ATMs in Zambia with no fees:
- FNB Bank
- Ecobank
- Access Bank
- Atlasmara Bank
Ndola was the first place in Zambia where I found a functioning ATM. I had been using the money changers for the first week. Cash is very much still king in Africa. And you should be prepared too.
USD and Euros are the easiest currencies to change.
Ndola has more banks than anywhere I have seen on this trip so far, with every bank in Zambia being represented here.
FNB Bank
FNB Zambia is a subsidiary of FNB South Africa, a wholly owned division of FirstRand Bank.
There are no FNB withdraw charges in Zambia.
I used the FNB bank in Ndola with a UK-issued Wise VISA card. FNB ATMs in Zambia don’t accept Mastercard. The FNB ATM withdrawal limit is 2000 Kw, which is only about 85 USD!
EcoBank
Ecobank ATMs in Zambia are free. They also offer free withdrawals in Kenya, but not in Uganda. I used a UK-issued Wise VISA card and a UK-issued Mastercard.
Security told me that ordinarily the withdrawal limit is 6,000 but the ATMs are filled with only 50s, so the limit is 3,000.
Ecobank accepts both Visa and Mastercard.
Access Bank
I used Access Bank Zambia in Lusaka. Their ATMs accept only Visa.
Atlasmara Bank
The Atlasmara ATM in Zambia gives you free cash withdrawals with VISA only.
If asked, you must select SAVINGS ACCOUNT.
I used both ATMs in Livingstone and selected the wrong type of account. My request was declined. The other ATM was newer and it did not ask which type of account.
Photo is from Lusaka:
Changing money in Zambia
The USD gets by far the best rate at the bank and money changers. The Euro and Pound Sterling rates are very low.
For example, using my WISE card at the ATM and paying for the hotel or at the supermarket, I was getting 25.60Kw to the pound. Money changers were only giving 21Kw. I even saw 20Kw.