Originally Posted by
cbn42
Thanks for sharing. I haven't been to these states, so I am wondering, what are the common methods of payment there? Did Visa and Mastercard force American Express out, or is there a local network that is dominant? Are cards common or is it mostly cash?
I don't think there was really competition : most people use debit cards, Mastercard or Visa. I personally use a credit card : Pins Mastercard from Luminor bank (merger of local branches of Nordea and Dnb). 24 Euros/year, gives points in Pins program which is linked to Air Baltic and also allows to buy gift cards to some shopping malls.
I would guess now you are safe with Visa and/or Mastercards from abroad (with chips), but sometimes in low-end accomodations you can be asked to withdraw money in ATM even if they advertise they accept card.