High fees match the other exchange at BAQ’s main terminal
Currency Exchange 2 (Globo Cambio) sits in the main terminal at Ernesto Cortissoz International and mirrors Guantes de Oro on price: high commissions and weak COP rates compared with ATMs or city casas de cambio. Medellin Guru calls both counters the “easiest” cash option in the airport, but explicitly says they’re not the best value for exchanging money. Figure you’re paying a noticeable premium just for being on-site and walk-up.
The main terminal at BAQ handles both Domestic and International traffic through one building, and Globo Cambio is one of only two formal exchanges on the field. Reviews group the two together, with the same complaint: expensive commissions plus non‑competitive rates versus withdrawing pesos from local bank machines. If you must use it, keep the transaction small — think taxi fare into Barranquilla and a snack, not your whole trip budget.
Regular Colombia flyers on Medellin Guru recommend using ATMs or city casas de cambio for the bulk of your cash and treating Globo Cambio as a last‑resort backup. Strategy they suggest: withdraw at a bank ATM once in town, or at another Colombian airport with better options, and only convert here if you land late at BAQ and everything else is closed. Watch your receipt; check the COP rate against a live rate app like XE before agreeing.
Practical tip: if you’re arriving into International and tempted to change a lot, start with 50–100 USD equivalent here, then top up at a bank ATM in Barranquilla where fees and spreads are usually much lower.