I did a short trip last year and every single hostel or guesthouse wanted cash upfront. Even though I booked through a website with a card, the actual...

I really liked how easy Panama City hostels made it with card payments. I paid with Mastercard at Magnolia Inn and it was instant. But then in Las Laj...

A friendlier experience I had was in Islamabad where the hostel manager offered to drive me to a nearby shop to use their POS machine, but it failed. ...

When I was in Lofoten, the small guesthouse I used still had a card machine. It felt strange to never touch cash on a trip, but that’s Norway. Carryin...

I did find one modern hostel near Lekki that accepted card, but they added a service fee. Compared to all the smaller hostels I tried in Ibadan and Ka...

A few of the pricier backpacker spots in Ponta do Ouro accepted card, but it was hit or miss. I got charged an extra 5% once. Since payment terminals ...

I only ever managed to pay by card once in Mongolia, at a more touristy hostel near Chinggis Square. Everywhere else just shook their heads when I ask...

In my experience, Malta hostels were all card-ready. I paid by Visa at a hostel in St Julian’s, no questions asked. ATMs from BOV and HSBC Malta are c...

Madagascar is not card-friendly for hostels. In Antananarivo, my hostel wanted cash on arrival, and in Nosy Komba, cash was the only way to pay. ATMs ...