Vientiane - Post Report Question and Answers
Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Credit cards are difficult to use. Some larger stores accept them and add a 4% fee. When someone accepts Visa or Matercard, it is safe. ATMs are generally safe. Laos still runs on a cash economy. The smallest bill is equivalent (as of late 2024) to about $5USD, so to carry around about $100 US is 1 million Loa kip, and it's a wad of bills. You can set up a local bank account and use a QR code payment system called BCel as long as you are comfortable with the amount of information that will be collected about you during setup and throughout the usage. I make do with the wad of cash. - Dec 2024
Credit cards are not widely accepted. Some people open BCEL accounts (local Lao bank) where they deposit money so that they can pay via QR code. We chose not to open a Lao bank and use cash everywhere. We use the Embassy cashier to withdraw Thai Baht and Lao Kip. There have been ATM scams so try to get money out of the ATM located inside the Embassy. - Mar 2024
No! I carry a big envelope of cash everywhere. There are some "fancy" places and some hotels that will accept your cc, but they will charge you a fee for using it. ATMs can be found in downtown. - Mar 2023
Credit cards are becoming more common in fancier restaurants and some shops (usually with a 3% fee). ATMs are common although they don't always work-- sometimes you'll have to try 4-5 before you find one that accepts your card, is working, and has money. I think they are relatively safe to use. - Jun 2020
It's mostly a cash economy. I haven't had any problems with ATMs. - Oct 2018
We did not use our credit cards or ATMs in Laos. We know people who did, most were successful. - Jan 2014
