Practical guide

Cash, cards and ATMs in Asunción

Checked 13 October 2026

A card is useful in Asunción. So are a few small guaraní notes. The easiest setup is to carry both, know where you can withdraw more, and read the currency choice before you tap “confirm.” Here is how to pay without making your first errand harder than it needs to be.

A vendor beside a bicycle loaded with insulated containers and cups at Mercado 4 in Asunción. — Mercado 4, Asunción, in December 2023. Keep smaller notes for small purchases and ask about change before paying. Photo: David Ramalleira / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted for the web.

Guaraníes and cash · Cards and QR · ATM map · Fees and conversion · If something goes wrong

Get comfortable with guaraníes

You will see the currency written as ₲, Gs. or PYG. Paraguayan price labels commonly use a full stop to separate thousands: Gs. 25.000 = ₲25,000. Check the currency as well as the number, especially when a bigger purchase is quoted in dollars.

The Banco Central del Paraguay lists notes of ₲2,000, ₲5,000, ₲10,000, ₲20,000, ₲50,000 and ₲100,000, plus coins of ₲50, ₲100, ₲500 and ₲1,000. For a small purchase, ask whether the seller has change before handing over a ₲100,000 note. Keep the lower denominations you receive.

Carry enough cash for the errands you have planned and a practical fallback, rather than your whole trip’s budget. For an idea of everyday spending, our cost-of-living guide has dated prices. If you exchange cash, use a registered bank or exchange bureau and ask how many guaraníes you will receive after any charge before agreeing.

Cards work best with a backup

Ask “¿Aceptan tarjeta?” before ordering or buying. Bancard’s payment terminals support local and international card brands, but approval still depends on the merchant, the card and its issuer. A logo on the door cannot guarantee that a particular foreign-issued card will work. You may also be asked for identification when paying by card.

Before travelling, check your PIN, international-use settings, withdrawal limit and your issuer’s charges. Keep a second payment method separately if you have one. At the counter, read the amount and currency before approving, keep the card in sight, and save the receipt if anything needs checking.

A QR code needs a compatible app

Bancard’s QR payments run through participating financial apps, Pago Móvil and Zimple. Some merchants also offer Pix for compatible Brazilian banking apps. This means a QR sticker alone tells you very little about whether your app can pay it. Ask which system the shop uses; keep cash or a physical card available.

Transport has its own rules. A bank card, cash and a bus card are different payment methods; check the getting-around guide before boarding. If you are landing at Silvio Pettirossi, choose your ride and payment method in advance with our airport-to-city guide.

Banco Continental’s glass-fronted building and sign in Asunción, photographed in 2014. — Banco Continental in Asunción, photographed in 2014. Use current official locators to choose an ATM; a bank exterior photo does not establish today’s access or card acceptance. Photo: Cmasi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted for the web.

Find an ATM before you need one

Use Bancard’s official Red Infonet locator to look around the area where you are staying. The map below marks Shopping del Sol, one useful search area in the bank directory described below. It shows the shopping centre’s location, not live ATM availability.

Open the Shopping del Sol area in Google Maps

For orientation, Itaú’s published ATM directory, which does not state a publication date, lists machines at Shopping del Sol near Aviadores del Chaco and Papa Juan XXIII, Shopping Mariscal in Villa Morra, and Superseis by Paseo La Galería near Santa Teresa and Aviadores del Chaco. These are starting points for a search; the directory ties their access to shopping-centre or supermarket hours. Check the bank’s current locator before making a special trip.

A listed machine is not a promise of current cash availability, access at night or acceptance of every foreign card. Prefer a bank-affiliated ATM inside a bank, supermarket or large commercial building during business hours. Check the card-network marks at the machine and your issuer’s own ATM guidance.

Three costs to check separately

The currency question and the fee question can appear on different screens. Read each one.

The ATM operator’s charge. A machine may charge for the withdrawal. Review the amount shown before proceeding; cancel if you do not accept it.
Your card issuer’s fees. Your own bank or card provider may charge for overseas withdrawals or foreign transactions. A credit-card cash withdrawal may be treated as a cash advance. Check your card’s terms.
Optional currency conversion. The ATM or shop may offer to bill you in your home currency. This is dynamic currency conversion, or DCC, with its own disclosed exchange rate and possible markup.

Visa says a DCC offer should show both currency amounts, the exchange rate and extra charges, and the choice belongs to you. If the details are missing or someone pressures you to accept conversion, Visa recommends declining the offer and reporting it to your issuer. We have not verified one universal Asunción withdrawal limit or surcharge; amounts depend on the machine and your card.

If a withdrawal or payment fails

Card declined: check the amount, available funds and any message from your issuer. Do not keep guessing the PIN. Contact your issuer through its official app or the number on your card.
Account charged, no cash: note the ATM operator, location, time and transaction details; keep any receipt and report it to your issuer and the operator. Avoid posting card details publicly.
Card retained or missing: use your issuer’s official channel to lock or block it and ask what to do next. Do not give your PIN to someone offering help at the machine.
Something looks wrong: cancel and use another machine. Shield your PIN, be aware of people nearby and put cash away discreetly before leaving.

Useful phrases at the counter

¿Aceptan tarjeta? Do you take cards?
En guaraníes, por favor. In guaraníes, please.
¿Tenés cambio de cien mil? Do you have change for a hundred thousand?
¿Dónde hay un cajero automático? Where is there an ATM?

Sources and last check

Checked 13 October 2026. This is a practical payment guide. ATM access, charges and acceptance can change; your issuer and the transaction screen are the places to check your own card’s conditions.

Settling in? Ask the Open Asu community which nearby ATM they have used recently. Check any reported fee against your own card and the screen before you confirm.