When you are visiting Ukraine you are going to have to get used to Hryvnya, the Ukrainian currency. 1 Hryvnya equals 100 Kopecks and the paper currency comes in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 denominations. You will be able to exchange your currency for Ukrainian currency at the airports, currency exchange offices, and major hotels. Do not exchange money on the streets or with private individuals as it is illegal and dangerous.
While Ukraine primarily uses cash for most transactions, visitors to the country can also use traveler’s checks and credit cards in the larger cities. Credit cards can be used in the higher-quality hotels, Western-style restaurants, airports and store. Visa and MasterCard’s are commonly accepted as well as American Express. You may need a passport or diplomatic card as an extra proof of identity.
There also ATM machines all over the large cities and you should get a list of the ones in the cities you plan on visiting from Visa and MasterCard. ATMs can be found in hotels, department stores, restaurants, and on the streets at the banks. Most of the ATM machines offer Ukrainian currency only, but there are a few in the Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov that may offer American dollars. In Kiev, PrivatBank’s ATMs may have dollars available. Make sure you know your PIN number as Ukrainian ATM keypads do not have letters on them. They will charge a small fee per transactions but it lower than the 3% commission rate and paper work you will have to deal with to use traveler’s checks.
You can find out more information about money in Ukraine at tryukraine.com
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