Do you run across a lot of places that don't take CC when you travel?

[eliza61]

I travel a lot and I was talking with another Disser today who said that many places are "Cash" only establishments.

I rarely travel with cash (outside of a few dollars) and I haven't been to a lot of places that don't take some form of electronic currency. Now in Europe I have had places that don't take American express but I've found even restaurants in small villages have some access to take electronic payment. they may charge you a fee for it but they can do it.

So my question is when you vacation any where what is your major form of payment? and does your perception change if a establishment or business wants a large amount of money in cash, let's say anything over $200 bucks.

When I said CRedit cards, I'm including debit cards with the visa/mastercard logo on it?

Poll included.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I haven't experienced anywhere that takes only cash, or I would be in trouble, because I hardly ever have cash.

My cousin did stop at a Bar-B-Que restaurant here in town the other day and they only take cash or check.

Suzanne

 

[Pakey]

I use credit cards primarily but it's always good to have cash. Wish we'd had more cash in May in China when we finished dinner and were told that they didn't take any kind of electronic payments and we didn't have enough RMB on us to pay for our meal. It didn't help that only one person in the place spoke any English and her vocabulary was limited to about 10 words. Oh well, it made a great story for my scrapbook.

 

[hipchickie]

I guess it depends on where you travel to.
If you are only going to EU countries, touristy areas, or big cities, you would probably be able to use CC most of the time.
If you are going to 3rd world countries, then no, they do not take CC, often not even in the big cities.
When I travel I plan on using cash, keep it on me at all times, and keep a CC for emergencies....if it is an emergency, I will track down a bank to use it at and get an advance.

 

[Disney845]

So my question is when you vacation any where what is your major form of payment? and does your perception change if a establishment or business wants a large amount of money in cash, let's say anything over $200 bucks.

I think I would be that other DISer

Just to vote properly, I would have to say that I predominantly travel using CCs.

I just think that there are other places around the world which are not as dependant on using/accepting CCs as we are here in the US (and many other countries), and that to discount visiting a particular restaurant or attraction, renting a vacation property (as opposed to staying in a chain hotel), or doing business with a particular proprietor only because you would have to pay CASH in the foreign currency is shortchanging yourself (regardless of the extra protection you may receive by strictly limiting yourself to credit cards).

 

[eliza61]

I think I would be that other DISer

Just to vote properly, I would have to say that I predominantly travel using CCs.

I just think that there are other places around the world which are not as dependant on using/accepting CCs as we are here in the US (and many other countries), and that to discount visiting a particular restaurant or attraction, renting a vacation property (as opposed to staying in a chain hotel), or doing business with a particular proprietor only because you would have to pay CASH in the foreign currency is shortchanging yourself (regardless of the extra protection you may receive by strictly limiting yourself to credit cards).

I would have given you a shout out but I couldn't get my pm button to work and I always like to ask first. LOL

Thanks for letting me use you ideas.

 

[mickey grandmom]

This summer we traveled through about 8 states. We hardly ever have cash. When we travel I might have $50.00 or so. We mostly have no problem,but
I always look for the cc signs on the door and before I order (if a eating establishment) or buy something I always inquire,"do you except credit cards?"

 

[rock_doctor]

Not really a gal but voted anyway

We are credit card only in our house. I do not do business with places that do not accept credit cards. I do understand why they want cash only, as they in reality pay quite a bit to the cc companies, 3 to 5 percent in some cases but i feel it is the cost of doing business. Traveling outside the US can be difficult w/o cash. I have found that not may places will take credit cards outside the US but I still insist on using them everywhere and have used my Capital One card (they do not charge you any type of currency exchange fee) from Siberia to Italy to Canada. Both Visa and Master Card have a presence in Europe but AE can be an issue... The only place i have seen that was truly cash only was Tibet but i can understand that due to their current political issues. Imho, it is dangerous to use your debt card outside the US or even in the US in my opinion. They have open access to drain your account and you will be totally responsible. The bank will do nothing to help you.

 

[neatokimmo]

The only time I have to pay cash is for street vendor types. Like in NYC, I bought artsy photo stuff from a guy. On cruises, the little shops with local knock knacks only take cash.

But I can't remember a time outside of those two trips where I couldn't pay with a CC. Even Coke machines have swipers on them.

 

[cluvsdisney]

We got in the habit of paying cash more often then not.

I know of several places that only take cash - there are 2 restaurants right up the street from me, plus a couple of pizza places and other establishments that only accept cash like news stands. In fact Peter Luger's which is a very popular and expensive steakhouse only takes cash or their own credit card as payment.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I'm predominately cash, although I will use plastic here and there. Just old fashioned that way and I just don't see using the credit card for everything..that's how our country got into the big mess in the first place. A rule of thumb for me is, if I don't have the cash for a purchase( even if it's not on hand but sitting in a bank) then I don't buy it.

