Sweden travel money: SEK, cards, cash rules and old notes

Swedish kronor and banknotes

SEK is the Swedish krona, distinct from Norway’s NOK. A price marked “kr” needs its country or currency code before conversion. The current Swedish banknotes are 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 kronor. Match older cash to the issuer’s actual designs: a familiar denomination does not prove that an earlier issue is still valid. The SEK profile links to the official current-note and security guides.

Cards and a payment backup

The Riksbank’s Payments Report 2026 describes cards as the most common payment method overall. That is a description of payment use, not a guarantee that every seller accepts your particular foreign card. Confirm payment methods with your accommodation and transport providers, check your PIN and international-use settings, and keep a usable second payment method separate. Ask before ordering if a café, market seller or small business displays payment restrictions.

Cash rules from July 2026

Since 1 July 2026, Sweden’s specific cash-acceptance law covers grocery shops and pharmacies at physical sales points with staffed tills. It applies to payments of at most 0.1 of the annual price base amount and at most 25 coins. Using Statistics Sweden’s 2026 base amount, the payment ceiling is 0.1 × SEK 59,200 = SEK 5,920; this is our calculation, not a fixed ceiling for later years. Safety, cash-handling viability and justified individual-sale exceptions remain. Other businesses can generally set their accepted payment methods, so cash is not a universal substitute for your card.

Older notes and the 2027 deadline

As checked on 12 October 2026, the Riksbank can redeem invalid Swedish banknotes under its application conditions, with SEK 300 deducted from the amount. It must receive the application by 30 June 2027. From 1 July 2027, notes invalid for more than ten years will no longer be redeemable. This is a postal application, not a walk-in exchange: BankID or a paper form starts the process, and ownership documentation may be required. An approved request can be paid into a foreign bank account. Check the current instructions before sending notes.

SEK or home-currency payment?

A terminal or ATM may offer to convert a SEK charge into your home currency. The Swedish consumer banking bureau advises paying in the destination’s local currency; for a visitor in Sweden, that means SEK. To check the particular offer, divide the SEK price by a card rate quoted as SEK per one unit of your home currency, then add any separate issuer costs under your card terms. Compare that home-currency total with the terminal’s offered total in the card/ATM calculator. Do not add a fee again if it is already included.

ATM charges and cash planning

Choose a SEK cash amount from purchases you expect to pay in cash, rather than a universal daily allowance. Check your issuer’s limits and tariff, the ATM’s displayed charge and whether the machine proposes its own conversion. In the withdrawal comparison, keep the total SEK cash amount identical when comparing one withdrawal with several; only the frequency of charges should change. A reference rate does not establish your bank’s final debit.

Save your budget and offline card

Enter daily accommodation, food, transport and activities for the whole group, plus one-off costs. Include prepaid bookings in those costs and also mark them as already paid; the planner’s reserve applies to the unpaid part. Enter cash in SEK only when you have decided the split. For a Sweden–Norway trip, create separate SEK and NOK stops with one chosen home currency. Save explicitly, and download the offline conversion card while connected. The card stores its rate timestamp; it neither updates nor processes payments without a connection.

At the payment screen

If offered conversion into your home currency, compare its rate and markup with your card terms. Choosing local currency avoids that particular conversion service.

Before you leave

Tick what you have prepared. Progress is saved only in this browser.

• Confirm card acceptance and keep a physical backup payment method.Pay by card →
• Check whether saved Swedish banknotes are still valid before departure.Banknotes and currency history →
• Read the old-note redemption deadline and documentation rules if needed.Your own travel budget →
• Compare any DCC offer with SEK payment using your own card terms.Pay by card →
• Review issuer and ATM charges before choosing a withdrawal pattern.Withdraw cash →
• Save your itinerary budget and download a dated offline SEK card.Pocket conversion card →