Discount, the third largest bank in Israel, are known for offering some great deals to customers. Hapoalim, Israel’s largest bank, are also well geared to tourists. Tourists staying for a while may find it useful to know that Bank Leumi have a foreign resident and tourist center in their branch on King George Street in town. The largest and the most important banks in Israel – Leumi, Hapoalim, Discount and Mizrahi-Tefahot – have many branches in Jerusalem. Any remaining shekels acquired during a single visit to Israel (up to $5,000) can be reconverted with receipts proving the original conversion. Well-known Western Union operates within many post offices within Jerusalem and Israel, and offer money transfer services.Īt the end of your stay, shekels can be converted back to other currencies at Ben Gurion Airport (up to $500US or its equivalent in other currencies). Many change offices also offer other services such as money transfer with no currency exchange fees, an ATM service, the transfer of funds between banks, the purchase of bills and selling of foreign currency with credit cards. In the Old City you’ll find exchange offices near Damascus Gate and Jaffa Gate and in the City Center there are many on or near Ben Yehuda Street, along Jaffa Street, close to Mahane Yehuda Market, on Shlomzion Hamalka Street and on Ben Sira Street. The best deals for exchanging money are at the private commission-free change offices in tourist areas, which tend to be open much longer hours than the banks. Some banks in Israel have automatic currency exchange machines, which are accessible 24 hours, but they generally charge a high transaction fee and give a poor rate of exchange. Although the use of traveler’s checks is rarer than it once was, those who do will be happy to know that American Express in town replace lost traveler’s checks. Most of these places close early on Friday and remain closed all day Saturday. Currency and traveler’s checks can be exchanged at the airport, banks, exchange booths, the post office and at some hotels, with varying rates and varying commission charged on each transaction. We recommend that you don’t rush to buy shekels abroad, as you can do so less expensively, get better exchange rates and save on commissions within Israel, in particular if you’re selling a major currency such as American dollars of euros. Before heading to a money exchange booth, it is advisable to check out the latest major exchange rates.Įxchanging and obtaining money are easy to do in Jerusalem, but make sure to carry your passport with you.
There is no limit to the amount of local and foreign money brought into Israel as cash, traveler’s checks, or credit cards.
Israeli bank notes come in four denominations: 20, 50, 100 and 200 NIS and coins come in five denominations: 10, 5 and 1 NIS 50 agurot and 10 agurot. The shekel is divided into 100 agurot (agura in singular). The Israeli national currency is the new Israeli Shekel (NIS or ILS), more commonly known as the shekel.
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