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Kuala Lumpur airport currency exchange

By Syam, JesTiny Guide · Last checked: 21 October 2026

Kuala Lumpur Airport (KUL) Currency Exchange: KLIA, klia2 and Rules

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) is two terminals under one name, and the first thing to sort out before you change money is which one you are in. Wikipedia says the terminals were renamed Terminal 1 (formerly KLIA) and Terminal 2 (formerly klia2) in February 2023, but guides and signs use the old names, and so does this page. This guide includes what a klia2 directory, a Travelex report, two travel guides and Malaysia's central bank say, and what we found on Malaysia's cash declaration rule. We found no measured KUL rate from the counters themselves, so we do not name a best counter or give a percentage for the airport gap. We did not measure any rates ourselves.

Everything was last checked on 21 October 2026.

The short version

Two terminals, no airside link

Wikipedia's pages on the airport state that "no airside connection currently exists" between the main terminal and Terminal 2, that passengers transferring must clear Malaysian immigration and customs and take the Express Rail Link, bus or taxi, and that an inter-terminal connection exists on the landside at the Gateway@klia2 complex, which links to the KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit trains. It mentions plans for an airside connection, which we cannot date, so we cannot rely on it. This matters for exchange because a counter in one terminal does not help you in the other without going through immigration.

The two terminals are about 45 km from central Kuala Lumpur, according to Wikipedia. Wikipedia also states that the Aerotrain, which links the main terminal and the satellite building, was out of service from March 2023 until 1 July 2025, and that a trip takes under two minutes.

klia2: who exchanges currency

The klia2 directory we read lists six providers with locations. We give them as the directory gives them, and they are unit codes, not words you will see on a sign.

The directory lists BSN and MEPS but states they do not offer exchange. The directory provides no hours for individual providers and states that many counters operate extended hours, with selected services available 24/7 depending on the provider. It has no date and is not the airport operator's site.

A klia2 information site states that the CIMB counters at Gateway@klia2 are open 24 hours daily. The 2024 travel guide states that klia2 arrivals on Level 2 have two CIMB booths, one just after passport control and one near exit door 3, and an AmBank booth near the Aerotel hotel open 24 hours. AmBank is not on the directory's list. The sources therefore partly overlap on CIMB and Travelex and differ on the rest. Look for a sign, not a code.

KLIA: who exchanges currency

We could not find a working Terminal 1 directory page. A trade report on Travelex, which carries no year, states it opened five concept stores at KLIA, two on Level 5 of the main terminal building in departures and three on Level 3 in arrivals, at the main terminal building, the satellite building and the domestic contact pier. It states that Eraman, the duty free arm of Malaysia Airports, offered privilege card holders a special rate. A travel site, Malaysia Uncovered, states that money changers at KLIA are on the fifth floor behind the check-in counters, and that Maybank, CIMB and RHB have branches on the third and fifth floors. That page was published 25 August 2022 and last modified 11 October 2026 according to its metadata.

Wise lists Travelex, Maybank, CIMB, Bank Islam, RHB and Asia Exchange amongst about 20 changers for both terminals, with no hours and no date. So the sources agree that Travelex and several banks operate at KLIA, but none provides a current list with hours.

Hours

We found two hours statements for klia2: CIMB at Gateway@klia2 is open 24 hours, and the AmBank booth is open 24 hours. Both come from klia2 information pages and a travel guide, not from the airport operator. For KLIA we found no hours at all. If you land late at night or very early, look for the 24-hour sign.

ATMs

Malaysia Uncovered states that ATMs are common in both terminals, that KLIA has Maybank, CIMB and RHB on the third and fifth floors, and that klia2 has AmBank, Bank Islam, CIMB, Maybank and RHB across the first three floors of Gateway@klia2. The directory we read lists MEPS at klia2, which does not exchange currency. We cannot check these lists against the airport. Check the signage on the machine and your own card's fee schedule. If a machine offers to charge you in your home currency, choose ringgit. Our guide to dynamic currency conversion explains why.

