Access ATMs while in Kenya

Are you a tourist and you want to access ATMs in Kenya

It’s impossible to carry a lot of cash during your vacation. Here are some of the things you can still do to access your money. The biggest question is “Where do I find ATMs in Kenya?”

You can find ATMs in the major towns and cities, these days you can even find them in smaller towns, villages and rural areas. To know that an ATM can accept foreign banks debit cards, it must have a master card sign on it. The most common ATMs that allow using the Master cards include

• Stanbic Bank
• Bank Of Africa
• KCB Bank
• CBA bank
• Co-operative Bank
• Barclays Bank

There is a limit to the amount you can access per day normally it is KES.35.000 – KES.40,000 but if you need more than that you either visit those banks in person during their working hours 8:00 to 4:00 pm on weekdays and weekends they work between 9:00 to 12:00 pm so that you can make a large Lumpsum withdrawal. The Bank charges might be as high compared to the normal rate this is because of the exchange rates and the additional cost for the banks.

What happens if your card gets stuck in the ATMs?

This is a common thing that may happen during withdrawal at the ATM, it may be because of the delayed in requisition the transaction, if the delay is more than the stipulated time the card may get stuck, Or because of so many attempts entering the wrong PIN, that can also make your card get stuck. If it gets stuck note the name of the bank that the card got stuck, and look for that bank around, mostly the bank is in proximity of those ATMs, so that on a working day you will be required to visit that branch and report the issue, they might ask for a few documents to verify and then you will be able to get your card back.

The most acceptable cards normally are the card with Visa network, so consider carrying that type of card to ensure you can easily access the money. If you hold an account in European countries, the UK or Australia then pin is usually issues, but if you have an American magnetic stripe card which does not have a pin you can request a PIN from your bank before you travel.

Exchange currency

Maybe you did carry a lot of currency from your country, in that case, you have to use the dynamic currency conversion which is commonly costly and completely avoidable. The DCC transactions don’t generally offer the real mid-market rate ( google Mid-Market rate). If you decide to pay in your home currency you are giving the foreign bank or ATM provide permission to set the exchange rate for you.

In case you are a local tourist in Kenya, and you intend to use bank ATMs, it is important to note that the newer bank cards issued by the bank have a chip and a pin technology that use a 4 digit pin Code. That means you will need a pin to use an ATM in.

Kenya bank fees

You also find that you will be charged by the local provider when you use the ATMs in Kenya either in the form of a flat fee or a percentage of the total amount you withdraw.

Free cash withdrawals?

It is next to impossible to get a free cash withdrawal in Kenya, even local bank account holders pay a small fee in all cases to withdraw from another bank the fees are even much higher.