Cash or Card? Countries where you still need cash.

[Flyfrequently]

Quite a few restaurants in Funchal, Madeira (Portugal) notionally accepted card until you tried to actually use it and “the terminal never work”. “Use cash okay”.

Also in Lisbon @Scarlett apparently it is because it is costly for the merchant - somewhere around 30% we were informed.

Edit: it was Porto (a few restaurants by the river) not Lisbon.

 

[RooFlyer]

I take cash, 3 credit cards, 3 ATM cards and then everything available to be used on my Google wallet as well.

That's just sensible, although I wouldn't take that much cash! I get off the plane with 2 CCs, 2 debit/ATM cards, about US$20 cash in small bills and about A$50 equiv in local currency. Often I have the US$ and local currency left over from a previous trip. If I have a lot of local, I'll take it all and use it up.

Absolutely no stress about wondering if a merchant will take a particular form of payment (and hassle when they don't).

 

[SYD]

Also in Lisbon @Scarlett apparently it is because it is costly for the merchant - somewhere around 30% we were informed.

Lisbon (and Porto) aren’t so bad but outside of those, cash only was common.

Not sure about those merchant fees. Sounds a bit odd.

 

[Cynicor]

I can’t imagine 30%. I can barely imagine 3% on interchange fees tbh

 

[N860CR]

I can’t imagine 30%. I can barely imagine 3% on interchange fees tbh

If it goes through a card machine, they’ll be paying tax. If it’s cash… “ah nobody needa know hey”

 

[Mattg]

Do you mean card is not widely accepted?

Oh, yes I did mean card! Have corrected the typo in my post.

Also, USD there are only accepted if they are clean, crisp and ultra crisp........

Officially, businesses are not allowed to accept USD as payment. There was an announcement on the plane that this is illegal. Of course, in practice, things may be different.

 

[Port Power]

I have just returned from a month-long trip in the UK, France, Spain and Morocco. I took 40 Euro cash and returned with 20E in notes and some coin. It would have been 30E but I left my CC at the hotel and had to pay a friend back for a purchase. In England and Wales, CC was accepted everywhere. Ditto in France and Spain, even very out of the way hotels for a glass of wine. In Morocco, the only place I would have needed cash were the markets, but as I wasn't interested in trinkets, that didn't bother me.

In Japan last year, I also used the CC everywhere. One market-like shop wouldn't take CC under the equivalent of $30, but even a lot of food stalls took CC. I still have some USD, which is needed for tips. My tip from one hotel in Canada: add $10 or whatever amount to your room bill, and they will give you the cash to tip porters and other hotel staff. Very handy! Personally, I no longer take cash with me overseas.

 

[burmans]

I can’t imagine 30%. I can barely imagine 3% on interchange fees tbh

If you regard tax as a fee maybe!

 

[Flyfrequently]

If you regard tax as a fee maybe!

I believe this is the Portuguese "interpretation" @burmans !

 

[pagingjoan]

I have just returned from a month-long trip in the UK, France, Spain and Morocco. I took 40 Euro cash and returned with 20E in notes and some coin. It would have been 30E but I left my CC at the hotel and had to pay a friend back for a purchase. In England and Wales, CC was accepted everywhere. Ditto in France and Spain, even very out of the way hotels for a glass of wine. In Morocco, the only place I would have needed cash were the markets, but as I wasn't interested in trinkets, that didn't bother me.

In Japan last year, I also used the CC everywhere. One market-like shop wouldn't take CC under the equivalent of $30, but even a lot of food stalls took CC. I still have some USD, which is needed for tips. My tip from one hotel in Canada: add $10 or whatever amount to your room bill, and they will give you the cash to tip porters and other hotel staff. Very handy! Personally, I no longer take cash with me overseas.

Which parts of Japan? How long were you travelling there?

 

[Port Power]

Which parts of Japan? How long were you travelling there?

All over the place, from Hokkaido in the east to the western end of the mainland. I was on a circumnavigation cruise for a month in August/ September, and a 3-week land tour in very late March/ April. I’m not saying my experience was the same as others: perhaps I was just in the right places.

 

[LondonAussie]

Also in Lisbon @Scarlett apparently it is because it is costly for the merchant - somewhere around 30% we were informed.

Edit: it was Porto (a few restaurants by the river) not Lisbon.

And card surcharges are illegal in Europe, so they can't add it to your bill, like they would in Australia!

 

[pagingjoan]

All over the place, from Hokkaido in the east to the western end of the mainland. I was on a circumnavigation cruise for a month in August/ September, and a 3-week land tour in very late March/ April. I’m not saying my experience was the same as others: perhaps I was just in the right places.

Interesting that our experiences were so different. But perhaps your “cruise/tour” context was the key.

We have been travelling independently, both late last year and in September this year, and were in “untouristy” places for chunks of time, particularly this year, and using local transport often, so a different world maybe. Certainly, we would have been hungry, thirsty and reduced to walking had we not had cash.

 

[Cynicor]

Yeah, once you get more rural in Japan there are many cash only places. It’s very random, however.

I needed cash at the airport for train tickets (handwritten sign up, assume something was down that day), for petrol (card theoretically worked but 3 different ones “declined” and for 2 meals in Ishiuchi, an aging and (until recently) dying ski area. Izakayas and similar, run by older people, cash only