Money, Safety & eSIM in Egypt
Egypt's currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP) — carry cash for taxis, tips, and small vendors; cards work at hotels, malls, and most restaurants in tourist areas. ATMs are widely available in Cairo, Luxor, and the Red Sea resorts. Tourist areas are generally well-secured and heavily visited by international travelers every year; the realistic day-to-day risks are traffic, overcharging, and persistent touts rather than violent crime — though it's worth checking your government's current travel advisory for guidance on specific regions.
The practical questions that actually matter once you land: how to handle cash in a currency that's moved a lot in recent years, what the real safety picture looks like beyond headline anxieties, and how to get connected without a shocking roaming bill.
Money and ATMs
The Egyptian pound (EGP, ج.م) is the currency everywhere, and its value against the dollar has been volatile in recent years — check a live rate before your trip rather than relying on an old figure. As a rough 2026 planning anchor, $1 has recently traded in the high-40s in EGP. ATMs are widely available in Cairo, Luxor, and the Red Sea resort towns and generally give a reasonable rate; withdraw larger amounts less often to minimize per-transaction fees.
| Payment method | Where it works best |
|---|---|
| Cash (EGP) | Taxis, tips, small vendors, local markets, entry to smaller sites |
| Credit/debit card | Hotels, larger restaurants, malls, major attraction ticket counters |
| US dollars / euros (cash) | Some tourist-facing businesses and tips accept hard currency directly, though EGP is usually preferred and gives a better effective rate |
Is Egypt safe?
The tourist circuit — Cairo's main sites, the Giza Plateau, Luxor's temples, and the Red Sea resort towns — is heavily visited by millions of international travelers a year and generally well-secured, with a visible tourism-police presence at major sites. The realistic everyday friction is persistent touts, overcharging, and unlicensed 'guides' at busy attractions — not violent crime against tourists. As with any destination, check your own government's current travel advisory before booking, since some remote desert or border regions do carry specific restrictions that don't affect the standard Cairo–Luxor–Red Sea circuit.
The lower-stakes stuff worth knowing: agree on taxi fares before getting in (or use a ride-hailing app, which shows the price upfront), expect a fairly persistent layer of vendors and 'helpers' at every major site who may ask for a tip after 'assisting' you unprompted, and haggle at markets — asking prices are usually a starting point, not the final number.
Common hassles to know about
- Unofficial 'guides' who approach at site entrances and offer a tour, then expect payment — politely decline and arrange guiding through your hotel or a licensed operator instead.
- Someone 'helpfully' opening a mosque door, pointing out a photo spot, or holding a snake/animal for a photo, then asking for a tip — this is a common low-stakes scam; a firm decline works fine.
- Unmetered taxis quoting an inflated fare — agree on the price before getting in, or use Uber/Careem, which shows the fare upfront.
The ATM and card 'dynamic currency conversion' trap
Watch for 'dynamic currency conversion' (DCC) at Egyptian ATMs and card machines — a prompt asking if you'd like to be charged in your home currency (USD, EUR, GBP) instead of EGP. It sounds convenient but almost always applies a worse exchange rate than your own bank would give, quietly adding a few percent to every withdrawal or purchase. Always choose to be charged in EGP (sometimes phrased as 'without conversion' or 'continue in local currency') when the option appears, on both ATMs and restaurant/shop card machines.
Emergency numbers
| Number | Service |
|---|---|
| 122 | Police |
| 123 | Ambulance |
| 126 | Tourist Police (often has English-speaking staff, and the most useful line for scams, harassment, or lost documents) |
| 180 | Fire department |
| 112 | General unified emergency line, if you're unsure which number applies |
eSIM and staying connected
eSIM is the easiest option if your phone supports it — providers like Airalo and Holafly sell Egypt data plans from around $8–20 for 7–15 days, activated before you even land. A physical local SIM (Vodafone, Orange, or Etisalat, sold at the airport or any phone shop) costs roughly $10–20 for a couple of weeks of data and is just as easy to set up with your passport on arrival.
Water and food safety basics
- Don't drink tap water — bottled water is cheap and sold everywhere, including hotels, restaurants, and corner shops.
- Ease into street food gradually over your first day or two, especially koshari and grilled meats from busy, high-turnover stalls, rather than sampling everything at once.
- See our Egyptian food guide for what to actually order and how to eat safely without missing the best part of the trip.