Thought Rwanda would be fully digital-turned out not quite. My Kigali hostel accepted card for the deposit but charged a tiny fee; my cheeky place in ...

Wish I could tell you there’s a free ATM-but nope. Withdrew from Bank of Kigali near the cathedral and I&M at Kigali Heights-each time paid ₣4500,...

Took my Amex to a Rwanda-themed gift shop-got a polite “no.” Then I pulled out my Mastercard and it went through fine. Ended up using Amex once, when ...

Grabbing a $5 coffee from the airport kiosk after paying their rate felt like burning money-instant regret. Took the shuttle into town, used a BK ATM ...

I lost my debit card the exact same way near a mini-mart ATM in Frigate Bay. No error, no beep, just gone. The machine didn’t even have a bank name on...

My first month here I lived on about XCD 230/day (~USD 85). Stayed in homestays, ate fish and rice plates (~XCD 50), and used public buses and vans (~...

Thought I’d be out of luck without Uber-then realized the island’s too chill for that. All taxis I flagged down were cash-only. One driver even joked,...

Tried to tap my Mastercard at the bus-driver gave me the “what planet are you from” look. Nope-you pay in cash. Buses are cheap, but don’t rely on tec...

Assumed I'd swipe on arrival-turned out half of the places I stayed said “cash preferred.” One hostel let me pay by card (minus a small fee), the othe...