ATM & Bank – Marrakesh Airport
The Moroccan Dirham (MAD) is the currency in Marrakech and the rest of Morocco. Essentially, this is a ‘closed’ currency, which means it should be available only in Morocco. Therefore, you won’t be able to buy any Moroccan dirhams before you leave because they aren’t exchangeable abroad. You can bring US Dollar, British pounds and Euro with you and exchange them when you arrive at the airport without any problems at ATM or Exchange offices.
There are 4 banknotes in Morocco: 20, 50, 100 and 200 DH.
There are also 2 types of coins, Dirham and Centimes.
The Dirham coins consist of: 1dh, 2dh, 5dh, and 10dh
There are 100 Centimes in 1 Dirham. These coins are: 10, 20, and 50 centimes.
After passing through customs, you will be in the arrival hall, where you will find BMCE ATM machines and currency exchange office of Basque Popular GAB.
ATM Charges
Travellers who still favour cash as their primary form of payment find that cash is king in Morocco. Currency exchanges at the airport take advantage of the fact that you are a captive audience, as you have not been able to buy Dirham abroad, so in an airport like RAK Marrakech the exchange rates can be a little higher. However, the convenience outweighs the extra charges even though exchange rates at Marrakesh airport can be 10% to 12% higher than what you might anticipate paying at a bank in Marrakesh.
Note: When you use an ATM at the airport to withdraw cash in Moroccan Dirham, you may likely face a charge from your own bank or card issuer for either using your card ‘abroad’ or carrying out a foreign exchange.
TIP
It is always a good idea to inform your bank that you will be travelling to Morocco! This is to prevent problems withdrawing money from an ATM. If they discover a foreign transaction but are unaware you are abroad, they may freeze your card.
