I had no issues paying by card in Gibraltar hostels. At Emile Hostel, they happily swiped my Mastercard at check-in. Gibraltar is fairly modern in tha...

I wouldn’t count on paying by card in Gambian hostels. I stayed in Bakau and Fajara, and both places insisted on cash. Even when they advertised card ...

I stayed at Eurohostel Helsinki and Dream Hostel in Tampere, and both were smooth card check-ins. Cards are standard in Finland, and most businesses p...

In El Tunco and El Zonte, surf hostels often ask for cash to dodge fees. I stayed at Papaya Lodge in El Tunco, and they said “card is possible but che...

I traveled through Copenhagen, Aalborg, and Odense, and every hostel I stayed in refused cash outright. Cards only. Even small shops and cafés preferr...

I paid with card easily in Limassol and Larnaca hostels, but when I crossed into North Cyprus, the family-run hostel only wanted cash. It seems more p...

Cayman Islands are very card-oriented, especially around George Town and the resort-heavy Seven Mile Beach. The hostel I booked took my Amex without i...

Don’t expect to swipe a card in Cameroon hostels. I stayed at one in Bonapriso, Douala, and another in Yaoundé near Bastos - both insisted on cash. Th...

When I booked a place near Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, it advertised card acceptance, but the POS machine “was broken” when I arrived. Classi...