Trying to plan ahead so any know if card payments are common at hostels in United Kingdom or cash is king?
Worked at a Liverpool hostel for 6 months - we literally couldn't take cash even if we wanted to! Everything went through a digital POS system. Only time guests needed cash was for:
Vending machines (some take contactless now though)
Local markets near the hostel
Emergency when their foreign cards got randomly blocked (happens more than you'd think!)
Suggest bringing £40-50 just in case, but 95% of transactions will be card.
UK hostels are nearly cashless EXCEPT for:
Laundry machines (often coin-operated)
Some tour desks (like free walking tours where you tip)
That one sketchy hostel in Glasgow that looked like it hadn't updated its systems since 2003
Otherwise, my Wise card worked everywhere. Just carry £20 in coins for laundry day!
Hostels 100% prefer cards now - it's actually awkward trying to pay cash these days! Stayed at Clink78 in London and they wouldn't even accept cash for incidentals. But WARNING: Some still require a physical card for security deposits (they'll pre-auth £10-20), so don't rely solely on Apple Pay. Learned that the hard way at Selina Manchester.
Just finished a 2-week UK hostel hop and barely touched cash! Every hostel I stayed at (YHA, Generator, Safestay) took card payments, even for small stuff like locker rentals or beer at the bar. Only exception was a tiny independent hostel in Edinburgh that wanted £10 cash deposit for room keys. Pro tip: Always check booking confirmments for deposit policies!Trying to plan ahead so any know if card payments are common at hostels in United Kingdom or cash is king?