No issues elsewhere, but in Seychelles, both ATMs and stores keep rejecting my card. Anyone know if this is common? Any banks that actually work?
My Mastercard worked fine in Victoria at MCB Bank, but on Praslin two ATMs rejected it. Hotels and bigger restaurants take cards, but local beach bars and markets prefer cash. For budgeting, expect around 1,200 SCR daily if you’re doing island tours and eating out. Don’t assume you can pay by card everywhere-cash is still essential, especially on smaller islands. Withdraw enough in Victoria before traveling out.
Felt like waving a baguette rather than a Mastercard sometimes! Turns out some local merchants don’t accept foreign cards unless you spend SCR 500+. After a few rejections I used Absa ATM once and used that cash for everything else. Hotels and souvenir shops in Victoria accepted cards fine, but random beach shacks? Nope. My tip: use ATM in town to get cash, and treat card use as a nice bonus when it works-not your only plan.
I tracked this when I was island hopping: Seychelles banks are few, and some only accept domestic cards. Absa and MCB were consistent with card acceptance at both ATMs and POS, while smaller banks or shops connected to newer payment providers struggled. My workaround: use Absa/MCB ATMs for cash, and pay by card only at places flagged as tourist-friendly or embassy-endorsed. That prevented most declines.
Yeah, I thought I was going nuts when my Mastercard declined at a tiny café. Turns out smaller shops only have local machine setups and some banks block foreign BINs. What worked for me: withdraw cash once from Absa or MCB ATM, which processed fine, and use those cash reserves for shops. Big hotels, restaurants, tour operators take cards consistently, but always good to have some scrupulously withdrawn cash for smaller spots.
That happened to me with my Visa too-some Absa ATMs didn’t recognise my card first try, same with some small shops refusing it. But MCB ATMs and the one at airport worked fine. Once I switched ATM brand, everything was smooth. I also found bigger grocery and hotel POS machines more reliable. Tip: look for the Visa logo on the ATM; if it’s missing, your card might get spat back out.