Cash or card? Paying for a transfer in Bosnia

Money questions are short but they arrive at the worst moment, usually at the kerb. This is everything about paying for a transfer in one place: the currency, the fare, what is included, tolls, tipping and where to find a cash machine on the road.

The short version

Currency	Convertible mark (KM or BAM), fixed at just under two marks to the euro
How you pay	Cash to the driver, in euros or marks
Card	Online card payment is currently unavailable
The fare	Per vehicle, fixed when you book; from €160 for Sarajevo to Mostar, for example
Included	Fuel, motorway tolls, parking at stops, the driver, waiting at the airport
Not included	Entrance fees at stops, meals, ferries where a route uses one
Tipping	Not expected. Rounding up or a few euros is appreciated

Marks, euros, and which to carry

Bosnia’s currency is the convertible mark, pegged to the euro at 1.95583 marks per euro since the euro was born, so the arithmetic is nearly “halve it”. Euros are accepted almost everywhere tourists go, and our drivers take either. For the transfer itself you do not need marks at all. For the days in between you will want some: smaller cafes, market stalls and bus tickets are marks-only, and change from a euro note comes back in marks.

Why cash

Our card checkout is switched off at the moment, so every transfer is paid to the driver in cash on the day, at the fare confirmed in your booking. The fare is per vehicle, not per person, and it does not change on the day: no meter, no fuel surcharge, no border fee. If you added a stop it was priced when you booked and appears on the confirmation. The driver has change, but a single large note for the whole fare is a kindness to nobody; bring notes close to the amount.

What the fare includes

Fuel, obviously. Motorway tolls, on the Bosnian A1 and on the Croatian A1 when a route uses it; you never see a toll booth as a passenger except through the window. Parking at every stop. The driver’s time, including waiting at the airport on a delayed flight. Child seats, ski gear and luggage, none of which carry a charge.

What it does not include is what you spend when you get out of the car: the entrance fee at Kravica, coffee in Konjic, lunch in Trebinje, the bridge jumpers’ hat in Mostar. Those are yours, in cash, mostly in marks on the Bosnian side and euros in Croatia and Montenegro.

Tolls, for the curious

The Bosnian A1 charges at booths, paid in marks or euros, and the sections we use most, out of Sarajevo towards the Ivan tunnel and north towards Zenica, cost a few marks each. The Croatian A1 on the Split route charges by distance. None of it is your concern on a transfer; it is in the fare. It only matters if you hire a car, and then it is worth knowing that both countries take cards at the booth.

Tipping

Tipping in Bosnia is customary but modest: five to ten percent in a restaurant for good service, in cash even when the bill is paid by card, and nothing at a bar counter. For a transfer it is not expected. Guests who want to tip usually round the fare up or hand the driver a few euros at the door, and that is the right scale. Nobody on our team will hint, and nobody will be offended by its absence.

Where the cash machines are

• Sarajevo Airport. ATMs in the terminal near the exits, and an exchange desk in the arrivals hall.
• Sarajevo. Everywhere in the centre; Ferhadija and Baščaršija have one every hundred metres.
• On the M-17. Konjic and Jablanica both have banks and ATMs in the town centre; the service stations do not reliably have one, so do not plan on the roadside.
• Mostar. Around Spanish Square and along the approach to Stari Most; the ones inside the old bazaar charge tourist rates.
• The coast. Croatia and Montenegro use the euro; euro ATMs are everywhere. Convertible marks are worthless there, so spend or change them before the border.

Every ATM will offer to charge you in your home currency at its own rate. Decline it and let your bank do the conversion; it is almost always cheaper.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay by card? Not at the moment. The transfer is paid in cash to the driver, in euros or marks.

Is the price per person or per vehicle? Per vehicle. Three people in a sedan pay the same fare as one.

Does the fare change if the border is slow or the flight is late? No. It is fixed when you book and does not move on the day.

Should I tip the driver? Not expected. If you would like to, rounding up is the local scale.

Do I need marks for the transfer? No. Euros are fine. You will want some marks for the rest of the trip.

Do you charge for waiting at the airport? No. The driver tracks the flight and waits for a delayed arrival at no charge.

Ready to book?

The fare on the route page is the fare at the door. Bring it in euros or marks, and keep the small notes for coffee.

Sarajevo → Mostar130 km · 2h 15m drivefrom €160View route