ATMs and Tipping in Georgia: Cash, Cards and Fees 2026

Short version: the cheapest way to get lari in Georgia is an ATM that charges no fee to foreign cards (usually Basisbank or Cartu Bank), while the big two, TBC and Bank of Georgia, most often charge 1-5 GEL per withdrawal. Tipping is not obligatory, but for good service people leave around 10% in cafes and 1-3 GEL to a taxi driver, and it is better to hand it over in cash, because the “service charge” on your bill usually never reaches the waiter. Below is where you lose least on fees, how much to pull out at once, and who gets tipped how much. Where to actually change dollars and euros into lari is a separate topic, covered in the guide to the lari and money exchange in Georgia.

ATMs: where the fee is lower

There are plenty of ATMs in Georgia, they are on every corner in cities, and they take Visa, Mastercard and Maestro, some also UnionPay. But the withdrawal fee depends heavily on the bank, and over a trip the difference adds up. According to a dedicated ATM reference (atmfeesaver.com, current as of February 2026), the ATM’s own fee for foreign cards ranges roughly from 0.5 to 25 GEL per transaction across the country, with one bank charging up to 4% of the amount. Withdrawing dollars fee-free is no longer possible anywhere in Georgia in 2026, machines dispense cash in lari.

What this means in practice by bank (figures are indicative, from travel forums and guides in early 2026, and a bank can change them, so check in your app):

• Basisbank and Cartu Bank most often charge no fee of their own to foreign cards. They have fewer machines than the giants, but they are worth seeking out for a zero fee if you are withdrawing a larger sum.
• TBC Bank is usually 1-5 GEL per transaction. One catch: some TBC ATMs in residential districts (Vake, for example) add about 2% for foreign cards if you withdraw less than ~500 GEL, so at TBC it is better to take out at least 1000 GEL at once.
• Bank of Georgia is usually around 3 GEL per transaction.
• Liberty Bank is formally listed as high (people quote amounts up to 20 GEL), but in practice it often charges foreign cards little or nothing, and unpredictably from town to town. It is unreliable as your main option, better kept as a backup.

An important caveat: that is the fee of the ATM itself. On top of it, your own issuing bank will almost certainly charge a foreign-withdrawal fee (usually a percentage plus a flat amount), which you will find in your card’s terms. It is precisely this second fee that makes it cheaper to withdraw less often and in larger amounts, rather than hitting the ATM every day for small sums.

How much you can withdraw at once: limits

The second thing that saves on fees is the per-transaction limit. The more a machine gives you at once, the less often you pay your issuing bank’s flat fee. Per atmfeesaver.com, the per-transaction maximum across the country runs from 200 to 3000 GEL, most commonly 500 or 2000 GEL. Rough figures for the big banks (forums, early 2026): a standard TBC ATM gives up to ~2000 GEL at once, while newer terminals (Rustaveli Avenue and the East Point mall are named, for instance) go up to 3000 GEL; Bank of Georgia’s per-transaction limit is usually 1000-1500 GEL.

The good news: the ATMs themselves usually have no daily limit, so if a single transaction gave you too little you can simply run another one straight away. The constraint is more likely to come from your card: many banks have their own daily cap on cash withdrawals abroad, and that is worth checking and, if needed, raising in your app before the trip so you do not hit a wall on holiday.

And once more about DCC, dynamic currency conversion. If an ATM (or a shop terminal) offers to charge the amount “in your currency”, in dollars, euros or otherwise, always choose to be charged or paid out in lari (GEL), the “without conversion” or “charge in GEL” option. The rate the machine applies is almost always worse than your bank’s, and it is an easy way to lose a few percent for nothing.

Cards or cash

In Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi, Visa and Mastercard are taken almost everywhere: cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, pharmacies, shops, with contactless long since the norm. But you still need cash lari, and here is where it is hard without it:

• markets and bazaars, small shops, fruit and spice sellers;
• street-hailed taxis and marshrutka minibuses (apps like Bolt take cards, but a street taxi is cash only);
• mountain villages, family guesthouses, monasteries, small rural cafes;
• entry to some natural sites and village markets.

A working rule is to keep at least 100 GEL in small notes for a day in the city, and if you are heading to the regions or the mountains, budget two or three times that and withdraw cash in advance while a big-bank ATM is still nearby.

A note for anyone travelling with cards from the CIS. UnionPay is accepted only patchily in Georgia, and cards issued outside their bank’s home country work unreliably, going through in one place and being declined at both terminal and ATM in another. Mir effectively does not work outside Russia, so you cannot count on it being accepted in Georgia. The practical takeaway: if your card is in doubt, bring a reserve of cash dollars or euros to exchange, and do not tie your whole trip to a single payment method, always have a plan B.

Tipping: how much, to whom and when

Tipping in Georgia is not a strict obligation and was historically never part of the culture; it has become more common in cities, but no one expects the large sums seen in the US. Wages in service are low, so a tip for good service is appreciated, and leaving a little is normal and welcome to your host. The point is knowing who gets what.

Restaurants and cafes. There is a trap here. Many places already add a “service charge” of about 10% to the bill, and, as locals well know, it usually does not reach the waiter, it stays with the venue. So the logic is: check the receipt first. If the charge is already there and you want to thank the waiter specifically, leave a small amount in cash, into their hand, and it will actually get to the right person. If there is no service charge and you enjoyed the meal, aim for the same ~10%, again preferably in cash.

Taxis and delivery. Simple here: round up the fare or add 1-3 GEL, especially if the driver helped with your bags. Bolt lets you tip in the app, which is optional but a nice touch for a good ride, though no one requires it.

Hotels. Not a strict custom, but appreciated for good service: about 2-5 GEL per bag for a porter, and you can leave a couple of lari for housekeeping on checkout. In small family guesthouses tipping is generally not expected, and you are more likely to get a surprised look than an outstretched hand.

Guides and drivers on tours. Tips are more noticeable here: aim for around 15-20% of the price, or roughly 20 GEL per person for a tour if the day went well. On free walking tours, the guide lives entirely on tips, so it is reasonable to leave 30-50 GEL depending on the length of the walk and the size of the group.

How this feeds into your travel budget

Put it all together and the picture is simple. Set aside cash lari for taxis, markets and the countryside, withdraw it in large sums at Basisbank or Cartu ATMs (or at TBC and Bank of Georgia among the big banks, but from 1000 GEL at a time), always choose to be charged in lari, and keep small change for tips. Against that, the fees you overpay across a trip come out small, and what matters more is not losing money to an unfavourable DCC conversion or to a dozen small back-to-back withdrawals.

To gauge how much cash and card to budget for a few days, our breakdown of how much a trip to Georgia costs for 3, 5 and 7 days is a handy starting point. And if you are staying long term or working remotely, the whole question of withdrawal fees goes away with a local card, covered separately in how to open a Georgian bank account.

In short

• Lower fees at Basisbank and Cartu (often 0 GEL); TBC and Bank of Georgia are usually 1-5 GEL, so withdraw from 1000 GEL.
• Your bank charges on top, so withdraw less often and in bigger amounts; the per-transaction limit is most often 1000-3000 GEL.
• DCC: always choose to be paid out in lari (GEL), not your home currency.
• Cash is needed for markets, taxis, minibuses and mountain villages; ~100 GEL in small notes per day in the city.
• UnionPay and Mir are unreliable, so bring a cash reserve to exchange.
• Tips: ~10% in cafes (in cash by hand, the service charge does not reach the waiter), 1-3 GEL to a taxi driver, 2-5 GEL per bag at a hotel, 15-20% or ~20 GEL per person to a guide.