How to Pay in Georgia

Georgia is largely a cash-friendly country. Carry Georgian Lari (GEL) for smaller shops, markets, and rural areas. A local Georgian SIM is cheap and easy to grab at Tbilisi airport. The Georgian script (Mkhedruli) is entirely unique, so Google Translate's camera feature is a lifesaver.

Payment & Finance Apps

Bank of Georgia

Bank of Georgia's mBank app anchors local payments, with QR codes and instant transfers at Tbilisi shops, taxis and markets. Its terminals also accept every foreign contactless card.

Pro tip: Opening an account now takes more than a passport: Georgia tightened AML rules, so you need a Georgian SIM and income documents, and short-stay tourists are often refused. Just tap your own Visa or Mastercard, which almost every Tbilisi terminal accepts.

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TBC Bank

Georgia's other banking giant, whose app and QR stickers you will see at cafes and corner shops from Tbilisi to Batumi. Locals split bills and pay by phone number.

Pro tip: Only worth setting up if you stay in Georgia for months. As a visitor, keep some lari cash for marshrutka minibuses, market vendors and rural guesthouses, the main places where cards and QR still fail.

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Revolut

A practical wallet for Georgia: pay in lari at strong rates anywhere contactless works, including Tbilisi's metro and buses, which accept bank cards directly at the gates.

Pro tip: When a terminal offers to charge your home currency, always choose GEL to dodge poor conversion rates. Load the card before heading to Svaneti, Tusheti or Kazbegi, where cash still rules and ATMs get sparse.

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