Hostel in Punta del Este let me pay with card, but added a 5% “bank fee.” Another in Montevideo said they’d take a card only if it was a Uruguayan deb...

When I landed in Uruguay in April, I exchanged just $40 at Carrasco Airport - the rates were bad, but I didn’t want to arrive cashless. Once in Montev...

Happened to me in Colonia del Sacramento - used a Banco República (BROU) machine, and it simply didn’t return my Revolut card. No error code, just bla...

While living in Colonia this April, I used Banco Santander Uruguay at Club Uruguay Plaza - drew UYU 20,000 per transaction, twice daily, fee‑free on m...

I spent four weeks in Montevideo this spring and kept my daily budget around $55. Hostel dorms were $18/night, breakfast at cafes was $5-7, and I tipp...

I lived in St. Thomas for a month this spring and carried Amex, Visa, and a travel prepaid Mastercard. Guess which worked? The prepaid Mastercard and ...

I spent two weeks island-hopping between St. Thomas and St. Croix - rode the mini-bus systems daily. No NFC, no gateways, strictly cash. Even the app-...

I just come from a stay at a hostel in Christiansted and paid cash because their FIFO terminal wouldn’t connect. They said they stopped accepting card...

I always carry about $100 USD when flying into islands like this. The currency exchange at USVI airports is a last resort - high markup, limited hours...