Money in Oslo: cashless payments, card fees, tipping etiquette, and price guide

💡 The Short Version: Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere in Oslo, from street food stalls and museum counters to ferry piers. The currency is the Norwegian krone (NOK). Always pay in NOK: if a terminal offers to bill you in your home currency (Dynamic Currency Conversion, DCC), choose NOK and let your bank set the rate. Tipping is optional because service and 25% VAT are included in every bill. Oslo adds no tourist tax to hotel bookings. Wine and spirits, and beer above 4.7% ABV, are sold only in the state-run Vinmonopolet shops. Or book a tour: a 2-hour guided walking tour of central Osload from NOK 142 passes the Opera House, Akershus Fortress, City Hall, Karl Johans gate and the Royal Palace.

⚠️ Decline the currency-conversion prompt. Card terminals in Norwegian shops and restaurants often offer to charge you in pounds, dollars or euros. Say no: the terminal’s rate carries a markup. Choose NOK and your own card issuer converts the amount.

Cashless Oslo: cards, mobile pay, and banknotes

Most payments are electronic, and many businesses display a notice reading “Vi tar kun kort” (We accept cards only).

Card and mobile wallet acceptance

• Debit and credit cards: Contactless Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere, with no minimum amount, so paying by card for one coffee is normal.
• Mobile payments: Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Samsung Pay work like a physical card on contactless terminals.
• American Express: Accepted at international hotels, department stores and larger restaurant groups, but often refused by small bakeries, grocery stores and food hall stalls.

Cash in Norway

Section 2-1 of the Financial Contracts Act (finansavtaleloven), in force since 1 October 2024, requires shops that sell to consumers on a regular basis to offer cash if they accept other payment methods. Vending machines and unstaffed premises are exempt, so unstaffed businesses, ticket machines and apps such as Ruter take no cash at all.

• Banknotes: The central bank, Norges Bank, issues the 8th series of banknotes, which carry maritime designs:
  • NOK 50 (Green): Utvær Lighthouse in Sogn og Fjordane.
  • NOK 100 (Red): The Gokstad Viking ship.
  • NOK 200 (Blue): A large Atlantic cod (torsk).
  • NOK 500 (Yellow/Orange): Rescue vessel RS 14 Stavanger.
  • NOK 1,000 (Purple): A monumental breaking sea wave.
• Coins: Issued in denominations of 1, 5, 10, and 20 kroner (with holes through the centre of 1 and 5 kroner coins).

Cash machines (ATMs / Minibank)

Street cash machines are rare in central Oslo. If you need notes:

• Look for ATMs marked Minibank inside Narvesen and 7-Eleven shops.
• There are bank ATMs in the concourse of Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) and at Oslo Airport Gardermoen.
• Decline the ATM’s offer to convert the amount into your home currency; withdraw in NOK.

What things cost in Oslo

Tipping culture in Norway

Hospitality staff in Norway earn a regular wage, so tips are a courtesy, not part of pay:

• Restaurants: Menu prices include service and 25% VAT (mva). At a table-service restaurant the card terminal asks you to enter a total amount (tast totalbeløp). Rounding up (for example NOK 560 to NOK 600) or adding 5% to 10% is a courtesy; paying the bill as printed causes no offence.
• Cafés, bakeries and bars: No tipping at coffee counters, pastry shops or casual counter-service bars. When the terminal asks for a total, press the green “OK” button.
• Taxis: Rounding up to the nearest 10 or 20 NOK is common; no one expects a percentage.
• Hotel housekeeping and porters: Not tipped daily.

Accommodation tax: none

Unlike Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona or Rome, Oslo charges no accommodation tax.

• Norwegian law allows municipalities to levy a visitor tax of up to 3%, but Oslo City Council has not introduced one.
• The room rate quoted when you book through where to stay in Oslo is the amount you pay.

Tax-free shopping and VAT refunds

Most goods carry 25% VAT (merverdiavgift, MVA), with a reduced 15% rate on food. Visitors living outside Scandinavia can claim some of it back:

Eligibility rules

• Who qualifies: Residents of countries outside Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia and EU states outside the Nordic region.
• Minimum spend: At least NOK 315 on general goods (or NOK 290 on food) in a single participating shop on one day.
• Conditions: Take the goods out of Norway unused, in their original packaging, within 30 days of purchase.

How to claim

1. Ask for the form: When buying eligible goods such as knitwear, sporting goods, jewellery or outdoor jackets, look for the “Tax Free” logo or ask the shop for a refund voucher.
2. At Oslo Airport Gardermoen: Before checking in your luggage, take the goods, invoices, passport and boarding pass to the Global Blue or Planet refund counters in the departure hall.
3. Refund: Staff check the vouchers and send the refund to your credit or debit card, less an administration fee.

Alcohol and shop hours

• Vinmonopolet: Any beer, wine, cider or spirit above 4.7% alcohol by volume (ABV) is sold only in the state-owned Vinmonopolet shops. Alcohol is heavily taxed.
  • Hours: Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00, Saturdays 10:00 to 15:00 or 16:00, closed on Sundays and public holidays.
• Supermarket beer: Supermarkets such as Kiwi, Rema 1000 and Meny sell beer and cider up to 4.7% ABV, but the tills lock at 20:00 on weekdays and 18:00 on Saturdays, and on Sundays.
• Drinking ages: 18 for beer and wine (under 22% ABV), 20 for spirits (22% and above).
• Sunday trading (Helligdagsfredloven): Department stores, shops and large supermarkets must stay closed on Sundays. Only convenience stores under 100 square metres, such as Joker, 7-Eleven and Narvesen, may open. Restaurants, cafés, museums and attractions open as normal.

Checklist for visitors

• Tell your bank: Say you are travelling to Norway so overseas payments are not blocked.
• Use a card with no foreign transaction fee to avoid a charge on every tap.
• Always pay in NOK.
• Next steps: free things to do in Oslo, Is the Oslo Pass worth it? and public transport in Oslo.