Best pre-paid travel card in Morocco

[InNeedofAdvice1234]

We are traveling to Marrakesh for a week soon.

I am thinking of bringing a pre-paid travel card with euros.

Is it a good idea?

Or perhaps, a British pound is just as acceptable and no need for me to bother with a prepaid travel card?

I am reluctant to travel with a lot of cash.

If a pre-paid travel card is a better idea, which card would be best?

All advice would be much appreciated.

The restaurants and shops prefer cash.

many don’t take card.

I’d get a Monzo card and you can just transfer money when you need it. Many banks have zero commission on foreign exchange rates, check the situation with your bank.

You can take cash out of ATMs using your UK bank account.

One of the banks in Morocco has no commission/fees. Search online to find which one. We were there at Christmas and we were able to take money out at the Airport and in Marrakesh’s main square.

I have been to Morocco 7 times now and have never encountered anywhere, even the smallest market stall that didn't accept cards. Also there are ATMs all over the place and cash is easily withdrawn locally if you decide you want it for tips, convenience etc. The only thing we have always paid cash for is mountain guides.

Thank you so much to everyone who replied. Should I take with me a pre-paid travel card with GBP, euros or Moroccan dirham?

I go regularly. I second the idea of Monzo and withdrawing at an ATM.

I'm not sure about a travel card.

We either withdraw money in dirhams, or exchange cash (euro/GBP) into dirhams at the hotel or hotel Ali

Where are you staying/ what are your plans there- that may factor in to your answer too?

I am thinking of going this summer. As you are a regular I assume you like it there. We are on a tight budget so what area would you recommend that has a beach and is safe?

Where in morroco? I went to fez a few weeks ago and I think we only found one restaurant that accepted card. We needed cash for everything else particularly in the Medina. Previous trips to other cities have also been pretty cash heavy for me.

As previous poster said go for Monzo. That way it’s easy to top up, has very low fees and you can use it for future trips too.

Always £s. There would certainly be no advantage to having euros on the card as you’d end up paying the exchange twice. £ > euro then euro > dirham.

I imagine an online bank like Monzo will give you a better rate than a specific travel card.

Pre-paid cards sometimes have limits on how much cash you can take out from an ATM, so maybe use your main bank card for that. Also there are often fixed ATM transaction fees independent of the amount you withdraw, so consider making one large withdrawal at the start (and split that money up among the party to minimise loss risk).

These days most regular banks don't charge a fixed commission for a foreign payment, only a percentage such as 2.75%, so it's no longer quite the disaster it once was to spend £1.25 on a coffee and find it's cost you £2.10.

Thank you so much to everyone who replied. It's too late to order Monzo card as we are flying out on Tuesday morning 😒. We are going to Marrakesh. I think I will take euros to pay Ryad. They specifically asked for euros. Then take the rest of the money on the prepaid Post Office travel card. It worked well for us in Italy. I will keep my fingers crossed it will work in Marrakesh too. We never had to pay a transaction fee on the Post Office travel card in Italy. I should have really looked into this earlier. Thank you so much again

We are just back from Marrakech. Despite having been told we could use card in a lot of places we found it just wasn’t true. Everyone wanted cash.

A couple of restaurants took a card but then added about 5% to the bill.

What we hadn’t realised was how tricky it was to get any alcohol. We like some wine with a meal or a few daytime beers. We managed one overpriced bottle of beer each the whole trip.

Don’t forget when you get money in the ATM to select local currency to minimise the exchange rate/other fees.

I've only visited the coast on a day trip, but a friend recently stayed at somewhere very cool in Essouiara and if I can track it down I will share!