This blogpost is from your friends at MoaTrek to help you work out the best way to carry money and how to pay for things in New Zealand when you visit.
Once you’ve decided now’s the time for your dream trip to New Zealand, there are a few logistics you need to figure out, like what are the best payment methods to use in New Zealand and how do you pay for things when you’re here?
What’s the best way to access your cash in New Zealand? When should you use a Debit Card? When is a Credit Card best? Which Credit Cards are best for travelling in New Zealand with? And how do you minimize the fees you pay to withdraw cash while you’re travelling?
We’ll help you answer all these questions and share a few valuable money travel tips for visiting New Zealand.
We’ve been helping overseas travellers discover the best of New Zealand on our MoaTrek small group tours since 1971 and a lot has changed since those early days. (anyone remember travellers’ cheques?) When it comes to travelling and paying for things in New Zealand, there are now plenty more convenient options.
Here’s our guide to help you navigate money and payments while travelling in New Zealand.
Contents
- Tips for paying for things in New Zealand
- Which currency is best in New Zealand?
- Where can I get cash in New Zealand?
- Prepaid foreign exchange cards
- Common traveller scenarios and best payment methods
- What’s the best credit card to use in New Zealand?
- Paying for things online while in New Zealand
- Where to find banks and ATMs in New Zealand
Top tips for carrying money and paying for things in New Zealand
- Credit and Debit cards are widely accepted in New Zealand, you will see “EFTPOS Terminals” at most of the shops you visit, including small cafes and stores.
- Use Debit Cards for cash withdrawals and small daily purchases.
- Use Credit Cards for larger purchases which may need a post purchase guarantee.
- Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted Credit Cards in New Zealand.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay are widespread, so can make contactless payments from your phone.
- Carry some local cash on you at all times and keep a small emergency fund in another secure place.
Safety and security with your money in New Zealand
Whenever you travel overseas you should always be careful with your money and valuables. But be reassured that New Zealand is a very safe country, with random thefts targeting visitors, hotel rooms or tour buses very rare.
You should always be careful and aware when you’re travelling in New Zealand, but you don’t have to prepare your money and luggage in fortress fashion that you sometimes feel you have to when you’re travelling to some parts of the world.
For more read our article about Safety in New Zealand for Travellers.
Which currency is best in New Zealand? How much cash should you carry?
The New Zealand dollar (NZD) is the currency of New Zealand and accepted everywhere.
We recommend having a few hundred dollars in New Zealand currency ($200 – $300) in small denominations ($20 and $10 dollar notes) on you at all times and preparing this before you arrive or early in your trip.
It’s always useful to have local currency to pay for things you might not be expecting or to help you out if something goes wrong with your cards. To be safe you can split this cash up and put some of it in your hand luggage or carry bag and some on your person.
Our recommendation is to get local NZD currency before you leave home to minimise the amount of things you need to do when you are here on holiday.
You can exchange major currencies such as US dollars, Euros and UK Pounds into New Zealand dollars at Auckland International Airport once you arrive, this is available 24/7 so if you can’t get New Zealand dollars at home then don’t panic.
Destinations we visit on our tours like Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Queenstown and Christchurch all have banks or currency exchange services where you can access New Zealand dollars.
What’s the best way to get cash when you’re travelling in New Zealand?
The best way to get cash in New Zealand is to use your Debit Card at an ATM.
Debit cards are accepted all over New Zealand, at ATMs and at almost all retailers including smaller places like cafes, gasoline stations and grocery stores as long as you make sure your card has an electronic chip and is set up for international use.
Debit Cards are accepted everywhere credit cards are and look just like one. Another handy feature of Debit Cards is that you can even top them up while you’re on the road using your online banking.
Debit cards are better than credit cards for withdrawing cash as they don’t have the cash advance fee and high interest associated if your card goes into debit.
Where can I get cash in New Zealand?
There are cash machines in most of the major cities and towns in New Zealand and currency exchange services in holiday spots you’re likely to visit on your trip.
It’s worth remembering that when you’re off the beaten track exploring New Zealand’s famous countryside, like on the West Coast of the South Island, it will be harder to get cash so make sure you grab some while you’re in places like Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington or Queenstown.
Prepaid foreign currency cards
Prepaid foreign currency cards have been around for a few years now, the well-known Visa or Mastercard compatible cards are the most common ones globally.
