Not sure if I should carry coins for public transport in Mongolia or if card payments are common. Advice?
It was frustrating at first because I didn’t know about U Money. I got on a bus near Zaisan, tried to hand the driver cash, and he waved me off. Nobody explained it clearly, and I had to find a kiosk selling the card. Once I figured it out, it worked fine. But tourists should know you can’t ride buses in Ulaanbaatar without U Money anymore.
I thought the U Money system was excellent. I bought my card at a kiosk near the State Department Store in Ulaanbaatar, loaded it with 10,000 MNT at a TDB ATM, and tapped away all week. Buses were cheap and fast. For intercity, I used cash, but it was straightforward - no confusion. Honestly, I liked how organized the city buses felt.
I stayed near Peace Avenue and rode buses daily to Sukhbaatar Square. Each time I tapped my U Money card, which I recharged at a Khan Bank ATM inside State Department Store. It was super easy once set up, but no driver would accept cash. When I traveled to Terelj National Park, the minibus at Dragon Bus Terminal only took cash in tugriks, so I withdrew some at a Golomt Bank ATM before leaving. Definitely need both.
In Ulaanbaatar, buses use the U Money smart card, which you load with tugriks. Cash is no longer accepted directly on most buses. You can buy and recharge U Money at kiosks, supermarkets, and some ATMs. Outside Ulaanbaatar, intercity minibuses and vans are still cash-only. ATMs from Khan Bank and Golomt Bank are reliable for withdrawing tugriks. So in the capital, card (via U Money) is a must, but carry cash for countryside travel.