You have organized a trip to Norway. The tour you have developed will take you to visit many enchanting places in the country. To move around you will have to take buses and trains, but now that everything is ready, you are wondering what is best to do; should you use credit or debit cards more, or cash to pay? If I didn’t know Norway well, I would answer: that’s a great question, my friend, but since this is one of the countries my wife and I visit often, well, I think I can answer you with great confidence.
So, if you want to know what is best to pay with in Norway, how about giving me a few minutes of your precious time and reading this short tutorial that I wrote just for you?
Perfect, since you are very interested in the topic, let’s see everything about it below using cash and credit cards in Norway.
Local currency
As you well know, the Norway is a Scandinavian country that is part of the Schengen area. like Iceland, Liechtenstein and Sweden. These four countries, which are part of the European Free Trade Association, like some European Union nations, they have their own currency. In Norway, the official currency is the “Norwegian krone” (NOK).
The denominations are: 1, 5, 10 and 20 kroner coins, while the most common banknotes are 50, 100, 200 and 500 kroner notes.
In Norway, you will not be able to pay in euros, NOK is the only accepted currency.
To date, the rate of The exchange rate between the Euro and Norwegian Krone is 1=11.67.
Today, unlike a few years ago, Travelling in Norway is in some ways slightly more accessible!
Withdrawing cash in Norway is really easy. ATM or, better to say, ATM machinesyou can find them everywhere.
To withdraw cash, all you need is a chip and pin card. ATMs accept all major credit and debit cards. (Visa, Diners, Mastercard, American Express, ecc…).
When withdrawing money, of course, you will be charged fees by your bank or card provider, and it may happen that your local bank also applies its own fees.
Furthermore, in addition to the withdrawal fees, you will most likely also be charged the fees that you will find on your bank statement under the heading “currency conversion fee”.
Of course, withdrawing money from an ATM in Norway is certainly not convenient.
To solve the problem of fees and exchange rates, you could bring some cash with you and then, once you arrive, find an exchange office where you can exchange it.
Again, I suggest you always check the rate you will be charged and whether or not there are any fees to pay for the transaction you will be making.
Of course, you will lose something in this case too.
Credit or debit cards
Now, let’s clarify the second point of your question: using credit or debit cards, is it worth it?
First of all, you should know that, like the Swedes, Norwegians also believe that cash is just a nuisance!
In Norway, cash is rarely used.
When you get here and start walking around, you will realize that you can pay with your plastic card for everything, even a simple candy. No one will object, I assure you.
The credit card will be accepted everywhere, without any problem, from the big shop to the small souvenir shop.
There may be some exceptions, but frankly, in four years of traveling in Norway, this has never happened to me.
But, again, if you have a credit or debit card that does not have a multi-currency account, you will have to deal with exchange rates and some fees!
Aside from this small inconvenience, in Norway, as you may have understood, it is better to use a credit card to pay.
You may not believe it, but I never have cash in my wallet. Since we live in Northern Europe and travel around Scandinavia, I don’t know what cash withdrawals are anymore.
One tip I can give you isbefore you leave, contact your bank or card provider and ask what fees you will be charged when using your card in Norway.
How to solve the exchange rate problem in Norway
Today, to avoid paying high exchange rates, there are several very advantageous alternatives. One of these is to have a multi-currency account.
If you don’t have it yet, don’t skip this paragraph and read what I have to say.
A multi-currency checking account is the best solution that is adopted by travelers all over the world.
A debit card, linked to an account of this typein addition to guaranteeing you various advantages, will allow you to save a lot of money too.
For example, I have two accounts of this kind: one is that of Revolut and I opened the other one with Wise.
Today I want to talk to you about the latter: the Wise account.
By opening an account with Wise, you will have no monthly fees, you can use your money wherever you go, you will have about forty currencies at your disposal and you can manage it comfortably from your smartphone without any problems.
With Wise everything is always clear, especially the exchange rate, the commission that is applied for the operation and the total amount that will be converted.
Opening it is “a piece of cake.”
After opening your main account in euros, whenever you need it, you can open another one in the currency of the country you will be visiting. In your case “NOK”.
The great thing about all of this is actually using the debit card.
Every time you use it in Norway, the money, will be deducted from your account in “NOK” and this will have no additional costs.
In addition, you will be able to withdraw €200.00 or the equivalent in “Norwegian kroner” always without paying commissions. Fantastic, right?
In short, a Wise account, with its debit card, in addition to being convenient and reliable, will also save you a lot of money.
If you don’t have it yet and you are interested in activating it, do it now by clicking on this link.
We have come to the end of this tutorial on what is best to use in Norway to pay. Between Norwegian kroner and credit/debit cards, as you may have understood, it is preferable to use the latter.
Most Norwegians see money as a real hassle and for this reason, using credit cards is seen as more than normal.
In Norway, as in other Northern European and Scandinavian countries, you can pay any amount with your plastic card without any problems.
Of course, with your traditional card, you will find yourself paying some commission, but if you follow my suggestion and activate a Wise account before leaving, you will not have these problems.
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