Travelling soon - any advice if hostels accept cards in Peru or I have to give them cash
I booked most of my hostels on Hostelworld and they looked like they accepted cards but once I got to places like Máncora or Ollantaytambo they told me cash only. Said the machine only works sometimes and they didn’t want to risk card failures. Some places like Selina and Loki did take my card easily. Used my HDFC ForexPlus card at both without any fees. Best to confirm directly with your hostel a day before check-in. Always safer to have some soles on hand.
Stayed mostly in budget hostels and guesthouses across Peru in March. In bigger cities I could use my card at check-in but in Paracas and Nazca they insisted on cash. A few even preferred US dollars. The card readers they had were super slow or would decline international cards sometimes. I used my Wise card for ATMs and kept extra soles with me. I wouldn’t rely only on cards in Peru especially if you're going off the beaten track.
My Mastercard worked fine at Kokopelli in Lima and at Wild Rover in Cusco. Both charged an extra 5 percent fee for card payments though. One hostel in Puno said they accepted cards but the terminal was not working when I got there. Had to walk 10 minutes to an Interbank ATM to get cash. I would recommend messaging the hostel before you go or just being ready with cash backup. Also some places give a small discount if you pay in soles.Travelling soon - any advice if hostels accept cards in Peru or I have to give them cash
I stayed in hostels across Lima, Arequipa, and Huaraz this February. Most of the well-known ones like Pariwana and Selina accepted my Visa card, no issues at all. But a few smaller places especially in Huaraz and the Sacred Valley asked for cash on arrival. They said their card machines were down or there were bank issues. I always had about 300 soles in cash just in case. Booking platforms may show card accepted but reality can be different once you arrive.