Using credit cards in Nepal in 2026, where they work and where cash wins

Trek Guide Cards work at a few upmarket hotels and big agencies, usually with a 3-4% surcharge. Everywhere else, and on every trail, Nepal runs on rupees in… By Bishnu Adhikari · Sep 27, 2026 Read the full story

You can use a credit card in Nepal, but only in a narrow slice of the country: a small number of upmarket hotels, the larger trekking agencies and perhaps one or two restaurants per city, and usually with a 3—4% surcharge even there. Everywhere else — the bus… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Where credit cards actually work in Nepal

In practice a card works at a handful of upmarket hotels, the big trekking agencies and one or two restaurants per city, and almost nowhere else. That is what our guides have seen for years in Kathmandu and Pokhara: a card that works in your hotel lobby will… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

The surcharge, and the question you must answer at the machine

Where a card is accepted, expect a 3—4% surcharge added by the merchant, and never agree to be charged in your home currency. You can only avoid the surcharge by paying cash, but you can avoid making it worse. The way to make it worse is dynamic currency… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

ATMs in Nepal: fees, caps and where the machines stop

A Nepali ATM charges about NPR 500 per withdrawal, and counting your own bank's fee the total is typically US$3—6 each time, so fewer, larger withdrawals are the cheapest way to get cash. Machines are plentiful in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Most allow a maximum… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Which cards to bring to Nepal

Bring two cards on two different networks — say one Visa and one Mastercard — ideally with no foreign transaction fee, and tell both banks you are going to Nepal. The second card is not about rewards. It is insurance against a fraud block, a swallowed card or… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

How much cash to carry for a trek

On an independent teahouse trek, bed and food alone run about US$25—40 a day, so carry enough rupees for every trail day plus a buffer, withdrawn in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you start. That figure excludes permits and guide fees, and costs rise with… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Paying for the visa on arrival

Pay for your Nepal visa on arrival in US dollar notes: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days or US$125 for 90 days. Cards are now accepted at Kathmandu airport, but the card machines and ATMs are unreliable at peak arrival times, and exact cash avoids problems… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Keep reading

The four decisions that choose a card, with every comparison in one place. The last two ATMs on the Everest trail, and what else to sort there. City and trail budgets, from $25 to $80 a day. Visa, SIM, cash and the quirks worth knowing. Which network, what it… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

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