NZ and Australia, cash vs. credit cards

[Moo1957]

Do cabs generally accept credit cards even in some of the smaller ports?  Just trying to decide how much cash to bring/convert. TIA

[andlep]

Used a US credit card for a taxi from Port Chalmers to Dunedin no problems last year.

[GUT2407]

Yep, can’t remember last time I used a taxi that didn’t take Visa or MasterCard, less popular cards may be a problem, there may also be a small surcharge 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

They used to be a small surcharge but most include it the fare now ,

[lissie]

I habitually travel NZ and Australia with no  cash at all. NZ has even wider acceptance than Australia - you will sometimes be asked to pay a surcharge. 

 

Either way you don't need to bring any cash-  just use an ATM to get some out if you want it. 

[Stickman1990]

You can also use your Uber account which is linked to your credit card  if you have one 

 

You should not have a need for cash in a cab and most shops accept credit cards but you might need some cash for purchases at cafes and smaller shops

[The_Big_M]

Credit cards are not a problem, but there is a 5% surcharge in NSW. Other states differ.

[oskarNZ]

4 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

Credit cards are not a problem, but there is a 5% surcharge in NSW. Other states differ.

Hi The Big M,

 

Is this just for taxis or everything?  I have a couple of days in Sydney next month and just planned on using the Visa for dining, entertainment etc.  If there is a 5% surcharge on everything, I might research alternatives.

 

 

[oskarNZ]

OP, you can use credit cards for almost everything here in NZ - we are mostly a cashless society.  
In saying that, as mentioned above, Visa and MasterCard are the main ones.  Amex is less widely accepted.   
 

Some things in NZ have surcharges, but the majority don’t.  Although, I can’t speak specifically for taxis as I almost never catch them.  
We have Uber in our biggest cities, but it won’t be in the smaller ports such as Picton, Bay of Islands etc.  

[losfp]

8 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

Credit cards are not a problem, but there is a 5% surcharge in NSW. Other states differ.

 

Do you mean for cabs, or all CC transactions in general? I use card for almost everything and barely see any surcharge in excess of around 1.5-2%.  And mostly it's just rolled into the cost of whatever it is I'm buying.

 

OP, feel free to use card for a majority of your purchases in Australia and NZ. We're rapidly moving to a cashless society here, and we don't tip so don't need small notes etc.  It's handy to have cash if you want to make a quick purchase here and there, but honestly you can make do with mostly card.

 

About a year ago I needed to have my card cancelled and reissued and didn't have one for about 5 days. I didn't know what to do with myself haha

[GUT2407]

Considering OP specifically asked about cabs, that is the surcharge I was referring to

[possum52]

10 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

Credit cards are not a problem, but there is a 5% surcharge in NSW. Other states differ.

It is 5% in Victoria I believe but likely to decrease to 4% early next year after a review of surcharges the taxi industry are allowed to add to the cost of the fare when using non cash payments.

 

In other areas where CCs are used, the acceptable surcharge is typically between 1.5% and 3%.

 

Leigh

[Stickman1990]

Just now, possum52 said:

In other areas where CCs are used, the acceptable surcharge is typically between 1.5% and 3%.

With the legislation for Credit card surcharges I’d like to see a retailer justify a 3% surcharge - even with AMEX. There are penalty’s for excessive surcharging now 

[possum52]

11 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

With the legislation for Credit card surcharges I’d like to see a retailer justify a 3% surcharge - even with AMEX. There are penalty’s for excessive surcharging now 

Sorry I quoted the wrong amount - it is much lower with a maximum of about 1.5%.

[The_Big_M]

9 hours ago, oskarNZ said:

Hi The Big M,

 

Is this just for taxis or everything?  I have a couple of days in Sydney next month and just planned on using the Visa for dining, entertainment etc.  If there is a 5% surcharge on everything, I might research alternatives.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, losfp said:

 

Do you mean for cabs, or all CC transactions in general? I use card for almost everything and barely see any surcharge in excess of around 1.5-2%.  And mostly it's just rolled into the cost of whatever it is I'm buying.

 

OP, feel free to use card for a majority of your purchases in Australia and NZ. We're rapidly moving to a cashless society here, and we don't tip so don't need small notes etc.  It's handy to have cash if you want to make a quick purchase here and there, but honestly you can make do with mostly card.

 

About a year ago I needed to have my card cancelled and reissued and didn't have one for about 5 days. I didn't know what to do with myself haha

 

Sorry I was unclear. This was only referring to the previous discussion about taxi credit card surcharges, with 5% the rate for that in NSW.

 

In other businesses, there is mostly no surcharge or 1-2% as losfp suggests.