For US travelersThe fees nobody quotes you

The money side of your trip, sorted.

What we do

What to pay with, how much cash to carry, and the fees nobody quotes you. Checked and dated. Sometimes the honest answer is that you do not need to do anything.

or start another way

Know your regionCompare by area See how the countries in a region stack up on the money side.Just a worryStart from the question Cards, cash, visas, taxes and taxis, tackled head-on.
Why this exists →

What a guide actually tells you

JapanChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Cities yes, rural cash

Carry

10k to 20k yen

ATMs

7-Eleven works

Tourist tax

Some cities only

Tipping

Not expected

Watch out

Most bank ATMs refuse

MexicoChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Hotels yes, stalls cash

Carry

Pesos daily, small notes

ATMs

Bank ATMs, not airport

Tourist tax

A few areas only

Tipping

10 to 15%

Watch out

Always pay in pesos

ItalyChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Almost everywhere, by law

Carry

50 to 100 euros

ATMs

Bancomat, not Euronet

Tourist tax

Yes, most cities charge

Tipping

Round up only

Watch out

Coperto, not a tip

FranceChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Tap is the norm

Carry

Very little needed

ATMs

Use a bank machine

Tourist tax

Yes, per person nightly

Tipping

Service already included

Watch out

Small shops set minimums

United KingdomChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Nearly cashless country

Carry

20 to 40 pounds

ATMs

Free LINK cashpoints

Tourist tax

A few cities only

Tipping

Often 12.5% service charge

Watch out

ETA needed before flying

ThailandChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Malls yes, street cash

Carry

Cash daily, small notes

ATMs

Flat fee per withdrawal

Tourist tax

None today

Tipping

Light, not expected

Watch out

Always choose baht

GermanyChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Widely, but not everywhere

Carry

50 to 100 euros

ATMs

Sparkasse or Cash Group

Tourist tax

City bed tax varies

Tipping

Round up the bill

Watch out

Expect an ATM fee

VietnamChecked Jul 2026

Cards

Cities yes, street cash

Carry

Small notes, used daily

ATMs

VPBank is fee free

Tourist tax

None at all

Tipping

Not expected, appreciated

Watch out

Count the zeros

Read the full Japan guide Read the full Mexico guide Read the full Italy guide Read the full France guide Read the full United Kingdom guide Read the full Thailand guide Read the full Germany guide Read the full Vietnam guide

Popular guides

AsiaVietnamA cash country at heart. Cards work in cities, far less beyond them.Guide AsiaPetsJapanMore card-friendly than its reputation, but keep cash for small spots.Guide AmericasPetsMexicoCards taken widely at resorts. Watch the peso conversion trick at the till.Guide AsiaThailandCards in malls and hotels, cash for street food and markets.Guide EuropePetsItalyCards almost everywhere, plus a nightly tourist tax to plan for.Guide EuropePetsFranceTap and pay is the norm, with a small nightly city tax on top.Guide EuropePetsSpainCards taken widely, with a per-night tourist tax in many regions.Guide EuropePetsPortugalEasy on cards, with a small municipal tax in the bigger cities.Guide EuropePetsUnited KingdomA tap-to-pay country. No card-fee worries, just the exchange rate.Guide EuropePetsGreeceCards work in the cities, but the islands still run on cash and a nightly climate fee.Guide AsiaIndonesiaBali runs more on cash and QR codes than tourists expect, plus a one-time entry levy on top.Guide EuropePetsGermanyMore cash-loving than its reputation suggests, with a patchwork of city bed taxes to plan for.Guide
See all 59 country guides

Arriving with a worry, not a country?

Start from the question on your mind.

Will my card work abroad?How much cash should I carry?What are the money rules where I am going?Do I need a visa?What will tourist taxes cost me?Will the taxi overcharge me?

The money question

Booking the trip is the easy part. The money side is a mess.

You search how much cash to bring and get ten-year-old blog posts, contradictory forum threads, and pages quietly written to sell you one credit card. So you guess. Then comes the surprise card surcharge, the bad airport exchange counter, or a tourist tax nobody mentioned. We turn that into one calm, current answer for each country, in about five minutes.

Will my card work?

We look at the cards you already carry, not a generic one, against how each country actually takes payment day to day.

Do I need cash?

A straight read on how much to carry, and the places where the honest answer is almost none.

What will it really cost?

The conversion tricks, ATM fees and tourist taxes that creep in, named up front so nothing ambushes you later.

How we are different

We would rather tell you to do nothing.

Sometimes the answer is, you are fine

If the card already in your pocket works with no fee, we say so plainly, and there is nothing for you to buy.

Labeled, every single time

Links that earn us a commission are marked as such, and the ones that do not are marked too, so you always know which is which.

Checked, dated, kept current

We do not sell hotel rooms, and every guide shows the date we last checked it. Money rules shift, so staying current is the whole point.

Before you go

A heads-up when the money side changes.

Heading somewhere, or just travel a lot? We will let you know when we add a country or a money rule shifts. Nothing else.