More common recently are prepaid foreign exchange cards offered by Wise or Revolut, which allow you to load multiple currencies on one card and lock in a rate in advance for you to access at ATMs or at retailers overseas.
Using Prepaid Foreign Currency Cards in New Zealand
Planning to use a card while travelling in New Zealand? Here’s a quick guide to your options and how to avoid unexpected fees.
💳 Prepaid Travel Cards
The classic prepaid Visa or Mastercard travel cards are still widely used and accepted all over the world — including New Zealand.
🌍 Multi-Currency Cards (Wise & Revolut)
Newer options like Wise and Revolut let you:
- Load multiple currencies onto one card
- Lock in exchange rates before you travel
- Spend or withdraw cash from ATMs overseas
Because they’re accepted on the Visa or Mastercard networks, you can use them almost anywhere those are accepted.
🔁 How Prepaid Cards Work
- Open a New Zealand Dollar (NZD) account on your card
- Transfer money from your home currency
- Spend like a local — your purchases in NZ are deducted directly from your NZD balance, without needing a currency conversion on the spot
✅ Advantages of Prepaid Travel Cards
- You know the exact exchange rate ahead of time — no surprises
- Easy to manage from your phone
- Cards are accepted at most shops, restaurants, and ATMs throughout New Zealand
💡 Extra Tips for Travellers
- Let your bank or card provider know you’re travelling to New Zealand
- If you preload a credit card with funds, it acts like a debit card — helpful for cash withdrawals without the usual credit card fees
- Be careful not to go into negative balance, though — cash advances on credit cards come with fees and immediate interest
- Bring more than one card as a backup (always!)
- For big purchases like rental car deposits, debit cards might not be accepted — a credit card is usually required
Prepaid travel cards like Wise and Revolut have become very popular in recent years, they’re a great solution for spending when you’re abroad and have become very popular with travellers on our tours.
Common Travel Scenarios – which payment method is best in New Zealand?
Here are some common payment scenarios you’ll come across when travelling in New Zealand, and our recommendation for the best payment method to use.
- Paying for a meal at a restaurant – pay with Credit or Debit card.
- Paying for some souvenirs or gifts for friends and family back home – pay with Credit, Debit or Prepaid Currency card.
- Paying for an activity or attraction which is not included in your tour – pay with Credit or Debit card online or over the phone.
- Tipping a guide or waiter – pay in cash, either NZD or USD will be welcome.
- Paying for water and snacks at a store – pay in either cash or Debit Card.
These are scenarios travellers on our tours come across all the time, if anything else comes up you’re not sure of just ask your friendly MoaTrek Kiwi Guide and they’ll help you out.
MoaTrek Traveller Tip – Use different cards for different things
“Use a debit card for small daily purchases and a credit card for larger purchases which need a guarantee” – Peter from London.
What’s the best credit card to travel in New Zealand with?
We recommend Visa or Mastercard for use while travelling within New Zealand.
New Zealanders love paying for things with plastic, even everyday purchases like newspaper and coffee, so credit cards are accepted all over the country, even at very small retailers.
Many New Zealanders have adopted cash-free lifestyles and it’s definitely easier to get around without cash than it is in the United States, for example.
Visa and Mastercard are equally accepted all over New Zealand and are the credit cards of choice for most international visitors. Amex and Diners Club are popular with corporate travellers and are both accepted at many places in New Zealand but not as widely as Visa or Mastercard.
We recently had a guest on a tour whose preferred card is Amex due to all the associated benefits, but she found there were quite a few places which didn’t accept it. As a rule, bigger businesses did, but smaller ones didn’t. She did have a Visa card and got by with this and cash, but we wouldn’t recommend travelling with just an Amex to New Zealand.
Make sure your credit card is chip enabled, this will allow you to use it at contactless payment points and our ATMs as well. To be sure you can use it internationally, tell your card issuer you are going to New Zealand, and make sure your card has the logo of one of the major international networks like Plus or Cirrus.
All major credit card issuers want their cardholders to be confident they can use their cards safely all over the world, so if you do have any problem with your credit card, ie, an unauthorized transaction, call the card issuer right away and challenge it. In most cases the card company will support you and refund your money quickly.
That’s one advantage of using credit cards over debit cards, once a transaction has taken place on a debit card you don’t have quite the same powers to challenge a transaction that you do with a credit card.
Travel Tip – Be aware of credit card surcharges
- Credit card surcharges are common in New Zealand, typically between 1.5 – 2.5%, and apply across many businesses.
