Does Revolut work in Kosovo?

I normally just presume that Revolut will work wherever I need it to, but as I was heading to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, on a long coach journey, I figured I’d check out if it would work at my destination. 

Initial internet searches weren’t promising, as the first few search results all seemed to suggest that no, Revolut does not work in Kosovo. This wasn’t music to my ears, as I needed to withdraw cash when I arrived to pay for my reservation (a lot of the balkans is very cash heavy).

One post gave me hope, saying that Revolut would work anywhere Visa/Mastercard are supported, but I’d have to get on the ground and try it in person, so my fair audience, that’s exactly what I did.

So, can you use Revolut in Mostar?

Annoyingly, I wasn’t able to try straight away, as I couldn’t find an ATM at the Pristina bus station, so I had to traipse my way through the city, walking towards my apartment (45 minutes of walking, in the heat, with a heavy bag, was not fun) and hoping to stumble upon a cash machine on my way.

The good news is, aside from the bus station, there are lots of ATM's in Pristina, Kosovo

I did eventually find one, so tried my luck. It looked like early signs were promising, as it didn’t decline my card straight away. I put caution to the wind, decided to top up my Revolut, and go for it. 

It was actually the second ATM I tried that worked for me, and I can confirm that yes, Revolut does work in Kosovo! Or at least, it did for me (UK account holder).

I had to pay a 5 euro charge, which while not great, was cheaper than the prices in Bosnia. Unlike in Bosnia, where I had energy to walk around and try and find an ATM that didn’t charge you, here in Kosovo, I just wanted to get to the apartment as I was a mess. 

So I entered the card into the machine, and I’m pretty sure I selected the default account button when given the option (you know the one - checking account, savings etc). I then was given the five euro charge pop-up, begrudgingly accepted that, and I was then able to withdraw money with no issue. 

This felt like a win given official Revolut communication was mixed on the subject. Perhaps it’s just US customers where Revolut won’t work in Kosovo, so if you do have a US account and try to use your card in Kosovo, please let me know how you get on. 

I can confirm though, as a UK Revolut account holder, my card worked.

Does Revolut work while paying by card in Kosovo?

Again, for me it did. I was able to pay using card in more places than I thought I’d be able to (as mentioned, a lot of the Balkans are very cash heavy). Mostar and Bosnia seemed to be a lot more cash reliant, but here in Pristina, it seems more places accept card, especially in the centre. 

One thing I’d recommend is to top up your card in Euro’s (the currency in Kosovo), so that Revolut doesn’t have to exchange currency every time you use your card to pay (I topped up in GBP so it coverts). I had a look at the rates after I paid, and they were very close to the official ones, but still, why lose money when you don’t have to. 

Which bank did you use?

I used two different ones, BPB (the orange ones) where I had to pay 5 euros, and TEB (green/white in colour), where I also paid 5 euros to withdraw (seems to be the rate they charge here).

I used the BPB ATM in Kosovo, and besides the 5 Euro charge, had no issues withdrawing

So, just to confirm, you can use Revolut in Kosovo?

I was able to with no issues (well, bar the 5 euro charge), and I was also able to use my card in a number of different establishments. 

As mentioned, US Revolut users, please let me know if you’re able to use your cards in Kosovo, as maybe the first few Google searches are just relevant to a US audience.

As always, any questions, let me know in the comments or via message!