I am from Germany and I will go to Hungary in December. I wonder if I need to get any cash? Can I pay with credit / debit card (maestro + master card) in restaurants / cafés / tourist attractions?
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Some banks charge per conversion, which gets expensive fast. Also, my hostel recommended that I did not use atms, as they have high rates and are potentially untrustworthy.– CarlCommented Oct 4, 2018 at 16:55
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Some shops/restaurants, especially in areas with a lot of tourists, will accept euros. The exchange rate generally isn't very attractive, but it's good to know in an emergency.– Mike HarrisCommented Oct 5, 2018 at 13:22
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2 Answers
My experience in Budapest earlier this year (2018) was that cards are accepted very widely and contactless payment also works. The funicular up to the castle takes cards but I did not try other public transport. I did find one restaurant slightly out of the way where card payment was not available but they took euros. I suggest you ask before ordering in restaurants just in case. The Dohány Street Synagogue takes cards as well.
Edited to include information from helpful comment from Márton Molnár that public transport also takes cards.
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TIcket vending machines and customer centers for public transport all take cards.– molnarmCommented Oct 5, 2018 at 7:55
Having some cash available is highly recommended when traveling abroad.
For example a few months ago Visa systems crashed in Europe for some hours and some transactions made from abroad couldn't be completed.
If you don't want to exchange much cash (but you're going to pay for every conversion as others have noted), then I suggest to carry some cash with you for emergency purposes and using your card as the main mean of payment.
