Georgian Lari, ATMs and tipping: the complete money guide

The Georgian Lari in 30 seconds

Georgia’s currency is the Lari, symbol GEL or lari character ₾. One lari divides into 100 tetri. Banknotes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 GEL, and coins in 1 and 2 GEL plus 5, 10, 20 and 50 tetri. As of spring 2026, one US dollar is worth approximately 2.70 GEL, one euro around 2.90 GEL and one British pound around 3.35 GEL. Exchange rates are stable on a week-to-week basis and the lari has behaved more predictably than many regional currencies over the past decade.

Tipping is not obligatory but is increasingly expected in tourist-facing venues. Rounding up is universal; a genuine 10% tip is generous; anything above that marks you as unusually grateful.

For a fuller cost breakdown, see the Georgia travel budget guide.

Getting lari: ATMs, exchange and cards

ATMs

ATMs are abundant in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Gori, Telavi, Sighnaghi and every town of any size. Brand names to look for: TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia, Liberty Bank, Credo Bank and VTB. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia are the most travel-friendly, with English interfaces, dependable uptime and reasonable withdrawal limits (typically 600 GEL per transaction, occasionally 2,000 GEL).

Important: when the ATM offers you “conversion” into your home currency (Dynamic Currency Conversion), always decline. Let your own bank handle the conversion. DCC at Georgian ATMs typically costs 3–5% more than the mid-market rate.

Credo Bank’s ATMs sometimes apply an extra withdrawal fee of around 6 GEL. TBC and Bank of Georgia rarely charge their own fees to foreign cards, though your home bank’s fees still apply.

In mountain and rural areas — Mestia, Kazbegi, Ushguli, Omalo in Tusheti — ATMs exist but not always reliably. Mestia has a couple; Omalo has none at all. Take enough cash for your rural leg before you leave the last major town.

Exchange booths

Currency exchange booths (kiosks labelled “Exchange” or “Valuta”) are everywhere in Tbilisi. Rates are displayed on electronic boards outside; the difference between the best rate in the Old Town and the worst can be 1–2%. The best rates cluster near Freedom Square, on Rustaveli Avenue, and inside the Dezerter Bazaar area. Airport exchange rates are noticeably worse — use them only for the taxi fare into town, if at all, since Bolt and Yandex apps accept card.

US dollars, euros and British pounds exchange easily everywhere. Other currencies (Turkish lira, Russian rouble, Emirati dirham) exchange at major booths but with wider spreads. Bring crisp, undamaged notes — older or torn bills are sometimes refused.

Card acceptance

Card acceptance in Georgia is better than travellers expect. In Tbilisi, almost every restaurant, hotel, supermarket, wine shop and larger cafe accepts Visa and Mastercard; contactless is standard. Amex is patchy. In Batumi, Kutaisi and Sighnaghi, card acceptance is similar.

Where you still need cash:

• Marshrutkas (shared minibuses) are always cash
• Small bakeries, traditional tone bread shops and market stalls
• Most taxi drivers outside Bolt/Yandex apps
• Smaller wineries and family-run guesthouses in Kakheti and the mountains
• Churches and monastery donations
• Public toilets
• Abanotubani sulfur baths (some rooms card, some cash)

A practical rule: carry at least 100 GEL cash in small notes at all times. In rural regions, double that.

Contactless and mobile payment

Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay all work at most point-of-sale terminals in Tbilisi. Tap-to-pay is standard on any terminal made in the last five years. Georgian-issued cards often have their own bank-branded wallets, but as a visitor you will just use your home Apple Pay or Google Pay seamlessly.

Revolut and Wise

Both work well in Georgia. Revolut and Wise cards withdraw lari from ATMs with no markup on the exchange rate (within your monthly free allowance on Revolut). Both offer Georgian-friendly features: GEL is supported as a currency, live exchange rates are visible, and card payments in shops convert at the mid-market rate.

Charles Schwab’s debit card (for US travellers) refunds ATM fees worldwide, which makes it a strong choice in Georgia despite the country’s already-low ATM costs.

Cash habits

Small notes are useful

Taxi drivers, bakeries, market vendors and marshrutka conductors rarely have change for a 100 GEL note if your purchase is 3 GEL. Break larger notes at supermarkets (Carrefour, Goodwill, Spar) or at larger restaurants early in your trip. The 5 and 10 GEL notes are the everyday working denominations.

Rounding and approximate change

Expect to round up in almost every cash transaction. Georgians round down for small amounts (a 0.80 GEL purchase often becomes 1 GEL with change in tetri waved off) and you should not make a fuss about it. Conversely, if a taxi fare is 14 GEL, giving 15 GEL and saying nothing is the norm.

Tetri: do they matter?

Tetri coins are still in circulation but most businesses functionally round in 1 GEL increments. Keep the larger tetri coins (50 tetri, 20 tetri) for bakeries and the metro; the tiny 1, 2 and 5 tetri coins are functionally useless.

Money belts and street security

Georgia is one of the safer countries in the region — see the safety guide — so the case for a money belt is weaker than in parts of the Balkans or Turkey. Standard urban pickpocketing vigilance (front pocket, zipped bag, awareness in Dezerter Bazaar) is enough.