What the sources say about rates

The one measured comparison we found is the 2024 travel guide's. It records that the CIMB rates at klia2 were the same in every branch and the worst at the airport, with USD at 3.70 ringgit against an official 4.08, about 9% lower, and gaps of about 6% to 9% for euro, pound, Australian dollar and Singapore dollar. These figures are undated: the guide was updated on 22 October 2024, but it says only that rates were recorded at the time of the visit. The official rate it quotes, 4.08 ringgit to the dollar, may point to a visit some years before that update, so treat the figures as old.

One undated visit is not a rate you can plan around, and rates move every day. What it shows is that a gap of several percent is possible at a klia2 counter. The only way to know is to ask for the final amount for your sum and compare it with the mid-market rate on the day.

To see what a percentage gap costs on your amount, use our mid-market rate guide.

How to check a rate yourself

This section is our advice, not a sourced fact.

  1. Look up the mid-market rate for your currency pair on the day you travel.
  2. Ask the counter for the final amount in ringgit for your exact sum, including every fee.
  3. Divide the counter's rate by the mid-market rate. A result of 0.98 means 2% below.
  4. If a sign says "no commission", ask for the final amount anyway, because the margin may sit inside the rate.
  5. Keep the amount small, and compare with a city changer or a card if you can wait.

Carrying cash into or out of Malaysia

Bank Negara Malaysia's release dated 23 December 2009 states that from 1 January 2010, travellers entering or leaving Malaysia with cash or negotiable bearer instruments worth more than the equivalent of USD 10,000 must make a declaration on Customs Form No. 22, available at counters before the customs checkpoints at all entry and exit points. It cites section 23 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 and states that failing to declare or making a false declaration can bring a fine of up to RM1 million and/or imprisonment for up to one year.

A separate BNM release from 1998 sets limits on ringgit notes and foreign currency for travellers, but it is more than 25 years old, and we could not check that it still applies, so we give no limit from it. Check Bank Negara Malaysia and Royal Malaysian Customs for the current rule before you carry a large amount.

Our reading of the sources

This section is our reading. It is not a sourced fact. The two-terminal point is the most useful thing on this page, and it is supported: no airside link, so find out which terminal you will be in before you plan to change money. After that, the sources are patchy. Travelex and several banks operate at both terminals, CIMB is the best-attested name at klia2, and one measured visit found a large gap. The usual logic holds on cost. A counter at an airport is convenient, the rate is probably not the best available, and the cost scales with the amount. A small sum for a taxi and a train ticket costs little. For a larger sum, a bank or a card with low fees is likely to cost less, though we did not measure either at Kuala Lumpur.

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm a current official list of counters and hours at KLIA (Terminal 1), or any recent measured KUL rate.

A simple plan

  1. Check which terminal your airline uses: Terminal 1 (KLIA) or Terminal 2 (klia2).
  2. Look for the sign, and ask for the final amount for your exact sum.
  3. Compare it with the mid-market rate, and change only what you need for the first hours.
  4. At an ATM, choose ringgit if offered a choice, and check your own card's fees first.
  5. If you carry more than USD 10,000 in cash, declare it.

FAQ

Are KLIA and klia2 connected airside?
Wikipedia states no airside connection currently exists. Passengers transferring must clear Malaysian immigration and customs and take a landside link.

Who exchanges currency at klia2?
An independent klia2 directory lists Asia Exchange, Bank Islam, CIMB, Maybank, RHB and Travelex. A travel guide also names AmBank.

Is any counter open 24 hours?
Two klia2 sources state that CIMB at Gateway@klia2 and an AmBank booth are open 24 hours. We could not confirm it with an airport source.

Are airport rates bad at klia2?
A travel guide updated in October 2024, on a visit it does not date, measured about 9% below the official USD rate at CIMB. We found no other measured rate.

Do I have to declare cash in Malaysia?
Bank Negara's 2009 release states to declare cash worth more than USD 10,000 on Customs Form No. 22.

Sources and how we checked them

Checked on 21 October 2026. Where we call something confirmed, at least two of these sources agree, or an official source states it directly. Most are information sites or travel guides, and none is an airport operator page.

Editorial note: The counter, rate and airport information in this guide is editorial and is not paid for. Rates and fees change, so confirm the final rate at the counter before exchanging.

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