Money rules
The pocket card, country by country
Each of these is one short page of the money habits that do not really change in that country: refuse the conversion to dollars, what a tip is actually worth, where cash is still the only thing that works. They are built for a phone, so you can save one before you fly and glance at it while you are standing at a till. 26 countries so far.
Prices, fees and exchange rates move, so those live in the full country guide next to the date they were checked. These pages carry the habits instead, which is why they are worth keeping.
Europe 10
FranceService sits in the price by law, and the fare in from the airport is set by decree.GermanyLess card-friendly than it looks, and you say the total rather than leaving it.GreeceCities take cards, the islands still want notes, and island machines run dry in August.IcelandCashless to the point of not needing notes, and euros are no use here.ItalyDrive into an old city centre and a camera bills you months after you fly home.NetherlandsSo card-first that some places refuse cash, and debit beats credit at the till.PortugalOne national machine network is cheap, and the bright yellow ones are not.SpainNo cover charge, no service charge, and a tax refund with no minimum spend.SwitzerlandFrancs, not euros, and the taxi is the most expensive way to cross a short distance.United KingdomNothing to reclaim on the way out, and no travel card worth buying.
Middle East 7
BahrainCard-easy and arithmetic-hard, and the one Gulf state where both ride apps work.KuwaitThe one Gulf currency that is not pegged, so here the rate genuinely moves.OmanThree decimals on every price, and the souk still runs on cash.QatarNo VAT at all, so the tag is the price, and one familiar ride app has gone.Saudi ArabiaThe highest VAT in the Gulf, and one of only two you can claim back.TurkeyInflation makes old prices useless, and the bazaar runs on cash that bargains.United Arab EmiratesThe rate cannot move against you, so the only real leak is the exchange desk.
Asia 3
Americas 6
CanadaThe shelf price is never the price, and the tipping runs the way it does at home.Costa RicaTwo currencies circulate, and crossing them over lets the seller pick the rate.Dominican RepublicThe menu price hides about a quarter, and the entry form is needed twice.JamaicaTwo currencies share one name, so always ask which dollars are meant.MexicoThe dollar sign on a menu means pesos, and the tip wants to be cash.The BahamasYour own dollars spend at par, but a card screen will still try to convert them.
Not the country you are going to? The full money guide exists for a good many more, and a card follows once the guide behind it is solid. See every country guide, or start from a question on the home page.