No one likes the Nepal ATM fees. At about 850 NPR per withdrawal, they’re pretty high. I have both Wise and Revolut, and did a direct comparison to see which is better value here by pulling the same amount from both to see what happens. Here’s what I’ve determined about spending in rupees and withdrawing cash in Nepal.
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Quick notes about currencies in this article:
My bank account and cards are in New Zealand dollars (NZD), so every figure below is either in NZD or Nepali rupee (NPR).
Also, Wise and Revolut rules change depending on where your account is based. If your home Wise account is in another currency, your free monthly limit and after-limit fee will be different. So check the ATM fee page inside your own app or country page.
I will cover UK, US, and Canadian accounts in a dedicated section below.
Key takeaways for pulling cash in Nepal
When withdrawing cash in Nepal, Wise and Revolut cost about the same: roughly 3.5% once all is said and done. Much better compared to my Westpac New Zealand debit card that would run me about 5%. Your biggest single cost is the local ATM fee (realistically about 850 NPR), which very few foreign cards can avoid.
- The ATM fee is fixed regardless of how much cash you're drawing. So it's essential to pull the max amount whenever you can.
- Wise and Revolut tie on fees for big ATM withdrawals. Revolut comes out a touch cheaper on small ones. (But don't do that.)
- Use Wise for paying by card in stores. You can convert your home currency into NPR and see exactly how many rupees you have. Revolut doesn't let you "hold" rupees, but will give you a good exchange rate.
- For the best overall setup, I recommend using both. Each has its own fee-free monthly allowance, so together they let us pull roughly 60,000 rupees per month before fees kick in.
How Wise, Revolut, and your bank charge for ATM withdrawals
The three options charge you in different places: Wise on conversion and after a monthly limit, Revolut only after a monthly limit, and your bank on every single transaction when withdrawing cash in Nepal.
| Revolut (Standard) | Wise | Westpac NZ debit card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Points and perks | Holding rupees | Backup only |
| Fee-free cap | 350 NZD a month | 400 NZD a month | None |
| After the cap | 2% of the amount over, including the ATM owner's fee | 2.69% of the amount over | n/a |
| Currency conversion | Done by Revolut at the ATM | About 1% fee when you convert your home currency to NPR | Typically 1.83–1.95% foreign currency fee |
| Fee per withdrawal | None | None | 3 NZD |
More importantly (more expensively), Nepali ATM fees are an additional cost. We’ve seen everything from 620 NPR to 1,000 NPR. But it’s usually 850 NPR in tourist areas like Thamel (Kathmandu) and Lakeside (Pokhara).
Then your bank or international currency card will have its own overseas withdrawal fees and terms. You can find the fee-free caps and other rules for your home country on the Wise and Revolut websites.
Our total fees after withdrawing cash in Nepal with Wise and Revolut
I couldn’t actually believe how similar these fees ended up being when all was said and done. Both Wise and Revolut ATM withdrawals work out to about 3.5% if you pull the maximum 35k in one transaction.
Pulling cash is still more expensive than the 0 to 3% merchant fee you sometimes pay to use a card machine in-store. But cash is still king in Nepal, so there’s no way around visiting the ATM at least once on your trip. Here’s how our Revolut and Wise withdrawals compared.
| Revolut | Wise | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash received | 35,000 NPR (406.64 NZD) | 35,000 NPR (406.64 NZD) |
| ATM owner fee | 850 NPR (9.88 NZD) | 850 NPR (9.88 NZD) |
| Card's over-limit fee | 1.39 NZD | 0.18 NZD (about 15 NPR) |
| Conversion cost | About 2.84 NZD (rate below mid-market) | About 4.25 NZD (1% conversion fee) |
| Total cost | About 14.11 NZD | About 14.31 NZD |
| Fees as a % | About 3.5% | About 3.5% |
Having a Premium or higher Revolut membership would give you a higher fee-free withdrawal limit, but the monthly membership fee doesn’t pay for itself after just one or two withdrawals.
But if you already have the card for other added benefits like lounge passes, subscriptions, and Rev Points, the higher fee-free ATM withdrawals in Nepal are definitely a plus.
My advice: don't draw less than 35,000 NPR
It’s really not worth it to draw anything less than the ATM max of 35,000 NPR (sometimes 40,000). A lot of machines have a 20,000 limit and 850 NPR fee. And that brings your average overall percentage to 5%, which is unnecessarily high. If you can, definitely hold out for an ATM with a 35-40k limit.
Here’s how the fees breakdown to a percentage when you pull different amounts of Nepalese rupees at the ATM.
| Cash withdrawn | Revolut (Standard) | Wise | Westpac debit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 NPR | About 9.2% | About 9.6% | About 13.1% |
| 20,000 NPR | About 5.0% | About 5.3% | About 7.5% |
| 35,000 NPR | About 3.5% | About 3.5% | About 5.1% |
Wise vs Revolut for Nepal
Aside from ATM fees, there are pros and cons to using Wise and/or Revolut. For Nepal, Wise is better for holding rupees and spending like a local, while Revolut comes with a suite of added perks.
Wise card pros and cons
Here are the main pros and cons to using Wise to pay by card or withdraw cash in Nepal.
Pros
- You hold rupees, so you can always see exactly how much is in your e-wallet.
- If you forget to convert to NPR in advance, Wise will auto-convert for you.
- The over-monthly limit fee only applies to the cash, not the ATM fee.
