Hi Mackers,

The girl at the travel agency is talking through a part of her anatomy which has no teeth (or at least it shouldn't)....

The currency is the Lev, but you will receive far better rates if you purchase your Leva from Bulgarian banks or, better still, use a Nationwide Flex account Debit Card to withdraw Leva from Bulgarian ATMs - see the currency sticky for more info.

There are no signs of Bulgaria even joining the ERMII yet, from statements by the BG Minister of Finance this month, so it will be at the very least two years before the Euro can be adopted as the national currency.

I averaged 2.197 Leva per £1 using my Flex A/C Debit Card in Bugaria last week. Today's Raiffeisen Bank rate is 2.102.

Baldur

Cheers baldur. was thinking she was talking through her rectum. is it easy enough to get a Nationwide Flex account Debit Card set up?

Cheers, Mackers

It certainly was when I opened mine several years ago - took around 10-14 days for the card to arrive, as I recall.

Cheers baldur

I only opened a NW Flex account on the 10th of Feb this year. I was asked to pay £100 as an opening deposit though. I received the Debit Card, Cheque Book and Phone-Banking info all fairly quickly....But, the PIN for the Flex Card it'self only arrived on the 20th of Feb.

After two previous visits to GS I decided to open this well recommended type account mainly cos the £/lev exchange rates are so low compared to a few years ago.

regards, Jim.

It should be noted that Nationwide are due to start charging for ATM withdrawals in countries outside Europe so, while this will not affect Bulgarian transactions, it will affect people who visit other parts of the world as well as Bulgaria.

The charges are due to start on 6th May 2009 at a rate of 0.84%, rising to 1% on 1st July 2009.

The charges will apply to both their Credit & Debit Cards - see Nationwide's official statement.

Baldur

Hi Baldur

We are going to Albena, are there ATM's easily accessible or will i be better off taking currency with me?

Thanks

Sarah

Hi Sarah,

Yes there are ATMs available - I usually use the SG Expressbank one near the main Post Office/BTC telephone booths, if I happen to pop down to Albena and need to draw Leva.

The VISA ATM locator shows others located in Hotel Dobrudzha (Central Cooperative Bank) and the Laguna Garden (DSK Bank).

The only one which I know doesn't accept non-Bulgarian Cards (there's usually a notice on it to that effect) is the Postbank one in the market area.

You'll find that the hotels & banks in Albena operate a cartel, as far as cash exchange rates are concerned - if you must take cash, you will always be better off changing it in high street banks in Varna or Dobrich.

Baldur

If you take Levs back to the UK will banks exchange them back to £s for you ?

If you take Levs back to the UK will banks exchange them back to £s for you ?

Those that sell Leva certainly should.........at a price.

For example, the Post Office online would buy Leva from you today at a rate of 2.4673, so for 100 Leva you would receive £40.53 (they would have originally cost you £45.93 at today's best Bulgarian high street bank rate of 2.177 or £49.10 at todays Post Office rate of 2.0365).

Baldur

Thanks Baldur will probabably take £50 of levs and the rest £s and just exchange over there.