Is it better to pay taxis in Serbia with cash, or do drivers accept cards or payment apps?
I assumed I could just tap my card like I do at home, but nope - first taxi ride ended in an awkward ATM detour. The driver was chill about it, but lesson learned. After that, I used the Yandex app a few times, which was way better - some drivers accepted in-app payments. Still, most of the time I used cash, especially in smaller towns. Carry some bills and avoid the stress.
Serbia isn’t super card-friendly with taxis yet. CarGo worked great and let me pay directly through the app, but regular street taxis almost always wanted cash. Even when they had a POS machine, it wouldn’t connect half the time. I kept about RSD 2,000 (€17) in smaller bills just for cabs. If you’re arriving late or staying outside the main city zones, definitely don’t rely on your card.
I booked taxis through Pink and Naxis in Belgrade - some had working card machines, others didn’t. One said he only accepted card if I told them during booking. So I started asking when I called ahead. For spontaneous rides, I always carried cash just in case. No major problems, just don’t assume card is standard. CarGo app is great, though - totally cashless if you’re staying in the city.
Used a few taxis in Belgrade and Niš - most of them were cash-only, even the official ones with meters. I asked about card and they just kind of shrugged. If you're using an app like CarGo (Serbia’s Uber equivalent), you can pay in-app, but street taxis? Better to keep a few thousand dinars on you. I had a driver tell me the card machine was “broken” twice - not sure if it really was.