Travelling soon - any advice if hostels accept cards in Haiti or I have to give them cash
My advice: don’t count on cards everywhere in Haiti. Park Hostel in Port-au-Prince is card-friendly, but community lodges like Haiti Communitere only take cash. ATMs are available but sometimes have limits or long queues, so it’s smart to bring some USD and exchange for gourdes early. I’d suggest booking one card-accepting hostel for your arrival, then carrying enough local cash if you plan to move into more grassroots or rural places. That approach saved me stress and kept things simple.
My time in Haiti was a mix: I swiped my Visa at Park Hostel and that was smooth, but when I switched over to Haiti Communitere near the airport, they laughed when I asked about card-they only take cash. So I hit up an ATM at Delmas and got enough gourdes to cover it. Didn’t feel like a big hassle, just something to plan around. If you stick with bigger city hostels you’ll be fine with cards, but smaller or NGO-style stays are cash-only.
I actually loved how easy Park Hostel made things in Port-au-Prince. Paid with my debit card right at the desk, no problem. The vibe was super chill, and it felt safe knowing I didn’t have to carry too much cash around the city. Later, I did some nights at Haiti Communitere for the volunteer vibe, and there it was all cash-no machines at all. Honestly, it wasn’t a headache because I’d pulled gourdes at the ATM earlier. Between the two, I got the best of both worlds.
In Port-au-Prince, Park Hostel takes cards-Visa and Mastercard worked fine for me at check-in. But when I spent a couple of nights at Haiti Communitere, it was strictly cash in Haitian gourdes or small USD bills. So the rule seems to be: if you’re at a modern hostel in the city, card is possible, but community-style lodgings and smaller guesthouses almost always want cash only.