Can I use a card to pay for taxis in Latvia, or should I carry local cash?
My experience in Riga and Sigulda showed me that cards are mostly fine, especially if you stick to Bolt. Street taxis can be hit or miss. One driver happily accepted my card, but another pretended the reader was broken, so I ended up paying in cash. Latvia is card-friendly overall, but not perfect. If you want zero hassle, book through an app. If you prefer to wave down a cab on the street, make sure to have some euros ready.
Latvia is one of those places where card payments are generally accepted but not guaranteed. I got into a taxi at Riga Airport and the driver asked me straight away if I wanted to pay by card or cash. The machine worked fine, and I tapped my card with no issue. But a few nights later, another driver said his terminal had no signal. I had to hand him euros. It doesn’t hurt to be ready with both options.
My visit to Latvia was easy in terms of taxi payments. Bolt is everywhere in Riga, and since the app charges your card directly, you don’t need to handle cash at all. I did take one old-school taxi off the street in Jurmala, and he wanted cash only. So while Riga and other cities are card-friendly, don’t assume every single cab will accept it. It’s best to keep €20-30 in cash, especially if you’re heading outside the capital.
Riga is pretty modern with payments, and most official taxis take cards without issue. I used Bolt nearly every day and paid by card in-app. Even when I hailed a taxi near the central station, the driver had a working card machine. That said, some travelers complain about drivers claiming “machine not working” to get cash, so I still carried a few euros. Overall, Latvia is card-friendly in taxis, but keeping small notes avoids stressful moments if something goes wrong.