Do local taxis in Moldova accept card or only cash?

Moldova isn’t fully digital when it comes to taxis. Some drivers working with companies in Chisinau have machines for card payments, but most don’t. I ended up paying cash almost every time. Even with apps, the payment wasn’t connected-you still handed over leu at the end. Out in smaller towns, there’s zero chance of using a card. Cash is still dominant here, though Chisinau is slowly modernizing. If you’re visiting, don’t rely only on cards for taxis.

My experience in Moldova was a mix. In Chisinau, a few taxis tied to bigger companies did have card readers, but the majority didn’t. The easiest option was downloading one of the local apps, which worked for booking, but most still asked for cash at drop-off. If you want to play it safe, have Moldovan leu on you, especially smaller bills. Don’t assume you can go fully cashless-this isn’t Western Europe. Cards are hit or miss.

I noticed a divide in Moldova when it came to taxis: in Chisinau, a handful accepted cards, but everywhere else was cash only. Drivers prefer Moldovan leu, and they rarely have change, so bring small notes. Apps can help you book, but most of the time you still pay cash to the driver. Cards are not common at all outside the capital. My advice: treat Moldova as a cash country for taxis, and just use card at restaurants instead.

In Moldova, taxis are mostly cash-based, though in Chisinau some of the larger companies do accept cards. The majority of street taxis I used wanted cash in Moldovan leu. There are a couple of taxi apps, but even those don’t always let you pay digitally-you usually still pay cash at the end. Cards are more common at hotels or pre-arranged drivers, but everyday taxis stick with cash. I’d recommend carrying enough small notes because change is often an issue.