Paying in Mauritius: Foreign Cards, ATM Withdrawals, Juice and Cash

A foreign card will get you through your first days in Mauritius, but not through settling in. Cash withdrawals cost more than at home, and Juice, MCB’s mobile payment app, makes sense once you have a local account. Here is what the two biggest banks publish on withdrawals, currency conversion and mobile payments, and where cash still helps.

What does a cash withdrawal with a foreign card cost?

Two sets of charges add up: your home bank’s (cash withdrawal abroad, conversion into rupees) and, depending on the machine, the local bank’s. MCB and SBM publish tariffs for their own cards and do not price a card issued abroad, so ask your home bank what a withdrawal in rupees costs before you fly.

The tariffs below matter as soon as you hold a local account, for instance after following our guide to opening a bank account in Mauritius. They apply to a Mauritian debit card.

MCB also sets a daily withdrawal limit of Rs 20,000, or the equivalent in foreign currency, on its debit card. For a larger sum, a bank transfer or a card payment beats several withdrawals.

What is Juice, and who can use it?

Juice is MCB’s mobile app for individual customers. You use it to send money to an account, a card or a mobile number, to pay bills, insurance premiums and government fees, and to pay a merchant by scanning a QR code. Juice Tap, which lets you pay with the Visa or Mastercard stored in the app, works on Android and Huawei phones only.

The app’s overview page does not say who can sign up, so do not count on Juice until you have a local account. It becomes convenient once the account is open. For non-residents, MCB’s FAQ says Juice transactions are validated by a code sent by SMS, so the bank needs your mobile number on file.

MCB’s tariff lists Juice “payment” and “cash” transactions as free. Transfers have their own scale in the fee schedule.

How do you withdraw cash with Juice and no card?

The Cardless Cash function lets you take cash out at an MCB ATM using your phone. It also works for sending money to someone else: even if they are not an MCB customer, they can collect it at an ATM.

• A Cardless Cash transaction stays valid for 48 hours. After that it is cancelled and the amount returns to the sender’s account.
• The recipient enters the four-digit payment PIN the sender chose, the six-digit collect PIN sent by the bank and the exact amount.

This comes from the Juice FAQ, July 2023 version, so check in the app that nothing has changed.

Can you live without cash in Mauritius?

You need less of it, but not none. MCB’s internal data show cash making up 46% of its retail customers’ transactions in 2021 and 25% by April 2026. The figure covers that one bank, not the whole country.

Contactless is spreading: MCB offers “Touch & Pay” cards and announced Apple Pay in May 2026 for customers with a valid Visa or Mastercard. A phone payment still depends on signal and battery, so keep the physical card as a back-up.

How should you set things up for the first months?

• Before you leave, ask your bank what a withdrawal in rupees costs and what your card limit is, and tell it you are travelling.
• On arrival, take out reasonable sums rather than many small amounts that each pay a minimum fee.
• Once your plans firm up, open a local account, then activate Juice if you choose MCB.
• Day to day, carry a little cash on top of your card and phone.

For what comes after the move, see our guide to what to do after buying a property.

Sources and checks

• MCB – Fees & Charges, individuals (in force from 1 September 2026)
• SBM Bank (Mauritius) – Consumer Banking Tariff Guide (as of 5 June 2026)
• MCB – debit card
• MCB – Juice app
• MCB – Juice frequently asked questions (July 2023 version)
• Mauritius Times – “From Juice to Apple Pay” (25 May 2026)