What’s the Best Currency to Take to Bulgaria? All About Currency in Bulgaria for Travellers in 2023

Are you travelling to Bulgaria soon and wondering which currency you should take there? Curious whether you should take British pounds or US dollars along with you or whether it's best to buy the local currency at the airport? Then this short guide is for you!

Bulgaria uses the Bulgarian lev as its currency, meaning that, except in tourist establishments, airports, or hotels, you normally won't be able to use your home currency to pay your way, even if it's a popular tourist currency like the British pound or the euro.

As we'll see, to pay while you're visiting Bulgaria, you'll either need to buy lev banknotes before or during your trip, use your ordinary credit or debit card, or (cheapest of all) use a savvy multi-currency debit card like Revolut's or Wise's travel debit cards.

In this short guide, we'll discuss what's the best currency to take to Bulgaria, how you should pay when you're there, and what your cheapest options are to avoid paying hefty exchange rate charges.

Overview of Currency in Bulgaria

As we saw earlier, the currency in Bulgaria is the Bulgarian lev.

As the official legal tender in Bulgaria, it's the sole currency recognized by the Bulgarian government, and you can use it to settle all financial obligations in the country, from paying for your hotel stay, to the entrance fee at Tsarevets Fortress, to a bite to eat in Varna.

Note that if you plan to buy a large sum of lev banknotes and you end up bringing them home unused with you after your holiday, you'll probably get a bad deal on the exchange rate by swapping leva back into your home currency since most banks and exchange offices mark up the lev more than usual, partially to account for its inflation. This means that if you buy lev banknotes, you should try to budget carefully to avoid bringing any home.

You can learn more about the Bulgarian lev currency here.

Best Currency to Take to Bulgaria

Deniz Fuchidzhiev

Because it's the local currency and because you won't have any trouble buying goods with it, the best country to have on hand and spend while visiting Bulgaria is, unsurprisingly, the Bulgarian lev.

However, if you arrive in Bulgaria with another currency on hand, it doesn't necessarily mean you won't be allowed to pay in Bulgaria. Especially if you're carrying a popular tourist currency like the pound sterling, the euro, or the US dollar, you'll find it easy to exchange them for leva at banks or currency exchange offices across Bulgaria — even if those currencies aren't official or used commercially in Bulgaria.

You can check out the prevalence of a few of the most popular tourist currencies in Bulgaria below:

Although the Bulgarian lev is the best currency to use and other tourist currencies can be easily exchanged, exchanging currencies in the form of cash almost invariably leads to poor exchange rates for tourists (we've seen as high as 20% commissions, although the average is between 5% and 15% of the amount exchanged).

For this reason, it's generally a better idea to use your credit or debit card to pay at local points of sale wherever possible or (if cash is urgently needed — which can happen in Bulgaria) to withdraw some money from a local ATM. This will let your card provider handle the conversion, which is usually, although not always, a better deal than bringing foreign currency into Bulgaria and exchanging it there. However, as we'll see below, a conversion-friendly debit card is the best choice of all!

ChangeGroup

ChangeGroup is a reliable option if you need physical Bulgarian lev in cash on hand before your flight abroad to Bulgaria. Although it's generally more affordable than exchange offices in Sofia for buying lev banknotes, it's still quite pricey compared to using your card, hovering around 15%. This is why we tend to recommend Revolut and Wise for spending in Bulgaria.

• FX Margin to Lev: 10% - 16%
• Home Delivery: For a fee
• Cash Pick Up: Free
• Guaranteed Buyback: For a fee
• Availability: UK, USA, Australia, Germany, France, Austria, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Finland

How to Pay in Bulgaria

Trayan

When it comes to paying your way in Bulgaria, you'll have the following three options broadly speaking:

Method 1: Cash

As we mentioned earlier, cash is an important medium of exchange in Bulgaria. Pretty much all shops, restaurants, and commercial establishments around the country will accept Bulgarian lev banknotes, and we recommend having some on hand when you travel. Foreign cash can be purchased before your trip from your bank in your home country, or during your trip at a local Bulgarian bank or currency exchange office or (most affordably) from an ATM.

Note that in Bulgaria, currency exchange offices normally go by the name oбменно бюро, so if you want to exchange your home currency for Bulgarian lev, be on the lookout for signage with this name.

• Cash Prevalence in Bulgaria: Very prevalent
• Cost to Exchange: 5% - 20% on average

Method 2: Credit Card

Although cash is king in Bulgaria, credit and debit cards issued by major global providers like VISA and Mastercard are commonly accepted too. If your card is issued by American Express, Diner's Club, or another card company, there's a good chance they'll also be accepted in Bulgaria, but we recommend checking with your bank or card provider directly to make sure that Bulgarian lev currency conversion is indeed supported, and that card machines and ATMs in Bulgaria commonly support cards of this type.

• Card Prevalence in Bulgaria: Very prevalent
• Cost to Exchange: 2% - 5% on average

Method 3: Travel Debit Card

Just like credit cards, prepaid debit cards (which are also normally issued by VISA or Mastercard) provide an excellent way to pay while visiting Bulgaria, the main difference being that you normally pay lower fees and exchange rates. Depending on where you live, you'll probably have options from your bank or a third-party provider to use a commission-free debit card or a multi-currency card which can help you dodge high Bulgarian lev conversion costs, including DCCs.

According to our analysis of dozens of providers, the top two options for travelling to Bulgaria, in general, are the following:

Revolut

Revolut is an excellent option for paying in Bulgaria. Its all-in-one mobile finance app and debit card offer competitive exchange rates to the Bulgarian lev and low fees. Moreover, you can easily manage everything through your money through Revolut's user-friendly app.

• Monthly fee: $0
• Card type: Mastercard debit
• Card payment cost in Bulgarian lev: 0.5% - 1.5%
• Cash withdrawal fee: 0% - 2%
• Bulgarian lev balance: Yes
• Bulgarian lev bank details: No

Wise Account

The Wise Account is another great option for paying in Bulgarian lev. It gives you the lowest possible currency exchange rates with complete transparency and no hidden fees. It also allows you to hold and manage over 50 currencies in one account and provides fast and secure cross-border money transfers at a fraction of the cost of traditional banks.

• Monthly fee: $0
• Card type: VISA debit
• Card payment cost in Bulgarian lev: 0.5% - 1.5%
• Cash withdrawal fee: 0% - 2%
• Bulgarian lev balance: Yes
• Bulgarian lev bank details: No

Wise and Revolut are excellent options that are available in many countries around the world. However, depending on where you live, you might have access to better deals still. We go over a few of them below:

United Kingdom

1. Revolut: Best spending and budgeting app.
2. Wise: Best for multiple foreign currency balances.

United States

1. Chime®: Best all around; no fees for non-USD transactions.
2. Revolut: Best all-around spending app.
3. Wise: Best for foreign currency spending and holidays.

Canada

1. KOHO: Best all around; just 1.5% on foreign transactions
2. Wise: Best for foreign currency spending and holidays.

European Union

1. Revolut: Excellent for spending abroad.
2. N26: Best full bank account with low fees (even abroad)
3. bunq: Best credit card (also a fully-licensed bank).