Between 9 p.m. on December 31 and 1 a.m. on January 1, card systems will be switched from levs to euros, the Association of Banks in Bulgaria reminds.
During this short interval, card payments at physical POS terminals or online, as well as ATM withdrawals, will not be possible. The advice to all of us is to secure cash for New Year's Eve and the first days of the year.
Between December 31 and January 2, banks will reconfigure their systems. Each of them has already individually informed its customers about the availability of their channels during this period, the banking association emphasizes.
During the holidays, cards will operate in standard mode, with the exception of the short interval on New Year's Eve, necessary for switching card systems.
From January 1, all card payments will be in euros. ATMs will only dispense euro banknotes.
No prior preparation is required for the transition to the euro, and no credit or debit cards need to be replaced. The IBAN of our bank accounts remains unchanged.
From January 1 to June 30, everyone can exchange in banks and in some branches of "Bulgarian Post" their banknotes and coins from leva to euro at the fixed exchange rate of 1.95583 without a fee.
There will be no counting fees for the coins, and it is recommended that they be pre-sorted to facilitate the process.
In the case of a larger quantity, we may be directed to a specific center where the bank has provided coin counting machines, for faster service, the Association of Banks in Bulgaria adds.