Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) is the main international airport in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. If you are planning to exchange your currency there, find out what are the currency exchange rates at Helsinki Airport.
Money Changer at Helsinki Airport
You won't find many currency exchange options at Helsinki Airport. During our visit at the main international airport of Finland, we've only managed to spot several currency exchange counters that were operated by the same money changer – FOREX.
Currency Exchange Rates at Helsinki Airport
As there's no competition between money changers at Helsinki Airport, you can’t expect to get good exchange rates there. You can normally get better rates in the city center.
How good or bad are the currency exchange rates at Helsinki Airport? Let’s see!
SEK exchange rate at Helsinki Airport
The mid-market SEK exchange rate at the time was 11.127 Swedish Krona for 1 Euro, so the rate offered by the money changer at Helsinki Airport (10.185 SEK/EUR) was by 0.942 SEK or about 8.5% worse than the market rate.
NOK exchange rate at Helsinki Airport
The mid-market NOK exchange rate on the day was 10.826 Norwegian Krone for 1 Euro, so the rate offered at the airport’s currency exchange (9.787 NOK/EUR) was by 1.039 NOK or about 9.6% worse than the market rate.
JPY exchange rate at Helsinki Airport
The mid-market JPY exchange rate on the day was 142.01 Japanese Yen for 1 Euro, so the rate offered at Helsinki Airport (126.42 JPY/EUR) was by 15.59 JPY or about 11.0% worse than the market rate.
Even for currencies of neighboring countries foreign exchange rates at Helsinki Airport are not attractive, so if you will be bringing a less popular currency to exchange there, expect even bigger loses.
Commission
Before making a transaction with money changer at Helsinki Airport, pay attention to the level of commission they charge in addition to the profit they gain from the difference of exchange rates. Currency exchange service conditions are clearly provided so you should be able to notice them. At the time of our visit, the company offering currency exchange service at Helsinki Airport was charging 5 EUR fixed fee for exchange of foreign currency to Euro without FOREX receipt. If you have FOREX receipt or are looking to exchange Euro to foreign currency, the service costs 0 EUR.
If you buy Euro at Helsinki Airport without FOREX receipt, you lose more than just the difference between the exchange rate offered by the money changer and the market rate and it's especially felt when exchanging small amounts. If you will be exchanging foreign currency equivalent to 100 EUR, depending on the currency it will cost you around 13-20% (including money changer's margin and commission). It's definitely not the best deal you can find in the market.
Tips
If you need cash at Helsinki Airport, it might be better just to withdraw money from ATM. To get the best exchange rate on your withdrawals, make sure to use the card from Wise.