Travelling soon - any advice if hostels accept cards in Ethiopia or I have to give them cash
Just back from Ethiopia-good news for hostel stays in Addis: hostels such as Mad Vervet and airport‑area ones allow card payments (Visa, Mastercard, AmEx). But for day‑to‑day life-small shops, local transport-you’ll need birr cash. My tip? Use your card for the hostel, but always keep local birr handy for everything else. Made my life easy and hassle‑free.
I chilled at Mad Vervet Backpackers in the city-cards were no issue, accepted all major ones plus cash in birr. Booking sites also showed hostels near the airport with card‑only options. But outside that, like little cafés or minibuses, it’s birr all the way. So I split it: card for hotel, cash for the street‑level stuff. It felt balanced and practical.
Over in Addis Ababa, places like Mad Vervet Backpackers Hostel definitely accept credit and debit cards-Visa, Mastercard, even AmEx at some spots-and they also take cash in Ethiopian birr. Some lodging by Bole Airport noted “card payments” clearly too. That said, for small guesthouses or markets, having birr cash on hand is smart since not everything takes cards.