Carry Cash in Rhine Valley?!

Perhaps the writer had had one too many samplings of the Riesling while writing that chapter. I mean, think about it. How many hotels, especially those with online booking, don't take CCs. Sure, there may be hostels or wee B&BS, or even the odd 1-2 star places that still only take cash. But they'll be in the minority. In any case, looking up hotels on booking.com or TripAdvisor will tell you if they're cash only.

Transportation? The trains accept CCs or cash for tickets. Now, whether or not your US card would work in a DB ticket machine, I don't know. Rhine cruise? They take CCs or cash. Car rental? They'd probably look at you sideways if you wanted to use cash.

Restaurants?OK, here I can see some of the smaller places doing cash only. And some places (including stores) may not take CCs if your total is under a certain limit.

We always carry cash, usually a couple hundred euro split between the 2 of us, with the rest in our room safe or our money belt. But for anything over €20-30, we use our CC. I've seen a few posters of the Germany forum swear that cash only is the most common thing; but we've never found that to be true.

I always have cash on me where ever I am in Germany, sometimes a modest amount, sometimes a very large amount. It's great that Germany uses cash much more relative to the other European countries. Of course, there are restaurants and small hotels that accept credit cards just as there are those that do NOT, plus those accepting credit cards may not accept the credit you have...be prepare for that too. I've had that experience too. They accept only the EuroCard which only Germans have...so I pay in cash, much easier and simpler that way.

On transportation: the DB ticket machines will take an American credit card as picto-gram indicates along with the cash coins and Euro bills. Using a credit card you also need to enter your PIN in order to completion the transaction. Do that when "PIN eingeben" appears on the screen.

Thank you for the prompt, useful reply, CJean. What a relief. I fee better know. Riesling indeed, lol.

Thanks to you too, Fred. Good to be prepared.

The Rhine Valley towns are populated with small, family-run businesses. Many of the restaurants just don't like paying the cc fees they must pay and don't bother with cc's - the number of such places is considerable. I've also found the cc systems were down here and there in places that take them - this happened again on my most recent trip in June. I'd keep some cash on hand for sure in these places.

I just got back from Germany, and am about to go again.

Yes, my experience is that much of the country is still basically cash based. In Nuremburg I forgot when I was making a largish purchase at a Media Markt and they wouldn't let me use my Apple Pay - which I use all day in the Uk for absolutely everything. In fact as I explored a bit further I found that the staff in the store had not actually ever heard of either contactless cards nor Apple Pay. I had to actually insert my card in their reader and remember my PIN. Two tries later I had my stuff. I just never use the PINs anymore, normally.

For the rest of my stay in Germany I wasn't able to use my contactless card or Apple Pay.

FYI - in Belgium, Luxembourg and France the contactless and sometimes Apple Pay were welcome in quite a few places, including for a waffle. Couldn't have done that in Germany - I tried to buy a pretzel with a card near Saarbrucken but a national chain was cash only. A McDonalds on the German Wine Route was cash only too.

Many smaller establishments (stores and restaurants) do not take credit cards, so cash is necessary. Both my brothers found that out on different trips a couple years ago, although they were told to take cash.

When I booked my first nights at a hotel in St. Goar last year they sent my confirmation with a statement that they only accept cash. The second place I stayed (not on the Rhein) also wanted cash only. I don't know about the third and fourth places because I didn't try to give them a card. I know that the fifth place only took cash.

The trouble with the ubiquitous acceptance of cards in this country is that we are just enriching the banks.

My experience with Germany (~150 nights in 18 years) is that the less expensive the place, the less likely they are to accept plastic. I pay cash and save a lot, particularly on accommodations.

Also in my experience, many very fine hotels in Germany do not bother with DEHOGA (German Hotel and Restaurant Assoc.) ratings, but for those that do, to have 2 or more stars means that they must accept CC.

there may be hostels or wee B&BS, or even the odd 1-2 star places that still only take cash. But they'll be in the minority.

That is certainly not what I have found to be true. Maybe if you confine your travel to big cities and popular, touristy places, but if you get out into small town Germany, No! Places that accept credit cards will be in the minority, if they even exist.

looking up hotels on booking.com or TripAdvisor will tell you if they're cash only.

You won't find the most economical places looking on sites like booking.com. I've found that inexpensive places that are cash only also don't list with 3rd party booking websites.

Just one of those cultural differences that RS says to experience. I was last here in 2014, and we found several restaurants and shops which would not take CCs. Sometime after that I read an article in The Economist (I think), that talked about how Germans were adverse to using cards for routine purchases. Two reasons I can recall: (1) the unwillingness of merchants to pay extortionate CC fees and customers unwillingness to pay more (to cover the fees) and take on debt; and (2) a deep disdain for having someone (government, banks, big business, etc.) being able to have knowledge and tracking of peoples' buying habits - something they related to a holdover from Cold War days of universal distrust. So I don't think its backward thinking that drives this cultural difference. But I'm just repeating what I read without supporting information.

