Dont want to carry too much or too little. Whats the average cash people carry when travelling around United States?
I traveled from Cape Town to Los Angeles and then to Phoenix this June and kept just 50 dollars in cash for the whole trip. I used my Capitec debit card and Google Pay every single day with no issues at all. Even small diners and Uber rides took my card without a second look. I only used cash once at a vending machine inside a hostel that didn’t accept tap cards. Honestly the US is extremely card-friendly now and I would not bother carrying more than 100 dollars max unless you’re planning to spend time in rural areas.
In March I did a two-week road trip through Florida and Georgia and I kept around 200 dollars in cash but only used maybe 60 of it. I had an Australian Westpac Visa and Apple Pay set up so I paid with card almost everywhere from gas stations to museums. I used cash for tolls once near Jacksonville and for a taxi in Savannah that had a broken card machine. I would not recommend carrying more than 200 dollars especially as a solo traveler. It’s enough for emergencies and for those odd spots that still don’t take cards.
When I was in the US for a solo trip in May I kept it simple and carried about 100 dollars in cash in small denominations. I used my German Mastercard for nearly everything and it worked perfectly in places like San Francisco Denver and Austin. But I ran into a few spots like local farmers markets and one laundromat in Boulder that wanted cash only. I also gave some small bills as tips to housekeeping and for street musicians. If you're traveling light and mostly in cities I’d say 80 to 150 dollars is plenty just as backup.
I spent three weeks traveling across New York Chicago and Las Vegas in April and I kept about 150 dollars in cash on me at any given time. I used my Visa debit card from the UK for 95 percent of purchases including food hostels taxis and entrance tickets. The only time I needed cash was for tipping at bars and hotels or paying at small food trucks in Queens that didn’t take cards. I kept twenty dollar bills in a travel wallet and reloaded from a Chase ATM every few days. Never felt like I needed more and honestly most places prefer cards now.