinki's visitor site says only a few central venues accept foreign currency.
The ECB's 2024 survey put cash at 27% of point-of-sale transactions in Finland, against 52% across the euro area. No Finnish law forces a shop to take cash, but the consumer authority says a refusal must be made clear in advance; EU rules to tighten this were still being negotiated in October 2026.
If you want notes for day one, order a small amount before you fly or use a cash machine on arrival. Visit Finland suggests carrying just a few small notes and coins.
Best ways to pay in Finland
Debit cards
Visa and Mastercard debit cards work almost everywhere. Check your bank's charges abroad before you go: any Finnish cash-machine fee comes on top.
Credit cards
Visa or Mastercard credit cards work in the same places. Do not rely on American Express alone: Visit Finland names Visa and Mastercard as the most widely taken brands.
Cash machines
Loomis's Otto. is by far the biggest network and Nokas's Nosto much smaller; both add a fee for foreign cards, displayed before you go ahead.
Mobile payments
Visit Finland says phone payments are accepted almost everywhere. Local apps such as MobilePay and Siirto are widely used but optional for visitors.
Using cards in Finland
Contactless is the norm: it made up nearly 70% of Finnish card spending by value in food shops, restaurants and hotels in January to March 2026 (Bank of Finland).
- Food shops, restaurants, hotels, taxis, cafés and market stalls
- Public transport: an app, a ticket machine or, in many areas, a contactless card
Tips
- Pay in euros: If a card machine offers euros or pounds, pick euros: Finland's S-Pankki tells its own customers abroad that the local currency gets the best rate.
- Look for 'Ei käteistä': This sign means no cash. Some rural spots still prefer notes.
- Cash is rounded to 5 cents: Cash totals, not single items, round to the nearest 5 cents. That is why 1c and 2c coins are scarce, and shops need not take them.
ATMs in Finland
Loomis runs over 1,500 machines under the Otto., TalletusOtto (deposit) and ValuuttaOtto (foreign currency) names; Finnish banks no longer have machines of their own. Nosto shrank in 2024 when S Group swapped its Nosto machines for Otto. (Yle).
Cash machines to use
- Otto.: up to €400 a time (less if notes run low); the airport machine takes any debit or credit card
- Nosto: €10, €20 and €50 notes up to €400, in places such as shopping centres, shops and service stations
Cash machines to think twice about
- Choosing pounds when a machine or card reader offers a currency choice
- Waiting until you reach a remote village: machines are thinnest in sparsely populated areas
Otto.'s fee varies with the amount and shows with the total; declining it cancels the withdrawal. Your bank may add charges.
Changing money in Finland
FOREX, which buys and sells travel currencies, has eight shops in Finland, including four at Helsinki Airport (two before security; the arrivals-hall shop opens 05:00 to 22:00 daily) and one at Helsinki railway station (closed Sundays). Without a FOREX receipt, it charges €5 to change currency into euros.
Tavex, which lists the pound, has its Helsinki office at Fabianinkatu 14, open weekdays 09:00 to 17:00; it charges €5 when you sell it currency.
Do not plan on a bank: S-Pankki, for one, says it has no currency exchange service.
Tipping in Finland
Tipping is optional and never expected, from fine dining in Helsinki to a café in Lapland: the bill already covers service.
- Restaurants and cafés: no tip needed
- Great service: round up, or leave a euro or two at most
Frequently Asked Questions
Rarely. Visit Finland says almost every venue takes cards and mobile payments, even market stalls. Carry a few euro notes for rural spots; shops may refuse cash if they say so in advance.
Yes: Visa and Mastercard are the brands to rely on. Otto. and Nosto machines take foreign cards for a fee, and your UK bank may add its own charges.
At FOREX (four shops at Helsinki Airport, one at the railway station) or Tavex (Fabianinkatu 14, Helsinki). Both charge €5 to buy your currency, though FOREX waives it with its own receipt. Do not count on banks.
Yes, for foreign cards: Otto. and Nosto both show a service fee on screen before you confirm. Otto.'s varies with the amount, and declining it cancels the withdrawal; your UK bank may charge too.
Checked October 2026. Fees and opening times change, so check locally before relying on them. Sources: Visit Finland · Bank of Finland · European Central Bank · Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority · MyHelsinki · Yle
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Best Exchange Options for EUR in Finland
Checked October 2026; see the sources above.
Otto. ATM network
Finland's largest network, run by Loomis; up to €400 a time, foreign-card fee shown first.
Nosto ATMs
Much smaller Nokas network; €10, €20 and €50 notes, foreign-card fee shown on screen.
Tavex
Helsinki office at Fabianinkatu 14, weekdays only; lists the pound; €5 fee when you sell currency.
Helsinki Airport
Four FOREX shops, two before security, and an Otto. machine taking any card; €5 FOREX fee without its receipt.
Paying in pounds
Say no if a card machine lets you pick sterling: S-Pankki, a Finnish bank, says the local currency gets the best rate.
City Exchange Guides in Finland
Where to change money, city by city:
Nearby Destinations
Planning to visit multiple countries? Check out exchange guides for nearby destinations:
Sweden
Norway
Denmark