No ATM and only cash accepted on Koh Rong!
Before you get to the island, be aware that there is no ATM on Koh Rong, and pretty much nobody on the whole island has a credit/debit card terminal. So, you better get plenty of cash before arriving. If you didn’t know and it’s too late, or if you run out of cash while there, there is always a way to withdraw!
Contents
PayPal ATM
So, there isn’t any proper ATM on Koh Rong, but some business owners will give you cash if you transfer them money directly. You can do it through PayPal, including a fee of course (usually between 10 and 20%, I know it is a lot but well, it’s island life!).
You won’t (always) find a sign indicating which ones do or don’t do it, so you just need to go door to door and ask. Don’t get demotivated if people tell you that you won’t find it anywhere on the island, you will!
After a lot of different advice and a lot of “sorry, no”, we found a few places that would do it on M’Phai Bay:
- Your Way, however, there will be a 20% charge
- Lost Souls, with a 10% charge (and can only do notes of 100$)
Saracen Bay and Koh Rong Island are bigger and you can find places the same way we did.
EFTPOS terminals (Electronic funds transfer at point of sale)
Eftpos terminals work just a normal purchase, using a credit/debit card, but instead, you are buying your own money. As the PayPal option, there will be a commission taken by the business, usually 10%.
There aren’t any on M’Phai Bay, however, we heard that several places at Saracen Bay were offering the service. Opt for the biggest hostels/hotels to ask, as they will be the most likely ones to have a CC terminal.
To get cash on Koh Rong Island, we heard there were three places that offer this service (however, we did not get the chance to check it ourselves):
- Green Ocean Guesthouse
- White Rose Guesthouse
- Koh Lanta
Wing Xpress
Wing Xpress allows you to transfer funds to a local outlet they have a partnership with, who will then give you your money. They offer much better rates (0%fee on your first transaction) than the two other options given above.
To get cash on Koh Rong Sanloem/Samloem, we heard that you can find the Wing Xpress agent located at the Orchid Resort near Orchid Pier at Saracen Bay. However, we haven’t got the chance to check it. If you are doing it, I suggest you go there first to make sure it still exists (things change quickly in Asia), and then transfer the money.
How to transfer:
Be advised that you will require a Cambodian SIM card on which you can receive texts. Unfortunately, not all countries can use the service so do not hesitate to check their website first.
- Start by visiting the World Remit LTD page
- First, change the country you are sending it from (“send from” option at the top of the page) and wait for the page to refresh
- Choose Cambodia as “send to” & click “Get Started”
- Next, select the service, which is “cash pick up”, and then wait for the “select payout-network” option to appear below
- You can then choose if you would prefer to collect USD or KHR
- Chose the amount to send, or receive. The exchange rate and fee will then show (use the promo code FREE if it is your first time to avoid the fees), and click send if you are happy with everything.
- Finally, add your details or the person you are sending the money to if it isn’t yourself, as well as your payment details (make sure your name and address match your card and passport).
- You will then receive a welcome email and a confirmation email informing you to wait further for another email. Finally, a little while later, you will receive an email saying your funds are ready for pick up
- You can then go to the pickup location, provide your passport, quote your 8 digits code, your mobile number and the amount of the transaction (in the currency collected).
As you’re staying on Koh Rong, don’t miss out on our tips about things to do, places to eat and places to sleep on Koh Rong Sanloem!
