Trying to plan ahead so any know if card payments are common at hostels in Papua New Guinea or cash is king?
If you’re backpacking PNG, expect cash-only across hostels. ATMs can be a hassle too, sometimes empty, sometimes down. Best approach is withdraw from a BSP or ANZ ATM in Port Moresby before traveling to smaller towns. Don’t assume your card will help once you’re there.
I did a short trip last year and every single hostel or guesthouse wanted cash upfront. Even though I booked through a website with a card, the actual payment on arrival had to be kina. PNG just isn’t a card-friendly country yet.
Travelling around PNG you learn quickly that cash is the only reliable option. At Madang Lodge they let me use card once, but my hostel in Lae laughed when I asked. Machines are rare and even when they exist, power or network cuts make them useless. Just bring enough kina to cover your stay.
Honestly in PNG it’s pretty much cash everywhere. I stayed in Port Moresby and Goroka and the hostels I found only accepted kina. Some of the larger hotels or lodges might have card facilities, but backpacker-type hostels don’t. I wouldn’t count on swiping at all.