A mid-2000s snapshot. The national currency is the hryvnia (hr), which replaced the transitional karbovanets on September 2, 1996. Don’t be confused if an amount is given in roubles: you haven’t been transported to Russia or taken back in time to the USSR - some people just have trouble letting go of the past! Paper bills carried denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 hryvnias. Another word to the wise: two versions existed of the 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 hryvnia bills, and both were accepted everywhere. There are 100 kopecks in a hryvnia; there were 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 kopeck coins. If you were lucky, you might become the proud owner of a then still relatively new and rare 1 hr coin. Currency exchange points were easy to find, but rates were often better at kiosks on central streets. Travellers cheques were cashed mainly at large respectable banks. ATMs were already plentiful in Kyiv; many hotels and restaurants took Visa and MasterCard - American Express was less common. There were scattered reports of credit card fraud in upscale restaurants, so it was wise to think twice before charging a meal to a card.
