Quick answer. Bring a card, and make sure it is one that works. Sweden has no legal obligation on shops to accept cash, so a Gothenburg cafe can put a vi tar inte emot kontanter sign in the window and mean it. The Flygbussarna coach from Landvetter into the city is card or app only, Västtrafik trams stopped taking cash on board years ago, and Liseberg runs entirely cashless. Sweden also has no bank-branded ATMs in the ordinary sense: the big banks pooled their machines into a shared network called Bankomat, so the orange machine in the terminal is the machine, not one bank's version of it. Withdraw from it if you want a small float, decline the conversion offer, and take kronor. Sweden has no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner.
Where to get Swedish Kronor at GOT
In a country where you may make one withdrawal for the entire trip, ATM fees are almost beside the point. What actually determines what Gothenburg costs you is the fee your card applies to hundreds of small card payments. The rows below reflect that. The math assumes the krona equivalent of $100.
| Option | Where | Markup | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contactless card for everything, no cash at all | n/a | Interbank rate on a no-FX-fee card | ~$100 |
| Bankomat machine at Landvetter | Main terminal | Interbank rate, modest fee | ~$98-99 |
| Bankomat + Schwab (fee refunded) | Main terminal | Interbank rate, ATM fee refunded | ~$100 |
| Any machine with a BoA card (no Alliance here) | Main terminal | Interbank rate + BoA 3% non-network fee | ~$97 |
| Home-bank card with a 3% foreign transaction fee | Every card tap, all trip | 3% on hundreds of small payments | ~$97 |
| Airport exchange desk | Main terminal | Counter spread over the interbank rate | ~$88-92 |
The Bankomat machine at Landvetter, and the strange case of Sweden's cash comeback
Landvetter sits about 25 kilometres east of Gothenburg in the forest off the E20, a single terminal handling domestic and international traffic together. The currency situation reflects the country rather than the airport. Sweden pushed further into cashlessness than almost anywhere, to the point that the familiar model of each bank running its own cash machines was abandoned: Swedbank, SEB, Handelsbanken, Nordea and Danske Bank pooled their machines into a jointly owned network called Bankomat, which is why you will not find a Swedbank ATM or an SEB ATM as such, just the shared orange machines. They dispense at the interbank rate without a heavy surcharge. What has changed recently is the direction of travel. Sweden's central bank and civil-preparedness authorities have spent the last couple of years actively encouraging households to keep some physical cash for a week of disruption, on the grounds that a fully digital payments system is fragile if the power or the network fails. So the country that went furthest is now edging back, and you may notice more small businesses quietly keeping a cash drawer. It does not change the tourist reality much: pay by card, carry a token amount, and expect the coach and the tram to refuse notes.
Main terminal (domestic and international)
SAS, Norwegian, Ryanair, KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair, TUI and Wizz Air through one combined terminal
Look for the shared Bankomat machines rather than a specific bank's brand: Sweden's banks run their cash machines jointly. There is an exchange desk too, which you can safely walk past. The Flygbussarna coach stand is directly outside arrivals and sells tickets by card or app only, so sort your transport payment method before you leave the terminal rather than looking for notes.
Do you actually need cash at Gothenburg (GOT)?
No, and on the coach you could not use it if you wanted to. Everything from Landvetter to the city runs on cards:
Flygbussarna coach to Nils Ericson Terminalen (~SEK 139): About 30 minutes to the central station, running frequently; buy in the app or tap on board, since the driver does not handle cash.
Taxi (fixed price to the centre) (~SEK 500-650): Roughly 25 minutes on a clear road; agree the fixed airport fare rather than running the meter, and pay by card.
Uber / Bolt (~SEK 400-600): Both operate in Gothenburg and bill in the app, often a little under the fixed taxi fare.
Car hire (From ~SEK 500 per day): Counters in the terminal; Gothenburg's congestion charge is billed automatically to the plate and passed on by the rental company, so no cash is involved.
⚠ DCC trap. When the ATM or terminal asks if you want to be charged in your home currency instead of the local currency, always decline and choose the local currency. Accepting locks in a 3-13 percent markup that your no-FX-fee card cannot undo. Full DCC explainer →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need cash to get from Gothenburg (GOT) to Gothenburg?
No, and cash would be refused. The Flygbussarna coach takes card or app only, and taxis and rideshares all bill to a card.
Can I order Swedish Kronor before flying?
Usually unnecessary for Sweden, which is close to a fully card economy. If you want a small kronor reserve for a market stall or a terminal outage, CEI Currency Exchange ships Swedish kronor to your US address in 2-5 days. A couple of hundred kronor is enough.
Where can I get Swedish kronor at Landvetter Airport?
From the Bankomat machines in the terminal. Sweden's major banks share a single ATM network rather than each running their own, so what you are looking for is the Bankomat brand rather than a particular bank's logo. It dispenses at the interbank rate for a small fee. There is also an exchange desk in the terminal, which is worth using only if you have no working card at all.
Can shops in Sweden legally refuse my cash?
Yes, and this is the fact that separates Sweden from most of Europe. Swedish law leans on freedom of contract, so a shop, cafe or museum can simply state that it does not handle cash and decline your notes, and many do. You will see signs saying vi tar inte emot kontanter or kortbetalning endast. Public services and pharmacies are more likely to take cash than a coffee bar in Haga will be. Norway went the other way and strengthened the right to pay cash, so do not assume Scandinavian rules are the same across the border.
How do I get from Landvetter to central Gothenburg?
The Flygbussarna airport coach is the standard route, running from outside the terminal to Nils Ericson Terminalen next to the central station in around 30 minutes. Buy in the app or from the machine, or tap a card on board, because the driver does not take cash. Taxis cost several times more and are usually fixed-price to the centre. There is no rail link to Landvetter itself, which is why the coach is as busy as it is.
Do I need cash for trams and buses in Gothenburg?
No, and you cannot use it anyway. Västtrafik, which runs Gothenburg's trams, buses and the archipelago ferries, removed cash payment from vehicles years ago. Buy a single or a day ticket in the Västtrafik app, tap a contactless card on the on-board reader where supported, or buy at a Pressbyrån kiosk. The same ticket covers the ferries out to the southern archipelago islands, which is the cheapest good day out in the city.
How much cash do I actually need in Gothenburg?
Very little, and possibly none. Liseberg is entirely cashless, the Feskekôrka fish hall and the Saluhallen market traders take cards, restaurants and bars are card-first, and museums sell tickets online. The realistic cash uses are a flea market stall, a church collection, a rural stop outside the city, or a fallback if a card terminal goes down. A couple of hundred kronor covers all of that, and you should treat it as insurance rather than spending money.
Can tourists use Swish?
No. Swish is the payment app Swedes use for everything from splitting a bill to paying a market seller, but it is tied to a Swedish bank account and a Swedish BankID, so a visitor cannot register for it. When a small vendor offers Swish or card, take the card option. When something is Swish-only, which happens at some markets and small events, you are out of luck, and that is one of the few moments a small kronor reserve saves you.
Is there a Bank of America Alliance partner in Sweden?
No. Sweden has no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner, so a BoA card pays the 3 percent non-network fee at any Bankomat machine, Landvetter included. Because Sweden is a card economy rather than a cash one, the more important number is your card's foreign transaction fee, which applies to every purchase you make for the whole trip, not just to the one or two withdrawals. A Wise card or another no-FX-fee card is the meaningful saving here.