I checked into a small guesthouse near Morne Rouge Beach and they ran my card without blinking. Later, when I hopped to a place closer to Gouyave for ...

I chilled at Mad Vervet Backpackers in the city-cards were no issue, accepted all major ones plus cash in birr. Booking sites also showed hostels near...

I traveled between Malabo and Bata, hopping into a few basic guesthouses-and yep, they all wanted cash on the spot. I couldn’t swipe anything. ATMs we...

I hit up Roseau Hostel & Beach Front Property and paid with my debit card at check-in-smooth. Most tourist-facing hostels have machines. But explo...

When I traveled across Congo, from Brazzaville to Pointe-Noire, almost every hostel I checked into wanted CFA cash. I did find ATMs that accepted my f...

I stayed around the ‘centre’ area at a guesthouse near Hotel Kavana-good value, but card? Nope. Had to pay in CFA when I checked in. Grabbed money fro...

I crashed at a chill guesthouse near Donkey Beach-cards worked fine for my room, though I tipped the lady in cash for helping me with the mini-bar. Ev...

I stayed in Futuna for two weeks and had to live almost entirely on cash because Amex wasn’t accepted at all. The only working ATM in Leava took my Ma...

If you’re heading to Tonga, think of Amex only as a backup for very specific tourist properties. I stayed at Emerald Hotel in Nukuʻalofa and they proc...