Best Place to Exchange Money in Kuala Lumpur

Where to change money in Kuala Lumpur

Money-changing in Malaysia is a licensed business. Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank, lets you search its registers of licensed money services firms and their agents by name, address or type of service, money-changing included. Look a counter up there before changing cash in Bukit Bintang, KLCC, Chinatown or KL Sentral, and compare its board rate with the shop next door.

• Licensed changers in Bukit Bintang, KLCC, Petaling Street and KL Sentral - Bank Negara's list of licensees includes dozens of Kuala Lumpur addresses. We name no shop, as no single changer could be backed by two separate sources, so look up the one in front of you.
• Bank Negara Malaysia (BNMLINK) - If a counter gives you trouble, the central bank's BNMLINK contact centre is on 1-300-88-5465, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Changing money at the airport

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL, or KLIA) is about 55 km from the city. Malaysia Airports lists cash machines but gave no operators, locations or exchange desks, so take out only what you need for the journey in.

The KLIA Ekspres to KL Sentral leaves every 20 minutes; an adult pays RM55 one way or RM100 return, and the ride is 28 minutes from Terminal 1 (3 more from Terminal 2). It sells tickets only in ringgit and never for cash: buy online, tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB or UnionPay card at the gate, or use a Touch 'n Go card holding at least RM20. A Grab car costs a fixed MYR 65 to 100 and about 50 minutes, from Doors 1, 3 or 4 on Level 1 of international arrivals; Grab takes cash too.

ATMs and cards in Kuala Lumpur

Many larger shops, malls and restaurants take cards, but keep ringgit notes for Petaling Street stalls and hawker food. No Malaysian bank page we opened gave a foreign card's cash-machine fee or withdrawal limit, so read any fee on screen before accepting, and check your UK bank's overseas charges. Should a card machine propose charging in sterling, pick ringgit.

Touch 'n Go's TNG eWallet lets tourists sign up with a passport and a selfie and top up from a bank card, though some features depend on your country. A bank card will also buy tickets at Rapid KL stations, The Star reported in May 2024.

Paying for transport in Kuala Lumpur

On Rapid KL's LRT, MRT, monorail and buses, the easiest way to pay is a Touch 'n Go card, sold at station counters, petrol kiosks and convenience stores; a counter top-up costs RM0.50 extra. Keep at least RM5 on it for the MRT and RM3 for a bus. On buses, tap as you board and again before you get off, or you pay the maximum fare. Without a card, buy a token from a station's touchscreen machine.

Open payment, tapping a contactless bank card at the gates, had not arrived by June 2026: a letter in The Star said Prasarana had reported the project still at the tender award stage, past its August 2025 target. Rapid KL buses went cashless in 2019, so have a card ready.

Good to know

• Arrival card: the FCDO says you must complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card online before you travel, and airlines may ask for it at check-in. It mentions no fee, so use only the official immigration site. Passports need 6 months' validity from your arrival date.
• Cash limits: the FCDO says sums worth US$10,000 or more, as notes or travellers' cheques, have to be declared, and taking ringgit of that value in or out needs prior approval (FCDO).
• Restaurant bills: hotels and many restaurants add a 10 per cent service charge, the business's own fee and separate from the government's service tax (The Star, 2018; Malay Mail, 2024). Prices marked ++ leave out both, so the bill will come to more than the menu shows.