Travelling soon - any advice if hostels accept cards in Portugal or I have to give them cash
Portugal is probably one of the easiest places in Europe when it comes to card acceptance. I stayed in multiple hostels across Lisbon, Porto, and Faro, and card payments were smooth. A few places wanted the tourist tax in cash, but that was just €2 per night. So yes, keep small change for that, but your hostel bed itself can almost always be paid with card.
From my trip, almost every hostel in Portugal took card. I stayed in Bairro Alto, Alfama, and in downtown Porto - no issues. The only exception was a smaller guesthouse in the Algarve where the card machine was “broken” and I had to pay cash. I’d recommend having €20-30 handy, but otherwise expect card to work fine.
Hostels across Lisbon and Porto all had working card readers. In Coimbra, my hostel also took card payments. Portugal in general is set up for cards, so I wouldn’t stress too much. Just note that some hostels ask for city tax in cash, especially in Lisbon. ATMs (called Multibanco) are everywhere, so easy backup.
Portugal was super card-friendly for me. I stayed at Yes! Lisbon Hostel, Home Lisbon Hostel, and a place in Porto, and all happily accepted Visa and Mastercard. Honestly, I barely touched cash for accommodation. The only time I needed coins was for laundry and metro tickets.