USA cash or card?

[in2dagroove]

Hi all , I am about to travel to New York and I plan to use my credit card and occasionally debit card most of the time. What are the flaws in this plan and have they gone pretty much cash less like London or should I take cash?

Pre Covid the USA hadn't gone as far down the card only route as the U.K. it might be different now though.
(Not very helpful, sorry! )

I've not been to the US since 2019 (thank you Covid), but we paid for pretty much everything on card, I'm struggling to think of what we would have used cash for at all.

Make sure your card doesn't charge you for foreign currency transactions.

i was in NYC in jan and only used cash for leaving tips, cards were accepted everywhere

I used my travel credit card most places, and just had a bit of low value cash for tips and small purchases. Actually used apple pay a fair bit, its more secure than using your card.

I’d take cash as well as cards. One time in a New York station ATM my main bank card and a credit card refused to work. Luckily I had cash on me.

Cash for tips and gambling (off to Vegas soon) rest I am going to use my Halifax clarity card for. Going to load onto revolut to get cash though rather than take physical cash

I did use Apple Pay too last time - 2 years ago which worked fine.

I would take a mix, and check what the rules are on your card re foreign currency transactions- most charge a 3% fee. I have a Halifax clarity card which doesn’t charge a fee and gives a fair exchange rate

I didn’t need to withdraw cash once anywhere in the US when I went last month. Not even for tips. Ditto for a 2019 to the US.

I was in California last month and only used cash for tips (of which there were many being the US!)

Thanks everyone, so helpful

We paid for loads with cash 3 months ago. Meals, fuel, park entrance fees, medicine, groceries, hotels... nearly always cash.

Booking activities online, some equipment hire, & Car rental were only places using cash was difficult. Nobody else minded us paying in cash!

Tipping is very common -- always cash.

Next question re tipping, is 15% reasonable?

@in2dagroove

Next question re tipping, is 15% reasonable?

Not really. 15% is on the lower side. Fine for a cab, not so fine in a restaurant. My NYC friends always double the tax if the service is "only" reasonable so that's roughly 18%. I tend to tip 20% if the service is fine (the maths is easy) but will go to 25% if the service is outstanding.

Have a look at the Currensea card

20% is the standard tip. I agree with those saying bring some cash for tips, otherwise, cards are accepted everywhere. But, I still use cash at small businesses for little purchases like a coffee, to save them the card transaction fee.

I always end up taking too much cash as like using my cards for everything. I'll now take a couple of hundred max in cash and spend the rest on cards.