Travelling soon - any advice if hostels accept cards in Zimbabwe or I have to give them cash
Checked into Backpackers Inn Bulawayo in June. They let me pay half my bill by card for the knotty rooms, but the rest had to be in ZWL. It was weirdly split. Didn’t happen elsewhere. I had USD handy so I mixed payments. My tip: ask at reception about card fees or if the Wi‑Fi POS works. Don’t assume you can pay fully with Amex - it’s almost never accepted.
I've been bouncing between hostels in Mutare and Harare since April. A few boutique hostels will accept Visa/MasterCard but always confirm before booking. Most budget places only want ZWL or USD. I keep $100 in cash for the first couple of nights, then switch to card when staying in nicer places like Cresta or Meikles - they have solid POS systems, but most mid-range hostels do not.
Stayed at Vic Falls Backpackers in May - no card acceptance at all. I tried to charge my Mastercard but got a shrug. Only cash, full stop. Then at Hwange Lodge, they did take card, but slapped on 10% surcharge and the payment system crashed mid-transaction. I’m done testing that. Plan for $10-15/night in cash, and treat any card payment as a backup, not the default.
Booked Sable Hills Backpackers in Harare this March and I had to pay upfront in cash. They accepted USD or ZWL, but no card machine. Same in Bulawayo’s Highlander Hostel - I used USD. Some places online joked about “card readers coming soon,” but they never did. Bring petty cash for dorms and extras. Even if a hostel lists “card payments,” expect them to ask you to transfer via EcoCash or pay when they have signal.