Currency hacks by country
Some countries have currency quirks tourists need to know — parallel exchange rates (Argentina), card embargoes (Iran), cash-only sanctions (Russia), or mobile-payment economies (China). Here's how to handle each.
15 countries with currency quirks
Argentina
Blue dollar (dólar blue) parallel exchange rate
Egypt
Dual exchange rate + cash culture
Cuba
Dual currency (CUP + MLC) + USD restrictions
Venezuela
Hyperinflation + dollarized economy
Türkiye
High inflation + lira volatility
Iran
International cards don't work + sanctions
India
Cash culture + UPI + currency import restrictions
China
Mobile-only economy (WeChat Pay + Alipay)
Thailand
200 THB foreign ATM fee + cash culture
Japan
Cash culture + ATM limitations
South Korea
T-Money card culture + foreign-card ATM rarity
Russia
International cards don't work since 2022
Kuwait
World's strongest currency
Iceland
Cards-only culture + extreme costs
Eurozone (general)
ATM fees vary by country
Universal currency rules
- Bring USD cash as backup for anywhere — even non-dollar countries.
- Crisp, clean, recent notes. Many exchanges refuse marked or pre-2017 USD.
- Small denominations ($1, $5, $10, $20) — easier to spend, no change problems.
- Two ATM cards on different networks (Visa + Mastercard) in case one is locked.
- Notify your bank before travel OR use cards that don't need notification (Schwab, Wise, Revolut, Capital One 360).