Is it better to pay taxis in Norway with cash, or do drivers accept cards or payment apps?
Norway is one of those countries where taxis are modernized and almost everyone uses cards or mobile apps. I traveled between Oslo and Bergen, and every ride I took was paid with my card. They usually offer contactless as well, which is very convenient. Vipps is popular, but as a foreigner, you might not always be able to set it up, so stick to your card. Carrying a lot of cash isn’t really necessary in Norway, especially for taxis.
From my time in Norway, I can say cash is almost irrelevant for taxis. The drivers are completely set up with card readers, and a lot of them even prefer cards because it’s faster. Apps like Vipps and sometimes contactless payment through phones work perfectly. I asked one driver about cash and he laughed, saying Norwegians hardly use it anymore. My tip: don’t worry about getting local kroner for taxis unless you like having backup. Cards are the default here.
When I visited Norway, I quickly learned how digital the country is. Taxis are fully integrated with card systems, and the readers never gave me trouble. Some even allowed me to pay with Apple Pay. In fact, it felt strange to even think about using cash there. I did notice that locals lean heavily on Vipps, which is their go-to app for transfers and taxi payments. For visitors though, cards are more than enough. Cash isn’t part of daily taxi life.
In Norway, I never once needed cash for a taxi. Every cab I took in Oslo, Bergen, and Tromsø had a card terminal, and they worked smoothly with both Visa and Mastercard. They also accept payment apps like Vipps, which Norwegians love. It’s honestly one of the easiest countries for digital payments. That being said, I still kept some cash on me just in case, but it never came out of my wallet. Norway is extremely card-friendly when it comes to taxis.