- These fees help businesses cover charges imposed by banks and are usually disclosed upfront.
- Use a debit card for everyday purchases and a credit card for larger transactions that may benefit from post-purchase protection.
What about paying for things online while you’re travelling?
Many of us are accustomed to the convenience and security of paying for goods and services online from our own devices, so why not take advantage of this while travelling internationally too?
You won’t use online purchases for everyday purchases like snacks or restaurant meals, but you may pay online for things like activities, accommodation or delivery meals.
If you’re booking a tour or activity for your trip while you’re here in New Zealand, most operators will have an option to book and pay through their website. If you’re on your own device you can even use your preferred payment solution like Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal.
Security tips when paying for things online while travelling internationally
There are a couple of things to be careful of when buying something online while you’re travelling.
First of all is the security of the operator’s website and payment system. Most are very professional and have secure services to do this but if you find yourself typing credit card numbers into a webform or them asking you to send your card number in two separate emails we’d recommend you find somewhere else. Chances are companies that do this aren’t up to date with the latest card security options and you may be at risk.
The other thing to think about is the security of the network you’re connecting to the Internet on. If it’s free Wi-Fi at a local cafe or library, chances are it’s not that secure.
The best networks to connect to are the major telcos in New Zealand, like Spark, One NZ and 2Degrees. If you’re on a roaming plan with your home provider they will be connecting you through one of these networks, you can check by looking at which network you’re on in the top right on your Smartphone or Tablet screen.
Most international hotel chains like Novotel or Hilton will offer secure Wi-Fi, they rely on their reputation so have good security in place to protect their guests.
Smaller lodges and motels often use small, third-party network solutions and they often don’t know themselves how secure it is. It’s something most of us don’t think too much about, but if you talk to flight attendants who travel internationally all the time, they know all the best places to connect and those to avoid.
If you’re not sure about the security of the network you’re connecting through, one solution is to call the operator and make the booking over the phone.
MoaTrek Traveller Tip – Call the credit card companies before travelling
Here are a few more tips from recent MoaTrek travellers, Gary and Jan, from Michigan:
- Call the credit card companies before a trip to notify them.
- Take a certain amount of US Dollars for emergencies.
- As a couple, we both carry credit and debit cards and split the cash between us.
- Use a debit card for cash at ATMs and credit cards for more expensive meals and hotels.
- Occasionally we exchange a small amount of US Dollars for local currency if we can’t find a handy ATM.
- Make sure you have a copy of the emergency numbers for your bank or credit card issuer so you can call and cancel a card if you need to.
Banks in New Zealand
In this day and age of online payments, ATMs and EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) it’s easy to forget about the physical banks.
All the major banks in New Zealand have retail branches in the main towns and cities and you can make your withdrawal or exchange foreign currency there as well. You’ll often get a slightly better exchange rate at a bank than exchanging at a retailer or currency exchange kiosk. Of course, many banks have ATMs right outside too.
Search for banks or ATMs near accommodation or town centres you’ll visit on your trip and you’ll see there are lots around.
MoaTrek Traveller Tip – Keep your eye open for new financial products and deals
MoaTrek guests Kevin and Carole from the UK travelled on one our our tours and shared this tip re a new bank in the UK which they found great. Carole explains:
“We recently we recently opened a new bank account, from Starling Bank, one of the new UK banks that is challenging the incumbents, which we used successfully on our NZ trip. This account is online only, and allows you to withdraw cash via ATMs or spend on debit card anywhere in the world without fees and using the inter-bank exchange rate. It also instantly updates your balance and sends you a notification on every transaction. We were very happy with it and shall use it again for future holidays.”
Kevin and Carole are very experienced international travellers, and their money management for their New Zealand trip is worth sharing too:
“Our strategy for the trip was to estimate our holiday spend, and transfer the relevant amount of money to the Starling Bank account to dip into whilst we were away. We largely stayed within this budget, with the exception of a couple of additional excursions that we booked whilst away which we put on credit cards, as we knew there would not be enough money in the account to cover these.”
Travelling New Zealand with MoaTrek
We hope you’ve found this guide to paying for things and carrying money in New Zealand useful.
Many of the guests on our tours tell us one thing they like about booking a tour is that it cuts down on dealing with money and foreign currency, as the payment of the tour includes of a lot of important things for your trip like transport, accommodation and many meals and activities.
See more about our New Zealand small tours here and please get in touch if you have any questions at all about your Dream Trip to New Zealand.