Cons
- The 1% conversion fee applies whether you’re pulling cash or just transferring your home currency to NPR for regular card payments.
- The after-limit withdrawal fee of 2.69% is higher than Revolut’s 2% (but it all kind of comes out in the wash).
Revolut card pros and cons
Here are the key pros and cons to using Revolut to spend or withdraw cash in Nepal.
Pros
- No separate conversion step or fee. It converts as you withdraw at the mid-market rate.
- A little cheaper on small and medium ATM withdrawals (but I advise against that in general).
Cons
- The fee-free cap is lower than Wise and the ATM fee counts towards that limit.
- Some plans charge another 1% for weekends.
Revolut has some real perky perks though
For one, the paid plans raise your fee-free ATM limit. Chesney uses Premium (11.99 NZD a month) which lifts the withdrawal cap from 350 NZD to 700 NZD.
The Premium Plan also adds travel insurance and double the Rev Points (1 point per 8 NZD spent instead of 16 NZD on Standard). You can also get airport lounge access for a discounted rate.
For big spenders, Ultra (79.99 NZD a month) gives you unlimited airport lounge access, eSIM data, 1 Rev Point per $1 spent, and free subscriptions to NordVPN, Uber One, ClassPass, and more.
Why we use both Wise & Revolut for withdrawing cash in Nepal
Wise and Revolut each have their own monthly cap, and both are free. We pull from one card until it reaches the monthly cap, then switch to the other. You do need to pay to order a physical card from either company, but it’s a one-time set up cost and not crazy expensive.
For example, in New Zealand it’s 14 NZD. Revolut’s is also technically free but there’s a small delivery fee of 5 NZD. Using Revolut is free by default but you can upgrade to monthly memberships for bonus benefits like free subscriptions, points, and lounge access.
In Nepal, I think Wise is best for holding rupees. But we also really like Revolut for the ability to have a joint account as a couple.
Wise and Revolut friend referral perks
If you open a Wise account, consider using my friend referral link for a free card or 0 fees on a transfer up to 500 GBP (or equivalent value).
And if you decide Revolut is more your vibe, I’d love for you to use this friend referral link. No perks for you unfortunately… but I get a little kick back. It’s not an affiliate thing — you’ll get the same if your friends sign up, too.
Good luck getting small notes
It’s funny in Nepal because everyone always wants you to pay with cash, but no one wants to accept a 1,000 note. It’s very hard to keep small bills on hand when you can’t break larger ones. And Nepal ATMs almost always pay out exclusively with 1,000s — though we’ve had a few lucky occasions where we got some 500s as well.
Even at the International Mountain Museum ticket office they wouldn’t accept 2,000 to pay for our 1,500 entry. They wanted exact change. Like?
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Wise and Revolut fees for UK, US, and Canadian cards
I know I’ve just done everything in NZD and that might not be relevant to you at all. So here’s an overview of the Wise and Revolut fees and caps for residents of the UK, US, or Canada.
I update my articles regularly, but these things are subject to change. So don’t be mad at me if the current numbers are a little different when you go to check your actual country page.
Wise
- United Kingdom: 250 GBP per month fee-free, then 2.69% of the amount over.
- United States: 250 USD per month fee-free, then 1.95 USD plus 1.95% of the amount over.
- Canada: 100 CAD per month fee-free, then 2.69 CAD plus 2.69% of the amount over on every withdrawal. That’s a much tighter cap than in other countries.
- New Zealand: 400 NZD per month fee-free, then 2.69% of the amount over.
Revolut (Standard)
- United Kingdom: 200 GBP a month fee-free, then 2%.
- United States: no fee-free cap at Nepal ATMs (all outside the Allpoint network). Expect 2% on every withdrawal.
- New Zealand: 350 NZD a month fee-free, then 2% of the amount over (the ATM fee counts toward the cap).
Unfortunately, Revolut isn’t available to Canadians yet.
Tips for finding the best ATMs in Nepal
ATM Lounges are a thing in Nepal, and if you don’t know what that is — same. I’d never heard the term until I got here. Basically it’s just a room full of ATMs from different banks, patrolled by a security guard. We used these almost exclusively, but you can find Nepal ATMs in random locations or outside traditional banks as well.
Here are some tips for finding the best ATM to use in Nepal.
- Try Nabil and Siddhartha first. In our experience they tend to have the highest withdrawal limits.
- Fees vary, and they change. Older sources say 500 to 800 NPR, but we never found a 500 NPR ATM. The airport was 620 NPR, tourist areas were usually 800 to 850 NPR, and our go-to Himalayan Bank ATM in Pokhara jumped from 800 to 1,000 NPR one day, so we stopped using it. Machines outside tourist areas may be cheaper, but we always pulled in Thamel and Lakeside.
- Look for the highest limit, not the lowest fee. Hopping between ATMs starts to look and feel sketchy. The limit is usually posted on a piece of paper above the machine. But you may need Google Translate, because Nepal uses different numerals!
Also, always choose NPR if the ATM asks. If you’re using your home bank or Revolut card, the machine may ask whether to charge you in NPR or your home currency. Pick NPR, or the ATM sets the exchange rate and it definitely won’t be in your favour. Wise won’t ask because you’re holding rupees.
Naomi Lai
Naomi is a Canadian travel editor and writer with 13 years of international travel across Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, New Zealand, and beyond. She covers everything from budget backpacking to luxury travel — always from personal experience.
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