First time in SRI LANKA

Travelling
#1

Hello,

I will be visiting SRI LANKA pretty soon and I count on Revolut for this.

Did anyone withdraw money from an ATM over there? Is there any fee? Which ATM did you use?

Are there many places where you can pay with the card or you have to carry much cash? (Restaurants/Hotels)

Is there still a queue for Metal cards? How fast do they ship them? If I upgrade now will I get the benefits before getting the card ( interested for 1% cashback as Sri Lanka is non-EU).

What premium insurance company would you recommend me for this trip?

Thanks.

CC: @Iskender (maybe you can help me with this)

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#2

Yeah, you can use all the benefits of METAL even without your physical metal card.

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#3

Hi. Yes there are some fees. I don’t remember exactly but I believe around 300-400 rupees

It’s quite a cash based nation… don’t count on paying by card.

ATMs are weird! Some accepts exclusively visa while the other MasterCard.

As insurance I recommend Mondial Assistance (Allianz in romania). I used them recently in Mexico for a 35€ claim.
There’s no fee when you make a claim (compared to 70£ revolut)
They’re extremely fast. Sent email to ask for details on Saturday. Sent all docs on Sunday. On Monday afternoon the money were already in my account.
And it was cheap. Below 35€ for a 3 months trip (148 RON). Also, they accept long trips.

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#4

Thanks a lot for the answer. All the best in your trips!

#5

Hello. Live update from Sri Lanka: People’s Bank ATM charged me no fee when withdrawing with Revolut. Tried it twice in 2 different location so far

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#6

If possible could I ask which two locations proved to be successful?

#7

Did you used Mastercard or Visa?

#8

Hello. There’s an ATM in the Airport as you get out in the left. And also an ATM near Ella train station.

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#9

I have used Mastercard. The ATM did not say anything about conversion and it seems that it took the Revolut’s exchange rate.

#10

Hi @Dean111,
I didn’t check but did you contribute to @elmarconi’s thread yet?
The ultimative free ATM withdrawal list for travelling (by country)

The Sri Lanka entry seems to be outdated.
I’ll go there in February most likely and am now getting curious about the latest experiences. :smile:

Like @Iskender said already, it was a cash-based country back then when I was there first time (2016). Did you mainly withdraw or also pay by card?

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#11

Hi There!! Were you able to use your Revolut card in Sri Lanka?

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#12

Unfortunately, I can’t help.
Our first visit was cancelled by our Government due to terrorism.
Our second visit was cancelled by our Government due to a medical incident.
It doesn’t look as though I will be able to make any purchases in Sri Lanka using my Revolut card in the foreseeable future.
I am sorry not to be able to help.

#13

When do you travel?

We go in a weeks time for 3 months so any tips on using Revolut there, or free ATMs then please shout out :smiley:

#14

2 years ago we were in Sri Lanka. The locals are very kind. And they gave up their seats on the train. I recommend visiting Jungle Beach. Better name is Cash Day. You can pay by card not in many places.