Gambia ATM Travel Guide
ATMs in Gambia don’t usually pose any challenges, however if there are no ATMs nearby or the ATMs in Gambia are not working with your card, check back here for our guide below.
It explains how you can send yourself money online and pick it up at an authorized local cash pick up point. This is also useful if you want to avoid paying ATM fees / withdraw more than ATM limits allow.
Being a very similar process to buying something online with your debit card, it is probably the quickest way to send money to yourself in Gambia.
There’s also currently a promo code so you pay NO FEE on your first money transfer.
Gambia ATM Fees & General Information
Most ATMs in Gambia charge between 150 and 200 Gambian Dalasi per transaction. This works out quite a lot when you consider some ATMs in Gambia have a maximum transaction of only 2000 GMD.
You will also probably get charged a fee by your own bank.
Having a Wise (formerly TransferWise) MasterCard can help reduce your home bank fees and gives a great exchange rate on purchases. With their borderless account / card you can hold your money in more than 40 currencies and use the debit card to get your cash out with low conversion fees and zero transaction fees. Click here for more info.
Withdrawal limits depend on the bank, and generally range from 2,000 to 8,000. It is worth asking around for which allow for greater withdrawals eg Standard Chartered. This way you can avoid the need for multiple transactions and transaction fees mounting up.
Major hotels take debit/credit cards, but cheaper accommodations, tourist sites and smaller restaurants tend to only take cash.
You’ll find Visa is the most commonly accepted card at ATMs in Gambia, however there are an increasing number that also accept Cirrus/MasterCard.
Unfortunately, ATM fraud in Gambia is not uncommon….. Check out our Travel Money Tips for what to look out for with regards to Skimmers and more general information covering pre-trip planning, fees, scams, and general safety.
Getting Cash Without Using The ATMs In Gambia:
– Send Money To Gambia & Pick It Up Locally
With so many overseas workers sending money home to their families, there are lots of local cash pick up points to collect these funds.
Tapping into this network means you can use your ATM card (debit/credit) or bank details to securely send yourself funds online through a reputable International money transfer service. Our guide introduces an online service that has a partnership with domestic money transfer agents in Gambia where you can pick up your money within a few hours.
There’s also currently a promo code so you pay NO FEE on your first money transfer.
This service is also cheaper and quicker than Western Union or Moneygram. This means it is very useful if you are Gambian but working abroad to send money to Gambia for your family.
Check HERE to see if there is an authorized cash pick-up point where you recipient can easily collect the cash. In Gambia, this is any branch of:
- Cash Minute network: Collect from any branches of MJ Financial Services, Easy Financial Services, Yonna Forex, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), TC Bureau de Change
- First International Bank or OG Financial Services: Collect from branches of First International Bank or OG Financial Services
- Reliance Bank: Collect from branches of Reliance Bank
- Yonna Foreign Exchange
- MSJ Bureau De Change
If there’s a branch locally, then follow the step-by-step guide below.
– Step By Step Guide…incl fee free promo code
Note: The process is quicker than the detailed guide suggests. It is currently possible to send from 50 countries, however, Israel and a few others are not yet included due to local government policies
- To begin, click World Remit LTD
(IMPORTANT: If you don’t see ‘Gambia’ in the Choose a Country To Send To list, this is because you must first choose which overseas country to send money from. The “Send From” option can be found at the top of the page on PC/Laptop. On mobile it is the last option in the drop down menu at the top of the page represented by the 3 horizontal lines) - Once You have chosen ‘Gambia’ as the Country To Send To, click “Get Started”
- On the next page make sure the Cash Pickup tab is ticked and click “Continue”
- On the next page, where it says “Select a cash pickup payout network” choose the local pick up point you identified to be convenient in the previous section.
- Enter the amount to send in your currency or receive in Gambian Dalasi (GMD). The exchange rate & fee (which you can remove with a promo code later) will automatically show. Once you’re happy click “Continue”. You are then prompted to register / create an account.
There is no need for a referral code on this page as you will apply your fee-free promo code on the payment page as you process your money transfer. - Once registered you will input details of who you are sending the money to, so for the recipient, put yourself (as your name appears on your Passport) and use the address of your current accommodation. You will also be required to provide a local mobile number, however if you don’t have one, people have successfully used all zeros, or asked their accommodation to use their number. For the sending reason, select “Sending Funds To Self”.
- When it comes to payment details, it is important to make sure your name and address match the name on your Debit card and the billing address is used. Don’t forget to use the promotion code “FREE” (without quotes) on the payment page to get your first transfer FEE-FREE!
If your card payment fails for any reason, select the Sofort option and pay using your online banking log-in details. - Almost instantly you will receive a welcome email (don’t worry if this does not arrive) and a confirmation email of your transfer informing you to wait for a further email. In most cases this takes 10-30 minutes (longer if paying via bank details & not debit card or your financial situation is complicated). The final email will say whether identity / regulatory checks have been completed and inform you if your transfer is available to pick up. Note: Sometimes further information may be required from you before they can process the transfer in order to comply with regulatory requirements, however this is unlikely in most cases.
- Once complete just go to the pick up point you chose earlier and:
-For the Cash Minute Network: Show your Passport and quote “Cash Minute” and the 11-digit transaction reference number to collect your money.
-For the Reliance Bank AND First International Bank or OG Financial Services: Show your Passport and quote “WorldRemit” and the 8-digit transaction reference number to collect your money.
We update this guide every month or so, however, if you have any feedback to help keep this guide up-to-date or make it more comprehensive and easier for others to follow, please Message us on Facebook
Sending Money To A Bank Account Instead
You can also use the above method to quickly transfer money to an overseas bank account, perhaps to pay for your accommodation or an activity. The promo code above for NO FEES on your first money transfer also applies for these transactions.
Click HERE for this service.
IMPORTANT: If you don’t see ‘Gambia’ in the Choose a Country To Send To list, this is because you must first choose which overseas country to send money from. The “Send From” option can be found at the top of the page on PC/Laptop. On mobile it is the last option in the drop down menu at the top of the page represented by the 3 horizontal lines.
Once You have chosen ‘Gambia’ as the Country To Send To, click “Get Started”
On the next page make sure the ‘Bank Transfer’ tab is ticked, click “Continue” and proceed with your transfer. Don’t forget to use the promotion code “FREE” (without quotes) on the payment page to get your first transfer FEE-FREE!
For more information visit this FAQs section.
Wise, formerly TransferWise is another service that also offers bank transfers. If you are new to the service, and follow THIS LINK, you will automatically pay NO FEES on your first transfer of up to £500 (or the equivalent amount in any other currency).
Arguably the best thing about them is that they give you the mid-market rate on the currency exchange, so it’s much cheaper than a traditional bank to bank wire transfer. You won’t need any SWIFT or IBAN numbers, just the name of the account holder, their account number, the bank name and branch location.
Useful Links: