Cash or Card? Countries where you still need cash.

[dajop]

I'm currently in the Netherlands and even some of the major supermarkets (e.g. Albert Heijn) don't accept international credit cards.

Did vary by specific store though. We were in Netherlands in April, and one Albert Heijn in Amsterdam had prominent signs saying "Visa, Amex, Mastercard not accepted", whilst the next day we went to a different store and no problems, and a few days later in Rotterdam also no problems.

 

[jastel]

Card only at Magnolia Silos bakery in Waco, TX, USA yesterday. I didn't have one with me. Had to get a local to pay with card for me and give them the cash.

Another local Waco restaurant also refused to accept cash. I only became aware of this after dinning. I left the cash on the table and walked out.

Several businesses here in Aust tried that on me during covid...I know the employees so they use their CC and get points etc and I use cash. You wonder if the companies ever think "Gee employee Fred has bought thousands of $$ off us? We dont pay him that well?"

Another time I wanted 1 O ring it was 37c, and they wanted me to use a CC...put 50c on counter and walked out laughing at them. I still shop there...no CC only cough mentioned again.

In the US you would probably need to give them a tip as well but...

 

[RooFlyer]

Zero interest in the ME. I dont spend my tourist $ in countries where it is not safe for a woman to travel alone, and where a women's rights arent protected. Also not interested in religious sites.

Perhaps you should go there - maybe as a group at first - and you'll see how your preconceptions are wrong.

When I went to Iran, there was an 83 yo lady from Ireland, in our group travelling by herself and she had no qualms about wandering off by herself after dinner in downtown Tehran.

Given the incident in Qatar with all those women being internally examined (aka assaulted and our govt did nothing) i would not even transit any ME country.

You keep referring to the Doha Airport incident - fair enough - but do you judge all countries on the basis of a single bad incident? The USA - many women travelling alone raped, murdered etc for instance. I guess that's not a single bad incident though.

 

[adenda]

I loathe these terminals so much. Tap card, server flips the screen towards you and looks away or goes to fulfil an order, 15%, 20%, 25% etc (30% if the setup is cheeky). Tiny no-tip button positioned in a way where it's obvious if you click it.

Recently back from USA and encountered these machines a few times. Made a it of a blunder when I was presented with buttons on the screen for 18%, 20% and 22% as well as a Custom button. Deciding 10% was more appropriate I selected Custom and typed in 10 then OK. Only later when I looked at the receipt did I realise I'd generously left a 10c tip!

 

[Lynda2475]

Perhaps you should go there - maybe as a group at first - and you'll see how your preconceptions are wrong.

No thanks, i stick by my principals.

Women in Iran are second class citizens, not only would I face serious limitations, by spending tourist $ there it is saying I am ok with this treatment. I am not so it is a no go.

I find it abhorrent that men can marry girls as young as 9; that women need permission form a male relative to get a passport or leave the country.

You keep referring to the Doha Airport incident - fair enough - but do you judge all countries on the basis of a single bad incident?

That incident was essentially government sanctioned rape (as a male you can't fully appreciate the horror), so yes this single incident is enough to avoid the place entirely as the Qataris have not apologised to the women, nor expressed any regret for their completely inappropriate actions. And our government seriously let the women down by imposing no sanctions nor taking any action - very weak.

The poor mother who dumped the child in the bathroom was likely some il treated foreign worker who was so scared of being jailed; it was simply ridiculous to assume it was tourists travelling to Australia where there is no need to fear being a single mum.

The USA - many women travelling alone raped, murdered etc for instance.

You can be attacked anywhere. BUT if you report a rape in the USA, UK, EU etc you yourself don't end up in jail and there is a legal process. In the UAE the victim can be charged for having sex outside of marriage even though there was no consent, so barbaric - the victim didn't choose to be attacked - recall when this happened to Qantas flight attendant.

For some people cheap airfares trump their principals. For a straight male where there are no real restrictions it can be easy to ignore the double standard. I choose not to.

 

[Poss]

In Singapore the transit automatic ticket machines did not take foreign issued credit cards. Had to find q cash only machine to top up.

 

[Scarlett]

Ah, yes Singapore is generally cash at hawker stalls but card should go far elsewhere.

Jakarta was pretty good taking card at bricks ‘n mortar places but I’d assume cash only at street food places?

You might be surprised at how flexible some of the small places in Indonesia are.
The barbers I go to (three chairs, so not a completely tiny place - but it is just one small room) charge Rp35,000 so that’s pretty much $3.50. They accept cash, cards and I see plenty of others pointing their phone at a QR code on the mirror up the front then showing the proof of payment to the person who’d cut their hair. Most little warungs (small food places) take card as well as cash. I’ve found the Indonesian banking system to be very easy to use.

If I think about it, I use cash at…tried thinking… guess not many places! I some times tip the Gojek delivery riders, but that’s like 2000 or 5000 Rp. Got one: caddies at golf courses!

 

[Lizzi]

In Helsinki last week I didn't need cash once, even at the market stalls. Germany this week, I wasn't able to buy a drink at a concert without cash, or use the laundromat. I also had to buy a min 10E to use my card in a convenience kiosk.
I'm in Belgium now haven't yet used cash. (I went to an Albert Heijn yesterday and they took my visa card, so them rejecting cards might be a NL thing.)

 

[dajop]

In Singapore the transit automatic ticket machines did not take foreign issued credit cards. Had to find q cash only machine to top up.

That is odd, I am sure I've had relatives who've done top up with foreign issued credit cards.

In any event if you can pay by tapping with your card and/or have it loaded in Apple or Google wallets you can just tap and go with the card without the need for a separate card, and foreign cards definitely work with this method. (although I realise for children you'd probably need reloadable ezlink cards unless you had a credit card per child).

 

[tdimdad]

In Helsinki last week I didn't need cash once, even at the market stalls.

I have no recollection when was the last time I would have used cash in Finland or Sweden. Though, I've done my laundry on the Finnish side since my trips to Sweden tend to be so short. Even public toilets in Sweden have taken Paywave. However, not all places take credit cards, e.g. some public transport operators use their own cards / payment methods but you can buy them using your credit card.

In fact, when living up that way, I was 95% cashless in 2005. Then I moved to Australia and got thrown 20 years back... Only now I'm reaching the same state in Australia.

If only I could access Grab banking (or similar) in SG, I could probably do 90% of activities there without cash.

 

[Pushka]

Zero interest in the ME. I dont spend my tourist $ in countries where it is not safe for a woman to travel alone, and where a women's rights arent protected. Also not interested in religious sites.

But your interest isn't the point though in this context. The topic is countries preferring cash over card.

(As far as women and men in these countries, in Saudi Arabia it was an American woman who treated the guide with much personal disrespect. Even I was shocked at what she did and I think I even gasped aloud. And in Oman we had a very open and honest discussion with our Omani local about the education of women and their future in such countries. We both learned something)

 

[Lynda2475]

your interest isn't the point though in this context

But it is, as i deliberately qualified my response with IME (in my experience). The only places where cash was a must was Cuba - everywhere I have travelled cashless is entirely possible.

And despite what others have posted here I have used Aussie issued debit/credit cards to pay for Petrol at a bowser in the USA and to dine out in local (non chain, non hotel) restaurants in Portugal.

YMMV as always.

 

[Flashback]

As has been noted a few times, Germany is the outlier here - powerhouse economy in the EU but an oddity that a lot of places (restaurants etc.) will only take cash.

India has a lot of places that are cash only too, I'd like to also add to the list Madagascar, Guinea and Liberia - although it depends where you go. If you go to a more local place, yes, but if you're eating at hotels and 'nice' restaurants (quite common in the capital cities) then card is no problem.

Don't think you've been to Egypt, Israel or Jordan yet then.

How so? We took out a wad of cash in Israel (spent just over a week there) and didn't end up needing it, ended up using it for a taxi to the airport in the end.

Egypt I paid card everywhere too. Jordan was card everywhere for us also, except the odd small tourist shop to buy small things like a magnet and such.

I'm currently in the Netherlands and even some of the major supermarkets (e.g. Albert Heijn) don't accept international credit cards.

Ran into this one at Rotterdam train station. First day we bought a train ticket no worries using my UK card. The next day we were told sorry, don't take international cards. Same window as we used the day before, same person even .... so work that one out!

 

[Pushka]

As has been noted a few times, Germany is the outlier here - powerhouse economy in the EU but an oddity that a lot of places (restaurants etc.) will only take cash.

India has a lot of places that are cash only too, I'd like to also add to the list Madagascar, Guinea and Liberia - although it depends where you go. If you go to a more local place, yes, but if you're eating at hotels and 'nice' restaurants (quite common in the capital cities) then card is no problem.


How so? We took out a wad of cash in Israel (spent just over a week there) and didn't end up needing it, ended up using it for a taxi to the airport in the end.

Egypt I paid card everywhere too. Jordan was card everywhere for us also, except the odd small tourist shop to buy small things like a magnet and such.

Ran into this one at Rotterdam train station. First day we bought a train ticket no worries using my UK card. The next day we were told sorry, don't take international cards. Same window as we used the day before, same person even .... so work that one out!

We needed cash in those countries. . To hire a camel. Pay for our tours. Buy drinks. Buy souvenirs. I used all the cash I'd sourced prior and also used an ATM in Cairo for top up.

 

[Flashback]

We needed cash in those countries. . To hire a camel. Pay for our tours. Buy drinks. Buy souvenirs. I used all the cash I'd sourced prior and also used an ATM in Cairo for top up.

Interesting, I had to rush around at the end of the trip for each of those countries to try and get rid of the cash I had!

 

[clifford]

In any event if you can pay by tapping with your card and/or have it loaded in Apple or Google wallets you can just tap and go with the card without the need for a separate card, and foreign cards definitely work with this method.

Yes, indeed, when I was there a few weeks ago I happily used my Bankwest mastercard on buses and trains without issue.

 

[jastel]

So what we can summarize is that all individual shops, businesses and countries are different and that we should all carry both some cash and a credit card at all times....

 

[lydea]

Christmas Market Stalls along the Rhine. So Germany, France and Switzerland. And some restrooms.

I was recently in Potsdam doing the royal palaces, along with a crowd of teenagers on school excursion, grrr.... Had to walk a long way to the toilet, nearly bursting by the time I got to ...the 1Euro turnstile. I groped for my wallet, found my backpack zip open and wallet gone. Talk about mixed bodily and emotional feelings. A merciful Pom recognised the miserable situation and beckoned me to push through the turnstile with her. Cash (even small cash) still rules some situations.

 

[Mattg]

Did vary by specific store though. We were in Netherlands in April, and one Albert Heijn in Amsterdam had prominent signs saying "Visa, Amex, Mastercard not accepted", whilst the next day we went to a different store and no problems, and a few days later in Rotterdam also no problems.

Sadly, Albert Heijns that accept credit cards are the exception, rather than the rule.

Jumbo does accept credit cards though, so I mostly shop there.

 

[Qantas747]

That is odd, I am sure I've had relatives who've done top up with foreign issued credit cards.

In Singapore, only the older-style ticket machines at MRT stations take foreign cards (the machines that also accept cash). The newer ones don't. Unfortunately, many stations have now replaced all but one of the older machines with the new ones, which is very inconvenient. There was a very long line last week at a station of foreigners buying tickets from the counter, as the only older machine was very well hidden behind a pole!

In Indonesia, cash is absolutely king. As soon as you're out of the city or tourist areas, there is a 0 chance that you can pay with card. The QRIS (Indonesian QR code) can be used in some stores, but it's very much still the minority.

Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia - all similar to Indonesia, with cash being king. Most local places will not accept cards. Cambodia also accepts USD in addition to KHR, with most prices in Siem Reap tourist areas being listed in USD only and a street exchange rate of 1 USD = 4000 KHR in place.

Of course, if you're just visiting foreigner-oriented places, such as upmarket restaurants, many will accept cards. But what's the point in travelling if you don't actually visit the real country? I don't understand people who visit a country (especially in Asia) and only eat at restaurants. What a waste.