Shopping in Poland: How to Save Money? - Kelionės su vaikais
Shopping in Poland: How to Save Money?
Apsipirkimas Lenkijoje: kaip sutaupyti
2023-10-08

Shopping in Poland: How to Save Money?

Poland is a country where we go with our family to have fun all year round. We go there for many reasons – Poland has amazing nature, delicious food and beautiful cities. This is also a great city for children – it has water and amusement parks, museums. And where else are the mountains of amazing beauty and the fantastic seashore? Of course, only in Poland! However, we go to Poland not only for entertainment, but also for shopping. Shopping in Poland can be perfectly combined with a fun outing with children.

You ask us why shopping in Poland should be included in your travel itinerary? We answer – because shopping in Poland will definitely help you save money.

We have prepared a shopping guide in Poland for you which will help you save money and find the best stores.

Why Is It Cheaper to Shop in Poland?

Shopping in Poland can save you money for several reasons.

One of them is because of the fact that Poland in 2023 has introduced zero VAT for food products. Zero VAT in Poland applies to products that were previously subject to a preferential rate of 5 percent VAT tariff such as meat, vegetables, fruit, porridge and baby food.

In addition, the Polish market is larger, with more active competition. There are significantly more shopping chains and brands here that you won’t find in Lithuania.

How to Save Money when Shopping in Poland

We share with you the basic rules on how to save money when shopping in Poland – and those rules are applicable no matter you buy online or locally.

Be sure to download the store’s electronic discount cards to your mobile phones before your trip! Currently, the most popular grocery stores (Kaufland, Lidl, Biedrionka) allow you to register an account for a Polish card with a Lithuanian phone number! If you don’t want to register the cards, just search the Internet, you will find pictures of discount cards in various groups or forums! All you have to do is scan them at checkout and they work great. You can easily save money when you buy with a card – often when buying with a card, stores apply really good discounts or 1+1 promotions.

Paying by Card in Poland

Paying by card in Poland is usually more profitable than exchanging cash. However, it is important to know that our usual banks whose cards we have usually charge fees for currency conversion and cash withdrawals from ATMs in Poland. Check the rates at your financial institution, but keep in mind that banks will still charge a certain percentage (±2%) for withdrawing money from ATMs in Poland. Nevertheless, our experience is that cashing from an ATM in Poland with a card can be more profitable than exchanging at a currency exchange. Use the mobile banking myTU card to save – with this card you will be able to withdraw up to 200 euros per month for free (the current international exchange rate will be applied without any additional conversion fees).

More About myTU

The best thing is that the mobile banking application by myTU applies the current international exchange rate for payments and does not add any additional fixed or percentage fees for currency conversion. And when using a regular debit or credit card abroad, fees are usually charged for each transaction or payment with the card. They depend on the bank charges of the card you have.

When paying in Poland, we recommend paying with the myTU card and we also recommendd that you always choose payment in the currency of the country you are in! It is very important. When paying by card, the bank card reader will ask you to choose a currency (zlotys or euros). Choose zlotys and you will avoid the additional merchant fee. When making a purchase for a very small amount, sometimes bank card readers do not ask to select a currency. However, if you are buying for a larger amount and the scanner does not ask you to choose a currency, inform the seller that you want to pay in zlotys. It is important to remember this rule not only when shopping in Poland, but also when traveling elsewhere in the world, outside the Eurozone.

IMPORTANT. In Poland, shops are closed on Sundays, except on certain specified dates. So when planning your shopping, make sure to plan responsibly. We also include a calendar showing the dates on which shops will be open on Sundays as well.
Shopping in Poland: How to Save Money?

Shopping in Poland: How to Save Money?

Shopping in Polish Online Stores

If you don’t dare to go shopping in Poland, you can do it without leaving your home. There are many intermediaries who can deliver your purchased goods to Lithuania. And there are also quite a few stores that send goods to Lithuania directly.

When shopping in Polish online stores, it is also important not to forget that Lithuanian banks will calculate certain fees for payment in foreign currency. In order for you to avoid paying this fee, we recommend using with myTU mobile banking. The app will apply the current international exchange rate without any additional fees.

Very soon we will prepare an article for you with our favorite shops and shopping centers in Poland.

“Traveling with children” and myTU wish you a good shopping experience in Poland. You can also find our article published on the myTU blog.

In the article Shopping and entertainment in Poland in Suwalki you will find not only tips for shopping in Suvalki, but also where to have fun with children. You can learn more about entertainment in Poland by reading the articles below.

myTU is a partner of “Travelling with children ®”.

Simplify your everyday gift shopping with the whole family by using the myTU Lithuania mobile banking. Parents can conveniently use free financial services, and from the age of 7, they can open an account for their children as well.