How to pay for treatment in dental clinics in Poland.
Posted by Marek in 
?Dental clinics in Poland, in comparison with those in the UK or Scandinavia, offer very competitive prices for dental services. Prices for dental implants in Poland or dental crowns in Poland are on average 50-60% lower than in Tthe UK. Therefore, more and more patients come to our dentists in Poland.
In our dental clinics in Poland, you can pay both in cash or by credit card.
Dental clinics in Poland accept the most popular and widely used cards, but to be sure you can ask our consultant if the chosen clinic accepts your credit card. As for the payment in cash, currently it is possible only in the Polish currency – zloty (PLN). However, due to the large number of foreign patients, this might soon change and the ability to pay in euros or pounds sterling might be introduced .
Unfortunately clinics in Poland do not provide installment payments for dental treatment. However, if your case requires several visits at different times, do not worry, because no fees are charged in advance. You pay for this dental treatment in Poland, which has already been made.
When you travel abroad it is worth getting information regarding the currency and payment methods in the country which you plan to visit. This is especially important when you travel abroad for medical treatment which is associated with spending more money during your stay. Since Poland is one of the main destinations of dental tourism in Europe, we have prepared some useful information about payments in Poland and payment methods in our dental clinics.
At the beginning you have to remember that although Poland is a member of the European Union, it does not belong to the Euro currency system. Poland’s currency is z?oty (PLN).
The following nominal values are used in Poland:
- Banknotes: PLN 200, 100, 50, 20, 10
- Coins: 5, 2, 1 z?
- Coins below 1 z? (called “grosz”): 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 gr.
Take a look at the pictures below and see how they look like.
Currency exchange options
As mentioned before, the current and valid currency in Poland is Zloty. Therefore it is?possible that you will have to exchange your euros or pounds. Fortunately, you have got many convenient options in Poland like banks, currency exchange bureau or ATM machines in which you can withdraw the money in the chosen currency. You can exchange your money also at larger hotels and at the border. All major foreign currencies may be exchanged both in big cities and small towns. Therefore, our patients from the UK, Scandinavia and countries belonging to the Euro currency system absolutely do not have to worry about the difficulties related to the currency exchange. Moreover, you can pay in euros or US dollars in many malls and larger stores.
Your best option will be an exchange bureau in larger cities. They offer a cash-only transaction and don’t require any paperwork. ‘The Kantors’ are located almost everywhere and tend to offer the best rates. Exchange bureau usually open from 9 am to 7 pm weekdays and until 2 pm on Saturdays. The exceptions are 24-hour services which are usually available in larger major tourist centres such as train stations, border crossings and airports.
Point to remember: you can get a slightly worse rate in smaller towns.
Another option to exchange your currency would be banks and larger hotels. Hotels seem to be very convenient, but also tend to offer the worst rates of all and the service is available only for the hotel?䏭 guests. Banks offer a better rate than hotels (but still worse than exchange bureau) and take commision. The opening hours in Polish Banks are the following: on weekdays 9am to 5pm, on Saturdays until 2 pm
The exchange service at the border allows you to exchange an unlimited amount of most currencies. Unfortunately, the currency prices are very unfavorable here, so better use this solution as a last resort.
Below we present the current exchange rate (data from September 13, 2016)
1 EUR = 4,35 PLN
1 USD = 3,87 PLN
1 CHF = 3,98 PLN
1 GBP = 5,15 PLN
Watch out for illegal exchange!
In the past, when capitalism in Poland began, the black-market exchange of money used to be the most profitable and easiest way to exchange money. Today, it is not only dangerous but also impractical, because you may become a victim of a fraud or theft.
Run out of cash?
Fortunately, you can now withdraw money from your own bank or credit account using ATMs. ATMs in Poland operate 24 hours a day, offer far easier access to your money than banks. They are located near such places as banks, railway stations, airports, supermarkets, cities and towns centres and main streets. They are marked with a blue cash machine sign. These machines support most major credit cards. The exchange rate is favorable.
Payment by credit card
Nowadays, it is hard to live without a credit card in your wallet. Especially while travelling abroad when it is not necessary and convenient to carry traveller’s cheques or cash. ?For foreign visitors they eliminate the need to exchange money before coming to Poland. The use of credit cards is widely accepted in Poland. You can use your card everywhere in Poland. You can pay for your hotel, buy tickets, rent a car and pay at the gas station. Credit cards are acceptable in all malls, boutiques and restaurants now also in grocery stores. If you travel to Poland to get dental treatments, you can also pay for it with our credit card.
The most widely accepted credit cards in Poland are: MasterCard International, Visa International and American Express and Electronic cards (Maestro, Visa Electron).
Point to remember: consult your bank or card issuer about the charges for using your card abroad.
Traveller?䏭 cheques
The traveller’s cheques are another way (besides cash and credit cards) of carrying money which is safer than cash. The main advantage is that if the cheques are lost or stolen we still keep our money, because the cheque can be re-issued in a very short time. After arrival in Poland, you can exchange the cheque for cash. It will be possible in most Polish banks. However, in many cases it is not necessary to cash your traveller?䏭 cheques, as they are often accepted as a means of payment, particularly in large stores. Major traveller?䏭 cheques can be exchanged (for a commission) at larger hotels or Banks: Pekao, PKO (PKO Bank Polski) or NBP (Narodowy Bank Polski). But unfortunately, this is not the most comfortable way. You will very likely waste your holidays time in queues and filling in paperwork.
It looks a bit better in the American Express office. They will do it for free without fuss and at a good rate. But there are only two offices in Poland:
Warsaw
Ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 11
tel.22 627 14 44; Mon-Fri 9-18
Krakow
Ul. ?wi?tego Marka 15
tel.12 423 1202
As for Eurocheques, you can also look for the ‘EC’ sticker on a bank or major post office, but you can get up to 500 PLN (about 86 GBP or 120EUR).
Other places, eg. restaurants take travellers checks occasionally, but most probably only in larger cities and at a poor rate of exchange.
+44 748 315 53 11
contact@clinichunter.com
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