Zambia Currency Change

Posted on July 23 2012 by Staff Writer

Whether or not the changes will be implemented upon arrival cannot be guaranteed but it is something that should be noted.

The changes on arrival at Livingstone Airport that we have been advised about include:

- Guests can still pay for services in US dollars from abroad but US dollars are no longer accepted within Zambia.
- Guests can still pay for visas in US dollars on entry to Zambia but once passed immigration they will need Zambian kwacha to pay for airport departure taxes and any other cash transactions.
- The US$/kwacha exchange rate is fluctuating at the moment with a 14% swing in value just within the last two weeks.

Travellers must therefore carry a little more cash on them to allow for these fluctuations. It is not possible to purchase kwacha outside Zambia so travellers will need to be prepared to change cash at a bureau at the airport or carry a bank card and withdraw cash at the airport ATM.

Zambian companies are compelled to quote and charge their clients in ZMK (Kwacha); this applies to both local and international travellers.

If a client wants to settle any bill by credit card whether it be an Independent Traveller or Group the credit card machines have all been converted to ZMK. Like in SA, if a USA citizen pays with a US credit card, the amount is deducted in USD from their account based on the rate of exchange of the local currency. Therefore our records reflect ZMK but the guest’s record reflects USD.

Royal Livingstone and Zambezi Sun:

- There is both a Barclays Bank and a Barclays ATM which are situated at the Activities Centre.
- Bank opening hours are Monday to Friday from 08.15hrs to 17.00hrs and on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 08.15hrs to 12.00hrs.
- The Barclays ATM only accepts VISA and Master cards and DOES NOT accept Amex or Diners.
- At point of sales machines inside the bank the following cards are accepted - Master Card and Visa.
- Both Royal Livingstone and Zambezi Sun accept Visa, Master and American Express cards.
- Meals, drinks, telephone calls and items of a personal nature purchased locally from the hotel will be quoted and charged in kwacha.
- The Kwacha amount will be charged to the guests’ credit card and it will reflect on their credit card statement in their local currency i.e. Euro or Dollars.

We hope the above information makes the situation a little more clearer, but should you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact the Southern Africa Travel team today.