We are planning our stay in Croatia and Slovenia and are finding that the sobes we have contacted accept plastic to hold the room(s) but are requiring cash at time of payment. We aren't opposed to the idea of cash payment but would prefer another means to pay that, due to security concerns, doesn't require us to carry larger sums of cash. Anyone with suggestions or can share how best to navigate this would be very much appreciated. Thank you
Posted by
Washington DC
30024 posts
I don't like traveling with a lot of cash, either. I'd plan to withdraw euros from ATMs as necessary. I haven't done that in Croatia since 2015 (prior to the switch from kuna to euro), so I don't know the current situation with ATM fees. Be sure to conduct the transaction in euro; don't fall for an offer to "lock in" an exchange rate and pay in your home currency. That would subject you to a really bad exchange rate.
One thing about sobi, based on my experience in 2015: You will be staying in someone's home, which is not subject to the local smoking regulations. If you are not a smoker yourself, you might not enjoy staying in the home of a heavy smoker, which is what I ran into. It just didn't occur to me to think about that issue. (I don't use Airbnb.)
Posted by
6492 posts
I’ve never found anyone in Croatia who was not flexible, and they might even give you a ride to the atm. Otherwise it seems the only solution would be to go to hotels or book through agencies so you can pay with cc.
Check booking.com also, as private accommodations can be booked there.
Posted by
Chicago
1196 posts
You might check if the establishments accept Wise payments. Wise is a financial
transaction site that can handle international transactions and has a much lower
exchange rate/fee structure than regular banks. You can add currency to a Wise
account, or link a US account. Then log in and enter the establishment account
(or IBAN) info and amount to be paid. Since it is a cash transaction and not credit
card, there is a higher chance even smaller businesses will use it.
Posted by
1304 posts
My personal experience was that hosts were understanding and reasonable about when/how much cash you were to hand them at a given time. Everyone knows you can’t take huge amounts out of the ATM. Like, in Dubrovnik I was paying something like 600€. I didn’t actually meet up with my host until the 2nd full day, and really I was the one who made it happen just to clear up my schedule. The whole thing is just a little more laissez-faire than it seems from the outside.
Also, this is one of those situations where the money belt is essential.