Even my Disney trips are paid in advance..I put down the deposit and pay it off with debit..my upcoming trip is completely paid for, flights and all. Most of my spending money will be debit, I will carry some cash and a Disney gift card.

 

[descovy]

We ran into a "cash problem" on our roadtrip this summer from TX to SC/GA/FL/AL/MS/LA.

I counted on dh to take money out on Fri night before we left. He was expecing me to do it (along with EVERYTHING else ) Neither one of us did.

We did have $200 between us, which we figured was fine. We are credit card people (and like *all* good dis'ers, pay it off monthly ) But sometimes there were small purchases, tolls, tips, etc... that seemed to suck our cash up... little by little.

We were planning a meal at Lamberts in Foley, AL toward the end of our trip. We knew it was a CASH ONLY restaurant. As a family of 5, we're talking $60 min. Cafe Du Monde in NOLA, a good $40 cash only.

So we figured, no biggie, we'd hit an ATM somewhere along the way. We have checking accounts at Chase and Capital One. Both are "national" banks but apparently not found in any of the SE states we were visting!

We ended up last minute paying $6.95 in bank fees to pull out $100 from a different bank's ATM. Certainly not the end of the world, but a life lesson in traveling that credit cards can't pay it all!

Now in my suburban life at home, all go on the CC. I take out $20 cash every 2 weeks on payday, and usually have some left over. Just the way I roll, I guess...

 

[Starbrite]

On the cruises I've taken, the local shops usually only take cash. If you stay right on the port area/dock they usually take credit cards. But in the towns, the handmade craft vendors, local dive bars, etc only take cash.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've never had a problem in the States, but I do tend to look for visa/mc logos to make sure ahead of time.

But hubby just ran into a problem when he landed in Germany later in the evening, it took an hour to get to his hotel etc, then he went to a restaurant in the evening and at the end of the meal found out they didn't take American credit (or debit) cards. Whoopsie! Luckily he'd gotten a small bit of cash out at the layover airport, and that almost covered it. He went back the next day to pay them the rest of what he owed them; they were very nice about it, but he still felt foolish. I bet he'll check beforehand the next time!

 

[bettymae1121]

All of my trips since '98 have all been to domestic, large metro areas. So I use plastic unless the cost is less than $10. Even getting cash is easy, I use Chase and they are everywhere (including Disney!). I just hang on to all receipts and match them up to the online statement once I get home. I don't even have to wait for the bill!

If traveling outside the US, I'd probably carry a bit more in cash, just to be on the safe side.

 

[malibuconlee]

We use credit cards when traveling. Of course we do the same in everyday life and use the rewards.

I almost always have SOME cash on me and ALWAYS when traveling. I had a friend that would get on an airplane with her toddler with NO cash. That drove me insane. I dropped her at the airport and couldn't help her inside because I had my own toddler in the car. I had to give her $5 to tip the porter they sent to help her. When I picked her up late at night she wanted to pay for the parking, but had only about 75 cents on her. I said not to worry about it.

There is NO WAY I could do that, travel across the country all day with a toddler without cash on me. What if the network went down and you couldn't use your card?

 

[JB2K]

OP - "I'm an electronic gal"?

Ahem...there are fellas here who like to save a few bucks, too...

 

[JB2K]

Now in Europe I have had places that don't take American express but I've found even restaurants in small villages have some access to take electronic payment. they may charge you a fee for it but they can do it.

Gender-specific polls, aside, I offer this concerning certain credit/debit cards:

If you are a domestic traveler, MC/Visa are accepted nearly everywhere in the U.S. (and AmEx and Discover are becoming more commonplace, as well). However, if you are dealing with a small (mom-and-pop) business, they usually accept only MC/Visa and cash (reason being is that AmEx and Discover charge hefty merchant fees for every card swipe).

As for traveling abroad, AmEx is hit-or-miss depending on what country you are visiting. Discover is not widely-accepted outside the U.S. as it is perceived to be, for the most part, a domestic card.

 

[loveclarice]

Once I was in a city in Russia, and I didn't really take any cash with me, planning to take some out at an atm. Lo and behold, the only atm in the entire city was broken and I had to borrow money from friends the whole time.

I don't carry a ton of cash with me, just take it out as needed. But it depends on how good your bank is about fraud as to whether that's a good idea. For me, there's no difference between having a credit card stolen or a debit card--my bank is just as good at dealing with theft as credit card companies.

 

[PrincessDana]

There was an ice cream kiosk in the Magic Kingdom (near Space Mountain) that was only cash two years ago. I didn't find out until I went to order....so I started digging around in my bag for change...didn't have enough. I told my daughter we would have to find the frozen lemonade somewhere else (as in somewhere that would take my room key or CC), but the fella at the kiosk just handed us the frozen lemonade without charging us....I was oh, so very embarrassed.

I felt like the poorest person in the world. lol. I wanted to say...I HAVE MONEY, just not cash. LOL. But instead, I just said "thanks so much." He wouldn't even take what cash I did have....