Paying in Athens and Greece: Cards, Cash, ATMs and DCC

Do Greek businesses have to accept cards?

Yes, for sales to consumers. A joint ministerial decision announced on 15 December 2023 by the Ministry of Development's General Secretariat of Commerce says that from 1 January 2024 professionals in all retail and consumer-service sectors must accept debit and credit cards, as well as instant bank-to-bank payments such as the Greek IRIS service.

The same decision added 35 more business activities to the card obligation. The published list includes:

• taxi operation
• food, drink, clothing and other retail sales from market stalls and street markets
• non-specialised shops selling mainly food, drinks or tobacco
• performing arts and the operation of theatres and other venues

The Greek tax authority (AADE) also requires card terminals to be linked to cash registers so card payment data reaches its systems; its decision A.1147/2025 extended this to fuel stations. For you, the practical result is that "cash only" is no longer a legal option for a Greek shop, café, taxi or market stall serving consumers.

When do you still need cash?

Cash is now a backup rather than a necessity in Athens. Keep enough for a day of small purchases for these situations:

• A terminal that does not work, especially at small kiosks, stalls and on smaller islands, where you may have no second option nearby.
• Sellers outside the rules, such as informal vendors or private individuals.
• Leaving a tip in cash, if you want it to go straight to the person who served you.

Pay large bills, such as a hotel, tour or jewellery purchase, by card rather than in cash. The card slip gives you a record if something goes wrong, and you avoid carrying or withdrawing large sums.

Can you be charged extra for paying by card?

No. Your Europe, the EU's official consumer guidance (page last checked by the EU on 28 April 2026), states that when you pay in the EU with a credit or debit card, traders and banks cannot charge you an extra fee just for using a particular card. If a business quotes a higher "card price", that is a surcharge.

Your own card provider can still charge a currency conversion fee if your account is not in euros. EU rules require it to tell you about that fee in your card terms and on its website or app.

Euros or your home currency: which should you choose?

Choose euros. When a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, this is dynamic currency conversion (DCC): the machine's operator, not your bank, sets the exchange rate.

Regulation (EU) 2021/1230 (Article 4) requires the party offering the conversion at an ATM or point of sale to:

• show the amount in euros and the amount you will pay in your account currency
• tell you clearly that you can instead pay in euros and let your own bank convert
• express the total conversion charge as a percentage mark-up over the latest euro reference rate published by the European Central Bank

Any mark-up shown is extra. Choosing euros means your card provider converts the amount under the terms you already know.

What do ATMs in Greece cost?

There is no single Greek ATM fee. Two separate charges can apply:

• Your own bank's charge. For a card on a euro account issued in the EU, Article 3 of Regulation 2021/1230 means your bank must charge the same for a euro withdrawal in Greece as for the equivalent withdrawal at home. For other cards, the foreign withdrawal fee and conversion fee in your card terms apply.
• The ATM owner's charge. Some Greek ATMs add their own fee for cards from other banks. This is set by each operator and is not published centrally, so we do not quote a figure.

Read the screen before confirming. If a fee appears that you do not accept, or the machine offers to convert to your home currency, cancel or decline the conversion and try another bank's ATM. Withdrawing a larger amount less often reduces the number of fixed fees you pay.

Paying for transport and taxis

On Athens metro, buses, trolleys and trams you can tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard, or a phone or watch wallet, on the validators. OASA caps city fares at €4.10 a day and charges airport trips separately (€9.00 by metro, €5.50 by express bus); Maestro, American Express, JCB, Diners, Discover and UnionPay are not supported (checked 3 October 2026). Tap in and out with the same card or device. For fares and the ATH.ENA Card, see Athens transport tickets.

Taxi operation is on the list of activities that must accept cards, and Athens International Airport notes that Greek law requires taxi drivers to issue a receipt for the fare. Before leaving the airport, compare taxis with the metro and bus in Athens airport to city centre.

If you are shopping and leaving the EU, keep your receipts and card slips together: you will need them for a Greece VAT refund at Athens Airport.