I went on a US trip in the summer of 2025. I wanted to have some cash in my hands because you never know what might happen to internet networks or your devices. Cash is king. But how do you get dollars in Finland? I realized that, as with many things in this country, there is a monopoly on currency exchange by Forex. I needed only a little cash, so I wasn’t too worried about the miserable rate, but I was limited by the availability of their offices.
A great alternative is ValuuttaOtto—an ATM specialized in currency exchange from yet another monopolistic provider. Surprisingly, this is a relatively new option that isn’t very well known, but their conversion rate is much better than Forex offices. There was no additional fee for using the machine when using DanskeBank.
What you need to know is to prepare yourself in advance and find the locations of the red Otto machines. The last one on your way out of the Finnish “island” is at Tikkurila railway station, because Vantaa Airport is monopolized by several Forex offices where the conversion rate isn’t as good as from the ATM.
It’s not a robbery like Euronet, but the idea is similar—so get prepared. You can also withdraw money at your destination (though Finnish banks charge an additional non‑EUR exchange fee), or bring euros with you to exchange there, which can also be complicated.
It has become reality that contactless payments are the new standard everywhere nowadays. Be prepared that the US card system is weird and doesn’t always work well (especially with credit/debit selectors). Also, bank conversion rates might be worse than currency exchange offices, especially for larger amounts.
Is it worth dealing with the difference? Most likely not. But if you want my recommendation, get the Revolut banking app with fair currency rates. I’ve been using it for a couple of years already.
