Money, cards and exchange

The currency

Czechia is in the EU but not in the eurozone. The currency is the Czech koruna (CZK), written as *Kč* after the amount. A beer is double digits, a dinner a few hundred, a museum a few hundred more — the numbers stop feeling strange within a day. The full list, with dates and sources, is on what it costs.

Some places in the tourist centre accept euros. Almost none give you a fair rate for it — you are paying an exchange margin decided by the shop. Pay in koruna.

Cards

Contactless cards work essentially everywhere: restaurants, shops, taxis, ticket machines and on board many trams. Cash is worth carrying in small amounts for market stalls, the odd old-school pub and public toilets.

The one thing to get right

When a card machine or ATM offers to charge you in your own currency, decline it. That is *dynamic currency conversion*, and the rate is set by the terminal operator, not your bank. Always choose to be charged in CZK.

Exchange offices

This is Prague's single best-known tourist trap. The offices on the main tourist streets advertise "0% commission" or a buying rate in huge figures, and the rate you actually get for selling your euros is far worse, often in small print. Two defences:

• Ask for the exact amount you will receive before you hand anything over, and walk away if it is not written down.
• Czech law lets you cancel an exchange at a bureau within three hours for amounts up to the equivalent of €1,000. Keep the receipt.

Never change money with anyone on the street — the notes offered are frequently not even Czech.

ATMs

Prefer machines that belong to an actual bank. Free-standing ATMs in tourist areas often add their own fee on top of your bank's, and they are the ones that push dynamic currency conversion hardest.