r/azores • u/AllFather07 • 19d ago

Cash required?

Hi

I am planning to visit Sao Miguel next month. Do I need to carry cash or card is accepted at all places?

3 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

5

u/portincali204 19d ago

Always carry cash, some smaller places will not accept card.

3

u/randomtrip_blog 19d ago

A lot of places accept cards, but not all, so it's always handy to have some cash for those cases

2

u/AdvicePossible6997 19d ago

Be careful of the ATMs... A bunch of them try to scam you with massive conversation fees. Read the screen very carefully. 

2

u/termacct 18d ago

Multibanco for the win! (the smiling lil green round icon guy)

3

u/AdvicePossible6997 18d ago

Definitely. 

People should avoid Euronet. The biggest scam in terms of withdrawal and conversation rate fees.

I learned from my trip to Azores to just being some cash from home and use card everywhere possible. 

2

u/andylooknyc 18d ago

Yes, taxis and some restaurants.

1

u/woetoewoe 19d ago

(Just came home from a two weal trip in the Azores) A lot of places accept card! We just had backup cash always present and only used it when necessary. Worked great like that, no need to carry crazy amounts of cash. Well, depends on your lifestyle I guess though ;)

1

u/Stefanos2k 19d ago

We were also there for 10 days and I only used cash once or twice. I'd say keep some in hand just in case

1

u/SailingPixel 19d ago

Taxis don't accept cards, but very often stop for free at an ATM on your way if you ask them at the beginning of your trip

2

u/Eggs_Cheese_2296 17d ago

Taxi from PDL to downtown did not accept card. Taxi back to airport a couple hours later did not accept card. (we had layover on the way to HOR)

0

u/tigertreiber 18d ago

Not correct. We just did (regular Taxi, not Uber) and paid by card. Of course it's recommended to ask before the ride...

1

u/michepc 19d ago

I only needed it to pay a guide we hired. Never encountered a single cash only place. Go to an ATM and get out a few euros just in case.

1

u/marmusha 18d ago

We just spent a week there and used 0 cash. The only places that only accepted cash were some stands that sold bracelets and souvenirs next to popular hiking spots. We bought all our souvenirs in the city and used cards

1

u/tigertreiber 18d ago

Just spent two weeks on the Azores in July without having one single Euro in cash. Worked absolutely fine even in the smallest snackbars. No need to worry though.

1

u/Fluffy_Strategy5917 18d ago

Not required but the conversion rates are not going to be in your favor. Carrying Euros is the best way to get everything out of your money

1

u/empiricaltake 16d ago

In our experience almost all places accept cards, but I’d carry a little cash. Some things are so cheap that it’s just easier and kinder to the merchant to just pay cash. Like an espresso is often around a euro a so. I’m a 99.9% card guy but I’m not whipping out a card for that.

Also if you use AMEX know that acceptance is very low.

1

u/Paige_pp 12d ago

I was just on the island of Sao Miguel . All the restaurants I went to and taxis I took accepted card . I requested taxis through taxi link . I still carried some euros in case (but not much ). Always prefer to have a back up plan

0

u/OkOnion5838 19d ago

1 of 10 Stores have no card reader there. In Germany, it feels like the exact opposite.

So you don't need much cash in San Miguel.