How international travelers, nomads & expats can pay with QR codes in Bolivia
A salteña in La Paz, a tour across the Salar de Uyuni, a night in Sucre: Bolivia is unforgettable, and paying for it need not be a puzzle. Moreta Pay scans the QR Simple code at the counter, funded from your own bank or card, so you pay in bolivianos without a Bolivian account.
Banco Central de Bolivia
Simple
Costs, limits and tips
Paying in Bolivia
Guide updated
What it costs
- Transaction fee
- 1.5%
- Exchange rate today
- 1 USD = 11.76 BOBLive rate, updated recently
The app always shows the live rate and the exact cost before you pay.
Local tips
- Look for the QR Simple mark on the sticker or the printed card by the till.
- Cash still rules on the salt flats, in rural markets and on buses, so keep bolivianos in small notes.
- Data is patchy at altitude and in the countryside, so load the wallet while you are in a city.
Why QR code is the best way to pay in Bolivia
QR codes are how people pay in Bolivia: hold up a phone, scan the code on the counter, done. QR Simple is Bolivia's shared code, backed by the central bank and accepted through every Bolivian bank app, and it has spread fast to cafés, pharmacies, shops and tour agencies in the cities. Foreign cards are less reliable here than in neighbouring countries, which makes a QR wallet that works all the more useful.
Moreta gives you the same thing as a visitor. A scan is contactless, so there is no card to hand over and no cash to carry, and each payment costs one flat fee at the live rate instead of a foreign transaction fee and a marked-up rate from your bank at home.
The problem with paying abroad as a tourist, expat or nomad
Paying abroad with the card in your wallet is easy until it is not. Your bank may block the first charge as suspicious. When it goes through, most cards add a foreign transaction fee and convert at a rate of their choosing, and some terminals offer to charge you in your own currency at a worse one.
Cash is no better. ATMs stack your bank's withdrawal fee, the operator's fee and a poor rate, and you still end up carrying more Bolivian boliviano than you need and changing the rest back at the airport. Paying by QR from a wallet you fund yourself skips all of it: one fee, the live rate and no plastic.
Card or cash
- A foreign transaction fee on most cards
- Your bank's rate, or the terminal's worse one
- ATM fees from your bank and the operator
- Leftover Bolivian boliviano to change back
Moreta
- One flat fee, shown before you slide to pay
- The live rate at the moment you pay
- No ATM and no card to hand over
- What you do not spend stays for the next country
How Moreta Pay works
Moreta is a wallet on your phone that pays Banco Central de Bolivia and Simple codes as if a local had scanned them. Set it up once, at home or on the plane, and it is ready before you land in Bolivia.
01Verify your identity
Download Moreta, scan your passport and take a selfie. Verification usually takes a few minutes, and your account can move money as soon as it passes.
- 02
Load funds to your Moreta Pay wallet
Link a US bank through Plaid, or send a SEPA, Faster Payments, Interac or PayID transfer. Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and USDC work too, and you can top up from the road.
- 03
Scan QR codes at local shops & restaurants
Tap Scan and point your camera at the Banco Central de Bolivia and Simple code on the counter. Moreta reads it the way a Bolivian bank app would.
- 04
Get seamless payments on the go
Check the amount in Bolivian boliviano, what it costs in your own currency and the fee, then slide to pay. The merchant sees the payment in their own app the moment it clears.
USD
EUR
GBP
CAD
AUD
Why Moreta Pay is better than alternatives
No local bank account required
Pay from the bank or card you already have. Nothing to open, nothing to close when you leave.
Seamless integration with QR Simple
QR Simple is the Banco Central de Bolivia's interoperable QR standard, so a code from any Bolivian bank is one code. Moreta pays it directly, showing the boliviano amount and your own currency before you slide.
Designed for international travelers, expats & nomads
A two-week trip or a year abroad, it works the same, and what you do not spend stays for the next country.
Several accepted payment types
Top up by bank transfer in US dollars, euros, pounds, Canadian or Australian dollars, or with a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or USDC.
Lower fees compared to cash or card alternatives
One flat fee per payment, shown before you confirm. No ATM fees, and most banks add no foreign transaction fee.
Instant, contactless QR payments
Scan, check, slide. Nothing to hand over, and the merchant is paid in seconds.
Real exchange rates
Every payment converts to Bolivian boliviano at the live rate at the moment you pay.
See today's rate
Frequently asked questions
What travellers ask before paying by QR in Bolivia.
Showing 6 of 9 questions
Guides for Bolivia
ATM fees & rates5 min read
Stop Planning Your Bolivia Trip Around ATMs
Six myths travelers believe about money in Bolivia, corrected. How QR Simple works in La Paz and Santa Cruz, where cash still rules, and how to skip ATM fees.
Read more
How to pay5 min read
Does QR Simple Work for Foreigners? Every Question Travelers Ask About Paying in Bolivia
Bolivia is cash-heavy, but QR Simple is changing La Paz and Santa Cruz fast. Here are direct answers to the questions travelers actually ask about paying in Bolivia without a local bank.
Read more
Expat life5 min read
Bolivia Pays Two Ways: QR Simple in the City, a Pocket of Bolivianos Everywhere Else
How expats in Bolivia pay day to day without a local bank: where QR Simple works, where only cash does, and how to scan Bolivian QR codes with a foreign-funded wallet.
Read more
More ways to pay
Activate your Moreta Pay account before your trip
Set up Moreta, add money and land in Bolivia ready to scan. No cash to change, no card to worry about, and one flat fee at the live rate on every payment.
Also works in 
Brazil, 
Argentina, 
Peru, 
Colombia, and 10 more countries