Money and Credit Cards

Only New Zealand dollars are legal tender in New Zealand. All our prices include GST, goods and services tax (or sales taxes).

In the major cities some stores may choose to provide pricing in other currencies and you may be given the opportunity to pay in your own currency via a credit card transaction.

We recommend converting your foreign currency at any branch of our large bank chains. Our five major banks are: ANZ, ASB, Westpac, BNZ and Kiwibank.

There are bank branches in almost every town but not note that most are only open Monday - Friday.

The rate offered by banks does not vary at different locations so changing money at the airport banks is the same rate as changing downtown Auckland.

Yes, credit and debit cards are a widely accepted form of payment in New Zealand for purchase at shops, restaurants, petrol stations and many more.

There is no need to carry around a large amount of cash as you will be able to use the wide number of ATM's to make cash withdraws using your credit and debit cards. Although New Zealand is a safe country, there is little need to have more than NZ$200 on you at one time.

You may wish to talk to your bank at home to order some NZ dollars for spending here, as this is a great way to familiarise yourself with what the New Zealand cash looks like and ensures you can have ease of making purchases as soon as you step off the plane.

Visa and MasterCard providers are the most commonly accepted. American Express and Diners Cards are not accepted in many places so its best to arrange an alternative card if this is all you have.

Before you travel to New Zealand you should notify your credit card issuer so that they can identify you will be making transactions in New Zealand and chat with them about the best way for your spending in New Zealand, to avoid any security issues or to minimise overseas transaction charges.