Sorting cash is the first practical job after you clear the belts at Agadir Al Massira, and it's simpler than it sounds once you know two things: how the dirham works, and why the ATM beats the booth. Here's the whole money question for AGA, start to finish.
The dirham is a closed currency
The Moroccan dirham (MAD) is a closed currency, which means it's restricted outside Morocco — you can't reliably buy it before you travel, and the small amounts a few bureaux abroad will sell come at a poor rate with a wide margin. So the standard, sensible plan is to arrive with none and withdraw your first dirhams from a bank ATM in the arrivals hall when you land. As a rough anchor, about 1 EUR is around 10.8 MAD, though the exact rate moves — treat that as a sanity check, not a fixed figure. The same closed-currency rule is why you should spend down your cash before flying home, covered below.
ATMs vs exchange booths
The landside arrivals hall has bank ATMs from a couple of Moroccan banks, currency-exchange desks, and there are bank ATMs airside too. Use a bank ATM. Bank-branded machines give a noticeably better rate than airport exchange booths, which build a wide margin into their prices and often add commission on top — the gap on a few hundred euros is real money. Any major debit or credit card works. If you must change physical cash, change only a little to tide you over and let the ATM do the rest. A small practical tip: some machines cap a single withdrawal lower than you'd expect, so if you want the full 1,000 MAD you may need two pulls — weigh that against any per-transaction fee your home bank charges.
Decline "pay in your home currency"
This is the one airport-money trap worth flagging clearly. When you withdraw, the ATM (and later, card machines in shops) may ask whether to charge you in dirhams or in your home currency — "with conversion". That's dynamic currency conversion, and it almost always uses a deliberately poor rate that benefits the machine's operator, not you. Always choose dirhams and let your own bank handle the exchange; the saving is typically a few percent every single time. Get into the habit on your very first withdrawal and apply it for the whole trip.
How much to withdraw
For your first withdrawal, 500–1,000 MAD is the sweet spot: enough for the taxi or a tip, a meal, and your first day, without leaving you holding a wad of cash you can't easily change back. You can always withdraw more in town — ATMs are common across Agadir and the coast. The grand-taxi fare into central Agadir runs around 200–250 MAD by day, so that alone justifies the stop; the arrivals page covers the ride out. One concrete reason not to over-withdraw: because you can't change dirhams back well, the goal is to land your last day with almost none, so think in terms of what you'll actually spend rather than a big buffer.
Two things worth knowing about cards at the machine. First, check whether your own bank charges a foreign ATM or "non-sterling/non-euro" fee — if it does, a single larger withdrawal beats several small ones, so take a sensible lump in one go rather than topping up 200 MAD at a time. Second, the SIM kiosks and most grand-taxi drivers want cash, so your very first ATM stop in arrivals is what funds your phone and your ride out — handle it before you leave the hall, not after.
Cards, cash & tipping
Cards are accepted in hotels, larger restaurants and supermarkets, but cash rules for taxis, small cafés, markets and tipping — and the coast, from Taghazout to the surf villages, in particular runs on it. A couple of specifics: the airport SIM kiosks generally want cash (another reason to hit the ATM first, see the SIM and Wi-Fi guide), and grand-taxi drivers expect dirhams, so keep a stock of small notes and coins for drivers, porters and the odd café that won't take a card. Tipping is modest and cash-based — a few dirhams rounds things off. Don't plan to get by on card alone, especially outside the city.
Spend it down before you leave
Because the dirham is closed, re-exchanging leftover notes abroad is poor value, so spend down your cash before you fly home — and do it while you can still use it well. The best uses are real ones: argan oil or handicrafts, a last meal, topping up at a supermarket, or your transfer and tips. Aim to reach the airport with only small change for a coffee, and settle anything cash-based landside, before security, since airside is thin and an exchange booth on the way out just hands back a margin. If you've badly misjudged it, buying something useful in town beats changing money back. The departures page covers the rest of leaving, and the airport guide hub ties it together.