A visitor can move through hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and large attractions in Romanian cities almost entirely by card. That does not make cash obsolete. Markets, village shops, small guesthouses and occasional transport or terminal failures give a modest leu reserve a clear job.
Give three payment tools different jobs
RON is the destination, not an optional language
Romania is in the EU but the euro is not the checkout currency
The national currency is the Romanian leu. A hotel may quote a room in euros for comparison, yet the final card screen or fiscal receipt should make the settlement currency clear. Accepting an informal euro cash price can mean poor change and an exchange rate chosen by the seller.
A bank ATM is easier to identify and easier to question
Romania has a broad ATM network. Prefer machines physically associated with established banks, inspect the access fee before confirming and cancel when the cost is poor. The ATM owner can charge one fee while your home bank adds withdrawal and foreign-currency charges later.
Dynamic currency conversion is an exchange booth inside the screen
A home-currency total may feel reassuring because the number is familiar. EU guidance requires its markup to be disclosed, and you can refuse it. Choosing RON usually lets your card network and issuer perform the conversion instead; compare your own card terms before travel.
At a schimb valutar, “buy” means the office buys your cash
Exchange offices are common and may operate longer hours than banks. If you bring euros, pounds or dollars and want lei, the office's buy rate is the relevant column. Compare the final RON total, not a “zero commission” slogan, and count the notes at the counter.
A smaller-note request is part of the ATM plan
Withdrawing one large amount can reduce repeated fixed fees, but a stack dominated by 200- or 500-leu notes is awkward for small purchases. Use a staffed bank or make a normal supermarket purchase to create useful 10-, 20- and 50-leu change rather than pressuring a market seller.