Trying to plan ahead so any know if card payments are common at hostels in Bangladesh or cash is king?
I stayed in Dhaka and Chittagong - both hostels I tried required cash, even though they advertised card acceptance online. ATMs are reliable in cities, and Standard Chartered ATMs gave me money on my Visa, but withdrawal fees stacked up. The lesson: hostels in Bangladesh mostly want cash. Don’t expect to breeze through check-in with just a card. Carry enough taka, especially if you’re heading outside Dhaka.
Bangladesh is definitely not a card-first country when it comes to budget stays. My hostel in Old Dhaka asked for cash at check-in, and another in Cox’s Bazar said their card machine was “offline.” It’s safer to just expect cash payments and plan withdrawals from BRAC Bank or Dutch-Bangla Bank ATMs. Cards are slowly spreading, but hostels rely heavily on cash. If you’re planning ahead, take out enough taka at the airport or major banks.
My experience in Bangladesh was mixed. The hostel I used near Dhanmondi in Dhaka technically had a card terminal, but they nudged me toward cash. I managed to pay by Mastercard at another spot in Banani, but it failed once and I had to walk to an Eastern Bank ATM. Outside of Dhaka, no one accepted cards. If planning ahead, assume cash is necessary for hostels, and keep your card for ATM withdrawals only.
In Dhaka, my hostel asked for cash upfront - their card machine “wasn’t working.” I heard that line a lot in Bangladesh. In Gulshan, one guesthouse did accept my Visa, but it took multiple tries. Outside Dhaka, especially in Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar, cash was absolutely king. ATMs like Dutch-Bangla Bank or Standard Chartered worked well, but queues were long. If you want to avoid last-minute stress, always carry taka, because cards are unreliable in hostels here.