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Can anyone confirm whether local taxis accept credit card for payment. If cash is preferred, which is the best currency to take – US or Barbadian dollars? Thanks in advance.
I am interested in that, too..
And, is there any ride share app that we can use in Barbados?I paid cash. They use USD and Barbadian dollars interchangeability across the island. The exchange rate is fixed against the USD so that everything is a fraction less expensive paying local currency. Something like 2% difference. All the cash machines I saw charged a fee to withdraw.
I’m pretty sure the non-official buses were cash only. Not sure about the official ones.
They do take cards as well – I think a lot of them got set up for contactless in the Covid times.
I used a Wise Mastercard a few times but cash is king!
As Peter K says, you can use USD but it is marginally better to pay in BBD.
Didn’t see any ride share app presence this January. Just got the Whatsapp of someone the hotel ordered for us and seemed reliable and then we were golden. They even dropped a baseball cap off at reception when Mrs GT left it in the cab one night.
Overall, my experience in Barbados over the last few years is that the local cab firm are extremely responsive and trust worthy (as with all Bajans generally).
I was there in December and I took cash with me in USD. As mentioned, the exchange rate is fixed so it’s 2 BBD to 1 USD and everywhere takes both. The only taxis we got during our 9 night stay were to and from the airport, paid both in cash. If you catch the bus while you’re there (a must for the music they blare!) it’s cash only and they’ll give you change in BBD irrespective of whether you pay BBD or USD. There is a taxi app called PickUP Barbados which I downloaded in advance of our trip but we never used it, preferring to walk and get the bus. Paid cash in beach bars but I think some took card, we were all inclusive at Tamarind by Elegant Hotels so fortunately didn’t have to buy too much to eat and drink out and about!
The exchange rate is fixed against the USD so that everything is a fraction less expensive paying local currency. Something like 2% difference. All the cash machines I saw charged a fee to withdraw.
It should be exactly the same to pay cash – you only lose 2% if you exchange USD cash at a bank as they only give you BB$1.98 per US$. Many people and smaller merchants would be happy to exchange small amounts at 2 to 1 privately – which is more useful to get USD back at the end of the trip
You can buy BBD in the UK, but for the same amount of £ you will only get about 1.9x Barbados vs USD
Technically it’s illegal for resident individuals to hold USD for more than 30 (I think) days of personal travel.
Thanks everyone for your responses – very helpful and much appreciated!
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