ATM Fees - Dominican Republic
Posted: March 13, 2025 | Tagged: Dominican Republic, ATM Withdrawal Fees
Here, I detail the withdrawal fees I encountered at 3 ATMs in the Dominican Republic:
- Banreservas
- Banco Popular
- Scotiabank
Do you need cash in the Dominican Republic
If you are staying at a posh resort and are only eating at nice restaurants, you could get away without cash, but for us mere mortals, yep, you will definitely need some.
I pre-booked 4 different hotels here, and all were Pay Cash on Arrival.
I rode the Guagua from near the airport to the centre. I ate from small hole-in-the-wall places. Cards are not accepted for these types of transactions.
The only time I paid with a card was at the Nacional Supermarket.
So my answer would be, yes, cash is king in the Dominican Republic.
I pre-booked 4 different hotels here, and all were Pay Cash on Arrival.
I rode the Guagua from near the airport to the centre. I ate from small hole-in-the-wall places. Cards are not accepted for these types of transactions.
The only time I paid with a card was at the Nacional Supermarket.
So my answer would be, yes, cash is king in the Dominican Republic.
Money in the Dominican Republic
The legal currency unit in the Dominican Republic is the Dominican Peso (DOP), written $ or RD$.
Currency Denominations in the Dominican Republic:
Currency Denominations in the Dominican Republic:
- Notes: 2000, 1000, 500, 200, 100 and 50 pesos
- Coins: 25, 10, 5 and 1 pesos
Banreservas
I attempted to withdraw cash from the Banreservas ATM at the SDQ airport in Santo Domingo. I tried 10,000 pesos. I was told that the transaction fee would be 300 pesos. My transaction was aborted. No reason was given! Later, I find out that there is a 2000 peso withdrawal limit (yes, I asked at a bank in town). 2000 pesos is just 32 USD.
Banco Popular
I immediately tried the Banco Popular ATM next to the Banreservas. I tried 15,000 pesos and was informed that the fee would be 300 pesos. I got my money!
Scotiabank
I used the Scotiabank ATM near the Joaquin Balaguer Metro. I had read that the limit was 20,000 and the fee was just 150 pesos. I tried 15,000 pesos and was greeted with a screen showing a 300-peso withdrawal notice. At least I got my cash!
Interestingly, it shows that the fee is up to 65 pesos if you are a Scotiabank customer. Can't confirm if that's for overseas customers or not.
Other ATMs in Santo Domingo:
BHD Bank: This is quite a popular bank. I tried two ATMs at the same branch. I asked security, and he said the limit was 10,000 pesos. I tried to take out 5,000. The machine timed out. I tried the second, older ATM, selected 2,500, one of the pre-selected buttons. I got a blue screen of death and a time-out message. So, there is no fee to report from the BHD ATM.
These two: Lafise, Banco Santa Cruz, I saw at the Las Americas Airport. I didn't check these two either, my reasoning being, I ONLY saw them at the airport, so no real point in detailing them.
BHD Bank: This is quite a popular bank. I tried two ATMs at the same branch. I asked security, and he said the limit was 10,000 pesos. I tried to take out 5,000. The machine timed out. I tried the second, older ATM, selected 2,500, one of the pre-selected buttons. I got a blue screen of death and a time-out message. So, there is no fee to report from the BHD ATM.
These two: Lafise, Banco Santa Cruz, I saw at the Las Americas Airport. I didn't check these two either, my reasoning being, I ONLY saw them at the airport, so no real point in detailing them.