Tipping in Georgia: the practical picture

Tipping culture in Georgia is genuinely evolving. Ten years ago, tips outside upscale Tbilisi restaurants were not expected. Today, tourist-oriented venues in the capital, Batumi and Kakheti increasingly assume 10% — sometimes adding it as a “service charge” on the bill.

Restaurants

• Service charge on the bill: Increasingly common in Tbilisi’s tourist-facing restaurants — typically 10%, sometimes 12% or 15%. When it is listed, you do not need to add anything extra. Check the bottom of the bill.
• No service charge listed: A 10% tip is generous and welcome. Leaving the equivalent of 5% or simply rounding up the bill is the normal local practice.
• Casual cafes, khinkali houses and neighbourhood places: Rounding up or leaving the coins is enough. Leaving 10% at a 20 GEL khinkali lunch is flattering but above local norms.
• Upscale restaurants with wine sommeliers: 10% is normal, 15% is generous, particularly for a long evening with wine selection assistance.
• Cash vs card tips: Tips left on card sometimes reach staff and sometimes do not. Cash tips directly to the server is the cleaner, kinder practice.

Taxis

• Bolt and Yandex app rides: The app price is the price. Rounding up is optional; a 1–2 GEL round-up on a 14 GEL fare is a nice gesture but not expected.
• Street-hailed taxis with negotiated fares: No tip expected. You have negotiated the price.
• Airport transfers booked in advance: A 5–10 GEL tip for a pleasant driver, particularly with luggage help, is standard.

Tours and guides

• Day tour with driver-guide: 20–40 GEL per group for a half-day, 40–80 GEL per group for a full day, if the service was good. For private tours, tip per person: 20–40 GEL per guest per day is normal.
• Multi-day guided tours (Svaneti, Tusheti, Kazbegi): The guide typically receives 50–100 GEL per traveller at the end of the trip; the driver (if separate) a similar or slightly lower amount.
• Cooking classes and wine tastings: 10–20 GEL per person to the host is generous and welcome, on top of the course fee.
• Free walking tours: Pay what the tour was worth to you. In Tbilisi, 20–40 GEL per person is the normal range for a good two-hour walk.

Hotels

• Bellhops: 2–5 GEL per bag
• Housekeeping: 5–10 GEL per day or 20–50 GEL at the end of your stay, left on the pillow with a note
• Concierge: 10–20 GEL for significant help (hard-to-get reservations, rescuing a problem)
• Guesthouses: No tip is expected for the family running a guesthouse. A small gift (chocolate, wine from home, something personal) is worth far more than money.

The supra: a special case

If you are invited to a supra — the Georgian feast — do not attempt to tip your hosts. It is a cultural error. If you wish to reciprocate, bring a gift (wine, chocolates, flowers) or return the hospitality later. Putting money on the table after a family supra suggests you have misunderstood what you were just part of.

Wineries and wine bar tastings

At commercial winery visits with paid tasting fees, no additional tip is necessary. At family wineries where the owner personally hosts you, a small additional tip (20–50 GEL per group) is generous. At Tbilisi’s wine bars, tip as you would at a good restaurant — 10% is the sensible number.

Service charges: what to look for

Georgian restaurants, particularly in tourist zones, sometimes add:

• Service charge (sometimes labelled servisi): 10%, 12% or 15%. This goes to the staff (in theory).
• VAT (sometimes already included, sometimes not): The 18% VAT is usually included in menu prices, but occasionally added separately at upscale restaurants. Check when ordering.

If service charge is added, no additional tip is required. If it is not added, 10% is the norm.

Currency emergency planning

• If your card is eaten by an ATM: Most TBC and Bank of Georgia ATMs have service numbers on the screen. Call your home bank first to suspend the card, then visit the physical branch the next working day.
• If you run out of cash on a Sunday in a rural area: Many rural guesthouses accept bank transfer or will hold your booking until Monday. Larger towns’ ATMs run 24/7 including Sundays.
• If you lose your wallet: Western Union and MoneyGram both operate in Georgia. Your embassy in Tbilisi can facilitate emergency transfers in serious cases.

Currency costs of getting ripped off

The single largest currency-related loss most visitors take is from DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion) at ATMs and card terminals. When the machine asks, “would you like to pay in your home currency?” — always say no. Always pay in GEL. DCC is never in the customer’s favour.

The second-largest loss comes from changing money at the airport before leaving for the city. Airport exchange rates are 2–3% worse than central Tbilisi booths. Either use your card in Bolt to pay for the ride into town, or change a small amount at the airport and the rest in the city.

What to do with leftover lari

The lari is freely convertible but not widely accepted outside Georgia. At the end of your trip:

• Spend the remainder: Georgian wine, churchkhela, ajika and spice sets all make excellent and lightweight souvenirs. Zoma and Aristaeus in Tbilisi sell good-quality wine priced in lari.
• Change back at the airport: Tbilisi airport booths will reconvert lari to USD or EUR at reasonable (not great) rates. Do not change more than you need to spend.
• Keep a note: A 5 or 10 GEL note makes a lovely keepsake and reminds you to come back.

Related guides

• Georgia travel budget — daily spend estimates and category breakdowns
• Safety in Georgia — theft, scams and how to avoid the few that exist
• Supra feast guide — understanding hospitality so you do not offend with money
• Plan your trip — the complete pre-trip planning framework
• First-time visitors — broader orientation for first visits