Money in Taiwan: ATMs, Currency Exchange, and How Much Cash You Actually Need
Don’t exchange money at home. Land in Taiwan, then either hit the 24-hour bank counter at the airport (same rates as downtown, flat NT$30 fee) or an ATM — ideally a Cathay United machine, which charges no local fee. Around US$100 worth of NT$ is more than enough to start; Taiwan has gone largely cashless and cards cover almost everything except night markets and traditional markets. And when any machine offers to charge you in your home currency, say no. Always pick TWD.
Here’s the thing most guides get wrong: Taiwan went largely cashless after COVID. Cards and tap-to-pay cover the overwhelming majority of what a visitor spends money on. What’s left is a short, specific list of cash-only territory — night markets, traditional markets, small stalls and little clothing shops — and that’s what your cash is for. Here’s how to work it, with 2026 numbers.
Getting NT$: your three real options
The airport bank counter. Weird but true: Taiwan is the rare place where the airport exchange is not a ripoff. Bank of Taiwan and Mega Bank counters at Taoyuan run 24/7 and post the same rates as their city branches, plus a flat NT$30 fee (about a dollar). If you’re carrying USD, JPY or other major cash, change it on arrival and be done.
City banks. Zero commission, same rates — but they only do exchange on weekdays, 9:00 to 3:30, and you’ll need your passport. Fine if you’re around on a Tuesday, useless on a Saturday night. One thing worth knowing: keep the exchange receipt. You need it if you want to convert leftover NT$ back to your currency when you leave.
ATMs. The best rates of all if your card doesn’t charge foreign fees (Wise, Revolut, Schwab and friends). Which machine you pick matters, though:
| ATM | Local fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cathay United | NT$0 | Branches, Taipei Metro stations, Hi-Life, PX Mart, some FamilyMarts |
| E.Sun | NT$0 (reported) | Branches |
| Bank of Taiwan | Usually NT$0 | The screen shows any fee before you confirm |
| 7-Eleven (CTBC) | NT$100 | Every time. Convenient, not cheap |
| FamilyMart | Depends! | Split fleet — Cathay United machines are free, Taishin ones charge NT$100. Check the logo on the machine |
| Post Office | NT$0 | But some machines reject foreign cards entirely |
That FamilyMart line is worth rereading: the fee depends on whose ATM is inside, not the store brand. Older guides say “FamilyMart charges, so what” — Cathay United has since moved thousands of machines into FamilyMart, Hi-Life and PX Mart, so the free machine is often standing right there.
Withdrawals cap at NT$20,000 (about US$625) per transaction at most machines. Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay all work basically everywhere.
The one rule that beats all others: if an ATM or card terminal asks whether to charge you in TWD or your home currency, choose TWD. The “helpful” home-currency option (called DCC) bakes in a markup every single time.
Where cards work, and where cash is law
Post-COVID Taiwan is a tap-to-pay place: hotels, restaurants, chain stores, department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, Uber — card or phone and move on. Most people are cashless day to day, and you can be too.
The cash-only holdouts are specific:
- Night markets — figure 99% of stalls, cash only
- Traditional markets
- Small stalls and little independent clothing shops
- Temples (donation boxes)
- Some regular taxis (Uber solves this)
- EasyCard top-ups — always cash, everywhere
Outside the cities, add small family-run restaurants and guesthouses to that list — rural Taiwan still runs closer to cash.
You’ll see locals paying with LINE Pay at half these places. Doesn’t help you: it needs a Taiwanese payment account. The mobile-payment boom here is real but it’s domestic — as a visitor you’re living on cards, cash and your EasyCard.
Speaking of which: load some money on your EasyCard and it works like a little debit card at every convenience store, supermarket chain and most drugstores. It won’t save your night market crawl, but it covers an enormous amount of daily small spending.
How much cash do you actually need?
Less than you think. Around US$100 worth of NT$ (roughly NT$3,000) is more than enough to start a trip — I usually go home with most of my cash still in my pocket, because the card does the real work. If you burn through it on a market-heavy week, grabbing more is a two-minute ATM stop.
Some real 2026 prices to calibrate what that cash covers:
| Thing | NT$ | ~US$ |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast shop (egg pancake + soy milk) | 30-60 | $1-2 |
| Bubble tea | 40-80 | $1.25-2.50 |
| Night market snack, per item | 30-80 | $1-2.50 |
| A proper night market dinner crawl | 200-500 | $6-16 |
| Beef noodle soup, sit-down shop | 150-250 | $5-8 |
| Local eatery lunch | 80-150 | $2.50-5 |
| Mid-range restaurant dinner | 300-600 | $9-19 |
| MRT ride | 20-65 | $0.60-2 |
A NT$3,000 stack buys you a lot of night markets. And don’t stress about the NT$1,000 bills the ATM hands you — night market vendors deal in cash all day and break big notes without blinking. The only places I’d hand smaller bills are tiny purchases at traditional market stalls, and a convenience store run fixes your change situation any time.
Tipping: don’t
Taiwan doesn’t tip. Not taxis, not restaurants, not bars — attempting it mostly produces confusion, and drivers have been known to chase people down to return “forgotten” money. Nicer sit-down restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill; that’s not a tip for your server, it’s just part of the price. Pay it, add nothing, everyone’s happy.
Leaving with leftover NT$
Three options, best to worst: spend it down at the airport or a convenience store; keep it for next time (the bills don’t expire); or convert it back — which needs your original exchange receipt at a bank, and at the airport’s outbound counters costs NT$100 per transaction, roughly triple the fee you paid coming in. Plan to land close to zero instead.
FAQ
Should I exchange money before traveling to Taiwan?
No. Rates at home are almost always worse, and Taiwan’s arrival options are unusually good — the airport bank counters run 24/7 at city-branch rates with a flat NT$30 fee. Bring your home currency in cash if you like, or just a card for the ATM.
Which ATMs in Taiwan are free for foreign cards?
Cathay United is the most reliable free option — their machines are in Taipei Metro stations, Hi-Life and PX Mart stores, and some FamilyMarts. E.Sun and Bank of Taiwan machines are generally free too. The 7-Eleven ATMs (CTBC) charge NT$100 every time. Your home bank’s own fees still apply on top.
Do night markets in Taiwan take credit cards?
Basically no — treat night markets, traditional markets and street stalls as cash-only. A few stalls take tap-to-pay or EasyCard, but you can’t count on it. The chains and modern restaurants around them take cards fine.
Is 25,000 NTD enough for 8 days in Taiwan?
In cash? That’s far more than you need — Taiwan is largely cashless now, and NT$3,000 or so covers most trips’ actual cash spending. As a total budget for food, local transport and everyday spending (hotel paid separately), NT$25,000 over 8 days is comfortable, with card doing the heavy lifting.
Can I pay with US dollars in Taiwan?
No. Unlike some Asian destinations, Taiwan runs entirely on NT$ — nobody quotes or accepts USD at street level. Exchange or withdraw local currency.
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