No issues elsewhere, but in Lesotho, both ATMs and stores keep rejecting my card. Anyone know if this is common? Any banks that actually work?
Bring South African rand with you before entering Lesotho - it’s accepted everywhere without conversion. If you need an ATM, Standard Lesotho Bank and Nedbank in Maseru city centre are the most reliable for Visa cards. Don’t count on Mastercard, it fails often. Stock up in Maseru if you’re heading to smaller towns like Roma or Semonkong because machines there are even less reliable.
Honestly, Lesotho is frustrating for foreign cards. My Monzo Mastercard and N26 Visa both failed at Nedbank and FNB ATMs in Maseru. Even inside the Pioneer Mall Spar supermarket, the POS machine kept declining. I had to borrow some rand from another traveller and later exchanged in town. Don’t assume you’ll be fine just because your card works everywhere else - Lesotho banking tech is patchy, and cash is king.
I had issues with my Revolut Mastercard being rejected almost everywhere, but once I switched to my Wise Visa, I was able to withdraw cash at Standard Lesotho Bank in Maseru. It even worked for card payments at Shoprite in Pioneer Mall. I was staying at Shoeshoe Backpackers and several other travellers mentioned the same - Visa is the way to go. Rand cash from South Africa also worked perfectly fine in taxis and markets.
It’s pretty common in Lesotho for cards not to work, especially Mastercard. Visa has far better acceptance, both at Standard Lesotho Bank ATMs and at stores in Maseru like those inside Pioneer Mall. FNB and Nedbank ATMs are your best shot if you’re carrying a foreign card. Maloti and South African rand are pegged 1:1, and rand cash is accepted everywhere, so it’s smart to bring some across the border if you can.