Not sure if I should carry coins for public transport in Czech Republic or if card payments are common. Advice?
Czech transport is excellent. I loved that in Prague, every metro station had a ticket machine that took cards, and the PID app worked seamlessly. When I went to Brno, I didn’t even need a ticket - I just tapped my Visa card on the validator in the tram and it calculated the fare automatically. It was incredibly tourist-friendly. Compared to many cities, cash isn’t needed at all if you have a card.
The only time I had trouble was when the ticket machine in Prague’s Florenc station was down. My card didn’t work and I didn’t have coins, so I had to buy from a tabák shop with cash. While most of the system is modern, there are occasional moments where having 40 CZK in coins saves stress.
I stayed near Wenceslas Square in Prague and bought tram tickets from the yellow machine with my Mastercard. Once I also used the PID app, which let me buy tickets instantly and show a QR code. The system was modern and easy. In Brno, I even tapped my contactless card directly on the tram reader and it billed me at the daily cap rate. I never needed coins once.
Prague has trams, metro, and buses under PID. You can buy tickets at yellow machines in stations, newsstands, or via the PID Lítačka mobile app. Machines accept coins and most accept cards. Single tickets must be validated in the yellow machines on board. In Brno and Ostrava, card payments are also common. ATMs from Česká Spořitelna and Komerční banka are widely available for Czech koruna (CZK).