Currency Quirks: Countries Where Cash Still Rules

Card payments feel close to universal in a lot of the world now, which makes it easy to forget that a meaningful number of destinations, including some popular ones, still run substantially on cash, and getting caught without it is a genuinely common travel mistake.

Germany is the most frequently cited surprise here: despite being a major, wealthy economy, cash remains the preferred payment method at a large share of restaurants, markets, and smaller shops, a habit that surprises visitors who assume a country this developed would be fully card-based.

Japan has shifted meaningfully toward card and digital payment in recent years, especially in major cities, but smaller restaurants, local transport in some regions, temple and shrine donations, and rural areas still often expect cash, worth carrying some yen even on a trip focused on Tokyo or Kyoto.

A lot of markets, street food stalls, and small family-run businesses worldwide, regardless of how card-friendly the broader country is, simply aren't set up for card payments, the ginjinha stalls in Lisbon and the tasca lunch spots mentioned elsewhere on this blog are a good example: broadly card-friendly country, but specific small, cash-preferred pockets within it.

ATM fees vary enormously by country and by specific bank, and withdrawing a larger amount less frequently, rather than small amounts repeatedly, usually minimizes the flat per-transaction fees most ATMs and card providers charge.

The safest general approach for any trip: carry some local cash from day one, even in destinations with a strong card-payment reputation, rather than assuming you'll never need it. Running out of cash in a cash-preferring pocket of an otherwise card-friendly country is a small, avoidable stress worth planning around.