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I am planning a day trip to Gibraltar. Should I consider bring some Pounds, take some pounds from the atm in gibraltar, or rely on euro?

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    Or just use your credit/debit card.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Oct 20, 2014 at 12:32

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Wikitravel covers this, to some extent.

Essentially, while the official currency is the Gibraltar pound, British pounds are also legal tender.

However:

Most shops in Gibraltar will accept US dollars and Euros

So if you want to be safe, I guess, and if you're going to the UK any time soon, get some British Pounds, as that's legal tender both in the UK and Gibraltar, while the Gibraltar pound is not technically legal tender back in the UK. If, however, you have Euros/USD, they will likely be accepted in most places anyway.

Note, however, if you're considering Euros:

Bear in mind that shops will generally give you a more expensive rate of exchange than the numerous exchange offices and generally won't accept small change. Government offices, post offices and some payphones do not accept foreign currency, and will require you to pay in pounds.

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  • Can you get British pounds as change? If not, it does not seem much more practical than using euros as you might end up with a lot of Gibraltar coins or small bills…
    – Relaxed
    Commented Oct 20, 2014 at 11:31
  • @Relaxed valid point, I guess it'll depend on the traveller and which change they'd prefer (ie if visiting from UK or Europe)
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Oct 21, 2014 at 7:01
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I will resume here briefly my experience of July 2022. Three nights in Gibraltar without using any Gibraltar Pounds or British Pounds GBP. Of course you could be more prudent than I've been, but I observe that in my stay I could rely on Euros and debit card only.

If you have Euros cash, you can pay in some places, not everywhere. The exchange rate is going to be possibly bad but, more likely, rough: at the hostel (I had booked but not finished to pay online) they told me "100 pounds or 100 euros" while on the same day I paid 5 Euros for a pint of beer that was on the list at 3.60 Pounds.

The main credit and debit cards are accepted everywhere even for small amounts: I've then paid by card one coffee, or one orange juice, even a single bottle of water at the supermarket (0.45 GBP = 0.52 Euros on that day). This is not trivial if you come from a country - like mine, Italy - where electronic payments are sitll expensive for those who sell. Instead, in Gibraltar I've seen the same trend I saw in the UK, where paying any small amount by card is ok.

The recommendation is, as usual, to have some amount in the local currency but on a one-day trip to Gibraltar it will be fine and funny to make without!

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    I would also add that as of 2022 you can just refuse to patronize any cash-only vendors in developed countries without much of a hit to your travel experience. Some cafe doesn’t take cards? Walk 100 meters and another one will :-)
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Jul 26, 2022 at 15:27
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You shouldn't rely on the Euro in Gibraltar because it's not their currency. You will be able to use Euros in some places (not all) but you will get a very bad exchange rate.

It depends on how much you will be spending but either taking British or Gibraltarian pounds with you or taking them out from a cash point will most probably save you money.

It's important to remember that if you take any Gibraltarian pounds home with you that you won't be able to convert them as easily as British pounds into Euros so that may persuade you to take some British pounds with you.

Edit: the use of British in this context referred to the currency used in the UK (or GBP).

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