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Buy Albanian Lek (ALL)
Our rates
Our branches
FAQs
Don’t forget to buy your Albanian Lek (ALL) before travelling
Albanian lek is one of the harder currencies to find in the UK: most high-street bureaux don't keep it in stock, and the ones that do often can't tell you when it will arrive. At ChangeGroup, you can order lek online with 0% commission and collect it from the day after you order at our bureaux at London Stansted, London Gatwick and London Luton airports. All three have direct flights to Tirana, so you can pick up your cash on the way to your gate.
You don't pay anything when you order. Your rate is confirmed as soon as you place your order, and you pay by card or cash when you collect.
Where to get Albanian lek in the UK
The lek is a small currency with little demand outside the Balkans, so UK banks and most bureaux de change simply don't stock it. Travellers often find themselves taking euros instead and changing them on arrival, losing money twice.
We hold Albanian lek at three airport bureaux, so you can order it online and collect it from the next day. Choose your amount on our currency order page, then pick one of the three airports and a collection date. Lek isn't available for home delivery or for collection at our other branches, so plan to pick it up at the airport you're flying from. Check today's GBP to ALL rate on our online exchange rates page before you order.
Collecting your lek at Stansted, Gatwick or Luton
At London Stansted, our bureaux open from 04:00, in time for the first departures. At London Gatwick, we have bureaux in both the North and South Terminals, before and after security. At London Luton, you'll find us in the main terminal building, and our airside bureaux open at 04:00.
When you collect, bring photo ID, and the bank card you'll pay with if you're paying by card. If someone else is collecting for you, they'll need their own ID and a signed authorisation from you. Collection is possible from the day after your order, but booking a few days ahead gives you more peace of mind, especially in July and August when flights to Albania are at their busiest.
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport 2 RH6 0NP
We have 4 bureaux de change in the airport’s North Terminal and 8 branches in the South Terminal. Use our Branch Locator to find your preferred branch and collect your Albanian Lek there.
Luton Airport
Percival House, 134 Percival Way LU2 9NU
Find us at 4 branches within Luton Airport. Collect your Albanian Lek easily before you depart.
Stansted Airport
Enterprise House, Bassingbourn Road, Stansted Airport CM241QW
Our 5 branches at Stansted Airport are open every day of the week, making it quick and easy to collect your Albanian Lek.
Albania Currency at a glance
|
|
|---|---|
|
Name |
Albanian lek |
|
ISO Code |
ALL |
|
Symbol |
L |
|
Notes |
200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 Lekë |
|
Coins |
1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Lekë |
|
|
|---|---|
|
Cash Index |
70% |
|
Other currencies accepted |
Euros in tourits areas, usually with a 5-15% markup and change in lek. |
|
Tips |
Not mandatory or legally expected, though leaving a small gratuity of 5% to 10% is appreciated for good service in tourist areas and sit-down restaurants. |
Good to know
Some price indications in Tirana
Cappuccino
185 L
Bunk'Art 2 museum
about 500 L
City Bus
40 L
Dinner, mid-range
2,250 L per person
When you'll need cash in Albania
Albania is still very much a cash country once you leave the hotels and larger restaurants of Tirana and the Riviera. Taxis, furgons (shared minibuses), markets, beach sunbeds, family-run restaurants and entry tickets at many castles and sites are usually paid in lek. Cards are widely accepted in Tirana, Durrës and the main resorts, but often not in mountain villages or along the smaller beaches of the south.
You'll see euros accepted in tourist areas such as Sarandë, Vlorë and Ksamil, but the rate is usually rounded in the seller's favour, often by 5 to 15%, and your change comes back in lek. British pounds are almost never accepted. Cash machines are easy to find in towns, but Albanian banks charge foreign cards a fee on every withdrawal, typically 600 to 900 lek, on top of what your UK bank charges. Arriving with lek in your pocket means fewer withdrawals and no rounding at the counter.
How much lek should you take?
For a mid-range week of restaurants, local transport, boat trips and a few entry tickets, many travellers spend around 45,000 to 50,000 lek per person, not counting accommodation booked in advance. As around 70% of that is typically paid in cash, about 30,000 to 35,000 lek per person is a sensible amount to collect before you fly. If you're heading into the Albanian Alps or the villages around Theth and Valbona, take a little more, as cash machines there are few and far between.
Because lek is difficult to exchange back once you're home, it's better to take a measured amount and use a cash machine for any top-up than to come back with a large envelope of notes.
Albanian banknotes, coins and « old lek »
The lek (ALL, written L) comes in banknotes of 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 lek, and coins of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 lek. The 200 lek note, introduced in 2019, was Albania's first polymer banknote, and older notes of all denominations remain legal tender.
One habit surprises almost every visitor. Following a redenomination in 1965, when ten old lek became one new lek, many Albanians still quote prices in « old lek ». If a taxi driver or market seller says « one thousand » for something that should cost a hundred, they probably mean 1,000 old lek, so 100 lek. When in doubt, ask to see the price written down or on a phone screen.
Combining Albania with Montenegro, Corfu or Kosovo
Many trips to Albania cross a border. Montenegro and Kosovo use the euro, and Corfu, a short ferry ride from Sarandë, is in Greece. You can add euros to the same order and collect both currencies together at Stansted, Gatwick or Luton.
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Before you fly to Albania
British citizens can visit Albania without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must be valid for at least three months after the date you plan to leave. If you're carrying €10,000 or more in cash, or the equivalent in other currencies, you must declare it to Albanian customs when you arrive or leave.
Albania isn't part of the Schengen area, so the stamps and days you use there don't count towards your 90 days in the EU. To stay connected without roaming charges, you can set up an Albania plan with our international eSIM.
Traveling soon?
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FAQs about buying Albanian lek
Yes, but few bureaux stock it. With ChangeGroup, you can order lek online and collect it from the next day at our London Stansted, Gatwick or Luton Airport bureaux.
No. Albanian lek is only available for collection at our three airport bureaux at Stansted, Gatwick and Luton. Home delivery and our other branches don't offer this currency.
No, the lek isn't one of the currencies available on our Travel Money Card. Take lek in cash for everyday spending, and use your bank card where cards are accepted, choosing to pay in lek rather than pounds.
In tourist areas, many businesses accept euros, but usually at a rounded rate that costs you 5 to 15% more, and they give change in lek. Taxis, markets and small shops expect lek.
Albanian banks typically charge foreign cards 600 to 900 lek per withdrawal, plus any fees from your own bank. Fewer, larger withdrawals keep costs down.
Some Albanians still count in the currency used before 1965, when ten old lek became one new lek. A price of « 1,000 » in old lek means 100 lek today.