Is it better to pay taxis in Romania with cash, or do drivers accept cards or payment apps?
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.