Is it better to pay taxis in Romania with cash, or do drivers accept cards or payment apps?
Honestly, if you’re traveling in Romania, think of taxis as mostly cash-first. Drivers on the street want lei, and they may not have change for larger bills. I used Bolt a lot in Bucharest and found it the easiest option, since card payments were seamless through the app. Smaller towns have fewer app-based rides, so in those cases, cash is essential. I’d say keep a mix-cash for emergencies, but rely on Bolt or Uber whenever you can.
I stayed in Romania for a few weeks, and taxis were a bit of a mixed bag. The airport taxis often advertised card acceptance, but twice I was told the terminal was broken, so I ended up paying cash. With Bolt and Uber, card worked every time, no issues at all. I’d strongly recommend downloading an app rather than flagging down random taxis, not only for price transparency but also for guaranteed payment by card. Carry some lei anyway.
Had to take a cab from Henri Coandă Airport to my hostel in Lipscani. Driver said “card yes,” but it didn’t go through-tried both Mastercard and Wise. He ended up driving me to a BCR ATM to withdraw cash. Bit awkward, but fine. Since then I just used Bolt-it’s cheaper and avoids the card headache.
Romanian cabs are hit or miss. In Timisoara, the Nova Taxi cars had working POS terminals, but my Revolut card still got declined. I had to dig out 100 RON. Ever since, I’ve stuck to Uber or Bolt where available-way more reliable. The drivers are generally friendly, but tech issues are common. Cash backup is smart.
Used Bolt throughout Cluj-Napoca and it was seamless-paid by card in-app every time. But one night I tried to wave down a regular taxi after a concert and the guy wanted exact cash. No card reader, no QR code. If you're in a rush, always have some RON on you, especially outside big cities.
In Bucharest, most taxis I saw near Gara de Nord wanted cash. I got in one from Cristaxi and the dude groaned when I asked about card-said “not working today.” Paid 50 RON in cash, no meter. Yango and Bolt were way easier-linked my Visa debit and never had to deal with change or sketchy fare drama.