Money & paymentsBy Clever Tourists · Published
Use your card for most things in Italy and carry a small amount of euros. Merchants are legally required to accept electronic payments; secondary sources report a fine of 30 euros plus 4 percent of the transaction for refusing, though we could not confirm the current rule against an official source. In practice, cards and contactless work in hotels, shops, restaurants and train stations, while small cash helps for coffee at the bar, markets, tips, and tourist taxes at some hotels. We were in Italy from July to August 2023, in Verona, Bologna and Venice, and this page explains where each method fits.
Free toolWork out the exact tip on any bill →Pick the country, enter the bill and get the tip in local currency — including the places where service is already on the bill.• Hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, shops, museums and rail stations: Visa and Mastercard are standard, and contactless is widespread.
• Taxis and ride apps: most taxis in big cities take cards, but ask before you get in.
• Tourist attractions: most major sites take cards online or at the ticket desk.
• Coffee and pastries at the bar: a coffee at the counter is a small transaction, and some bars prefer cash.
• Markets, street food and gelaterie in small towns.
• Tips and the cover charge: the coperto is a per-person fee on the bill; see our coperto guide. It can usually be paid by card.
• Public toilets and small coin machines.
• City tourist tax at hotels: many hotels collect it at check-out, and some prefer cash. Our Italy tourist tax guide lists rates.
Use ATMs (bancomat) attached to banks; avoid standalone machines in tourist areas with high fees and poor conversion rates. If an ATM or card terminal offers to charge in your home currency, decline and choose euros. Your home bank may add a foreign fee; check before you leave. We did not verify current Italian ATM fee levels, so check the screen.
Withdraw enough for a few days at a time, in larger amounts to reduce flat fees.
For a one-to-two-week trip, 100 euros in small notes and coins is enough for coffee, tips, the odd market and tourist tax. Pay for hotels and meals by card. Our Italy trip cost guide gives daily bands you can use to size spending.
Apple Pay and Google Pay are widely accepted. Keep a second card on a different network. Tell your bank before you travel. For mobile data, see Italy eSIM for tourists.
Italian restaurants in tourist zones may add a service charge or cover; check the bill, and compare with the tipping advice in our coperto guide.
Read cash or card for international travel, Italy things to know, and can you drink tap water in Italy for saving on bottled water.
A normal day in Bologna or Venice might be a hotel by card, a standing coffee and cornetto at the bar paid at the till, a museum ticket by card, a market snack in cash and a dinner where the bill adds coperto and you pay by card. Verona, Bologna and Venice all have plenty of card terminals, but small cafes, gelaterie and market stalls still like coins.
At a bar, many Italians pay first at the cassa and take the receipt to the counter; this is also where small cash is useful. In tourist-heavy areas such as central Venice, prices are higher and cards are standard.
Save your bank's overseas number before you travel, carry a second card on a different network, and keep a cash reserve separate from your wallet. Use ATMs attached to bank branches, cover the keypad and avoid helpers. If an ATM keeps your card, go to the branch with your passport during opening hours. Keep receipts for hotel deposits until the hold is released.
Check the menu and bill for coperto (a per-person cover charge) and servizio (service). These are normal and not scams, but they affect how much you tip. Our coperto guide explains how to read them. If a restaurant adds a surcharge for card payment, that goes against the rule that merchants must accept electronic payments, although we could not confirm the current penalty rules on an official site; ask politely and pay in cash if you prefer.
Keep receipts in case of disputes, and do not let a card leave your sight. Ask for the terminal to be brought to the table, which is routine in Italian restaurants. Before leaving a city, check your bank app for duplicate or odd charges, and report them quickly: banks usually have shorter dispute windows for unrecognised transactions than travellers expect, so do not wait until you are home.
Almost. Cards work in hotels, restaurants and shops, but small bars, markets and some small businesses may prefer cash.
About 100 euros in small notes and coins is enough for coffee, tips and small purchases, with cards for larger spending.
It is part of the restaurant bill and can be paid by card. It is a cover charge, not a tip.
Many hotels collect it at check-out and some prefer cash, so keep some euros ready.
Pay in euros. Choosing your home currency lets the merchant set the exchange rate.
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