The question many people ask before coming to Cartagena is whether they will be able to access money easily. Rest assured there are plenty of ATM’s in Cartagena with which you can withdraw money from and they are often located near several others so if one doesn’t work chances are you’ll find one nearby that does.
The withdrawal limits and ATM fees differ between banks in Cartagena so we’ve provided you with a clear list to help you make the best choice for yourself. Keep in mind however that your home bank may also charge you a fee for using another bank especially if it’s an international one and this additional fee could be anywhere from $1USD to $20USD, so it’s worth checking your home bank account to see which ATM’s in Cartagena also offer you the best rates from your own home bank.
When considering where to withdraw money in Cartagena it’s a good idea to look for an ATM or bank with the lowest ATM fees and highest withdrawal amounts as these fees can add up and take away from your precious travel money. The table below compares some of the best and worst ATM’s in Cartagena to show you what to expect from each bank or ATM.
*Notes: A rough exchange rate is COP4430 = GBP1 or COP3070 = USD1 or COP3460 = Euro (Jun 2016). Where there are no ATM fees listed this is because they didn’t show up on either the screen or our receipt so we assume there is none, however if you find otherwise please let us know.
While the ATM fees and withdrawal limits will certainly help you make an informed decision about which ATM you should go to in Cartagena, we understand that the location of each ATM is also very important as you are likely to look for one of the closer ATM’s to your hostel or hotel as well as the cheapest.
Therefore the following ATM locations are either central to Cartagena downtown or close to many of the hostels and hotels whilst also offering several ATM’s to choose from in each area or neighborhood of Cartagena.
The majority of ATM’s in Cartagena can be found in La Matuna neighborhood by walking along Avenida Venezuela between Centro Uno, a small digital shopping center, and the clock tower. Here you will find ATM’s from Banco de Bogota, Davivienda, Servibanca, Colpatria, Bancolombia, Pichincha, Banco Popular and another Servibanca.
For the ATM’s closest to Getsemani there is a BBVA and Bancolombia on Avenida Daniel Lamatre opposite Parque Centenario.
Alternately Bancolombia, BBVA and Corpbanca can be found within the walled city bordering Plaza de la Aduana.
Extra advices
If you need to access more money than the ATM allows in one withdrawal, many of the ATM’s will allow you to do a second transaction immediately after the first or you can withdraw the second time from a different banks ATM.
Denominations: Most ATM’s will give you 50 Mil notes so be prepared when going into small shops as they may not have change or ‘Cambio’ for you. Try to use the 50Mil notes in large supermarkets, hostels or bigger stores.
It is also important to note that on weekends and public holidays not all ATM’s will be accessible, except for the ones in larger supermarkets such as Exito and Olimpica. And if the ATM on the ground floor of Exito is closed try the next floors up as there are usually more than one in the building.
Due to the vast number of ATM’s we could not list them all without so if these don’t fulfill your requirements don’t hesitate to ask around for what you’re looking for. And if you do find a better value ATM we’d love to know where it is so please contact us with the details including if you find any of this information has changed.
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