After a couple of times having credit card issues at hotels in Europe, my strategy is to have enough cash on us that I could pay my hotel bill, taxi fares, etc., if needed. And certainly I ask ahead of checking out if they take my cards.

Sounds a little like some places in the U.S. which say "we take any card except American Express" because of higher card fees.

Just got back from a day trip on the Rhine yesterday doing the usual things.
To get to the train station, we bought a group day ticket for Frankfurt which costs 11.30€. Cash only (unless you have an EC debit card or a European CC) For the train we used a Happy Weekend ticket which for 5 people cost 68€. You could use your credit card to buy this. We bought pretzels for the train trip, cash only. In Rüdesheim we took the gondolas up to the top of the Niederwald Denkmal. This costs 8€ p.p. round trip. Cash only. Had some gelato. Cash only. 2 people tried the Rüdesheimer Coffee. Cash only. We took the ship to St. Goar, showing our train ticket we got a 20% discount, but I got an even cheaper ticket because I am over 60. You can use your credit card for this, but they charge an extra 2€. In St. Goar, we took the taxi-shuttle up to Burg Rheinfels which cost 2€ pp.p. each way - 20€ total. Cash only. Entry to the castle was 5€ p.p. Cash only. Lunch was at the largest restaurant in St. Goar. Cash only. Had fabulous cake later on from the best Konditorei in the town. Cash only.

Cash is just how it is on the Rhine except for the long distance trains and the ship. Frankly, lots of Germany is like this. Small businesses can keep their prices lower if they don't take credit cards. You don't earn miles, etc. in Germany if you use your credit card, so most people don't.

Thanks, everyone. Sounds like cash only is kind of a cultural thing in Germany. I don't mind going to the ATM often (I assume there are several in Bacharach and St. Goar?), for money for restaurants and local transportation etc; but don't want to have lots of cash around all the time. Very much not inclined to book a hotel that doesn't accept plastic. That is just too big ticket at item to have to pay in cash all the time.

No place I have stayed at or eaten at in Bacharach takes credit cards. There are not many ATMs there either. The one I got cash at after hours required the ATM card to get in the vestibule where the ATM was located. I did manage to used a credit card at the train station, but only 1 day out of the 7. The other days I needed cash

We stayed at Zur Post in Bacharach and used our credit card several times. We have always carried cash,but for our hotels we use our credit card. We have not had a problem.

"How one of the leading economies in the world isn't progressive when it comes to becoming a cashless society"
Maybe this is the main reason why people in Germany are much less indebted than people in the US on average (and the state, too).
Germans normally use debit cards for paying higher sums (at gas stations e.g.). Hardly anyone would use plastic for buying a snack and/or a drink or similar inexpensive things.

"How one of the leading economies in the world isn't progressive when it comes to becoming a cashless society"
Totally agree with Demag. Using cash minimises debt and following on from another post today, it reduces the amount of data you are giving away.
You can also reverse the statement above and ask how such a large economy as America still has the least secure credit and debit cards?

We were in Bacharach for 3 days last month and had no problems using CC at hotels, a couple restaurants, and the KD cruise. I used the DB navigator app to buy my train tickets so I did not use any of the machines. We did use cash for gelato, tickets into the castles and some small purchases. But I personally did not find the "cash only" thing to be as widespread as RS would have us believe. But this was only 3 days. I also used a CC for our Rothenburg hotel, and at restaurants in Nuremburg.

I am glad that Germany has stayed a cash society as it was in 1971 when I first got there, hopefully that doesn't change. I've seen locals pay for groceries with a credit card, ie, the EuroCard, or, if it wasn't that, then it was some other piece of plastic which tourists/visitors don't have. I've been told at an establishment only the EuroCard was accepted when I showed them my MC card, so I paid cash instead.

In Paris and Arras in the late 1990s I paid for groceries at Monoprix using my American credit MC card, in Germany I rather pay cash. True, I have stayed at two star hotels in Germany that accept a credit card and those which do not, regardless if that Pension or hotel is located in a tourist frequented area.

A couple of years ago I saw the proprietor at the Pension in Berlin deal with two Finnish women who wanted to pay with a check card, only to be told that cash would be accepted, even though the Visa logo was on the Pension's entrance door window. Since between both women after a stay of 4-5 days not enough cash was on hand, one went to the ATM while the other waited in the breakfast room. She came back with the cash.