Uncategorized – Tunisian Experience

If you’re planning a trip to Tunisia, you’re bound to ask somewhere along the way: will I be able to use my credit card to make purchases? If I need cash, how hard is it to make an ATM withdrawal? From an outsider’s perspective at least, Tunisia has one foot in the modern world and the other foot in the exotic Sahara dessert. So, it is reasonable to expect some hindrances when it comes to their accommodations to modern payment methods. A few general guidelines are as follows: You can use your credit or debit card in Tunisia to make purchases from larger or more tourist-friendly vendors, but you shouldn’t depend on being able to use them for every expense. You can also withdraw cash from an ATM almost anywhere in Tunisia, without much hassle. While Tunisia is moderately accommodating to credit card-carrying tourists, there are several important facts to consider if you plan on using your bank card or credit card on your trip. We have lived in Tunisia for a few years now, so we drew on our experience, as well as a lot of in-person research, to compile the most helpful tips on this subject we could think of! Where You CAN Make Purchases with a Card There were about 15,650 point-of-sale terminals (i.e. credit card readers) in Tunisia by the end of 2017, which means there are many more now in 2020. While Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted brands, American Express is also used and accepted. Now, where exactly can you find all of these credit card readers? For as long as we’ve lived in Tunisia, we have used our credit cards to make purchases at the bigger grocery store chains: Carrefour, Geant, Monoprix, etc. But, most of our purchases at smaller vendors have been in cash. This is partly because we have been told “no” when trying to pay by card a few times, partly out of habit, and partly because it’s just so easy to use Tunisian Dinars. We wanted to get some more specific information, so we went on a little research trip to find the boundary line that marks where you can and can’t use a credit or debit card to make purchases. When you arrive at the Tunis-Carthage Airport, one of the first things you’ll probably want to buy is a Tunisian SIM card and some 4g data. Stop at the Ooreedoo, Orange, or Tunisie Telecom shops on the first floor of the airport, and you can use your card to get your phone working on the local network. You can also use a card at these telecom stores outside of the airport. Surprisingly, the restaurants and cafes in the airport where we checked do not accept cards. Outside of the airport, you can depend on being able to use a card at larger, nicer hotels just about anywhere you go. We rode down to Hammamet and asked in person at five different resort hotels at random, and all of them said they accept card payments. We also got a positive response from restaurants along the corniche in Hammamet, and even a little drug store. Many restaurant chains in Tunis also take a card, such as the big American chains, Chili’s and Papa John’s Pizza. When you go to malls in Tunis, just about every store will take a card. We even found a medium-sized fruit and veggie stand in the Menzah neighborhood of Tunis that took our card! Where You CAN’T Pay with a Card In our research, we found a long list of places that do NOT have credit and debit card terminals. In the airport, the two big restaurant-cafes on the ground level, L’Amicale and Cappucino Resto & Café, do not accept cards. The pastry shop in the airport called Cakes and Bakes, as well as the little convenience store kiosk right next to the entrance, don’t take them either. If you don’t have transportation from the airport pre-arranged, you probably will need to exchange or withdraw cash. Taxis only accept Dinars. There’s a new transportation service called Bolt that works with an app like Uber or Lyft, but you have to pay your driver with Tunisian Dinars upon arrival. Traditional clothing shop at Beb Bhar in the medina in Tunis If you’re going into Tunis and you don’t have cash on hand, you will want to check with the vendor before shopping or ordering food whether they accept cards. We visited several food vendors along Avenue Habib Bourguiba—a popular hangout place right in the middle of downtown Tunis—but the restaurants were hit and miss when it comes to accepting cards. We found a fast food place and a big gelato and sweets shop that accept foreign currencies like Euros and Dollars, but they don’t accept credit cards. The little “hanuts” or convenience store kiosks outside of Hotel Africa don’t accept them either. In the “medina” or old city, there are hundreds of little shops where you can buy souvenirs. We asked around and could not find any that accepted card payments—not even the biggest ones that accepted Euros and British Pounds. Don’t Plan on Purchasing with a Card Exclusively We were frankly surprised that many of these places did not accept card payments. Our conclusion to our little research project is that you can’t make all of your purchases with a card on your visit to Tunisia. While this is our verdict in March of 2020, we expect that it will be easier and easier to pay with a card within a few years. Tunisia is in the process of changing from a cash economy to one where most transactions take place with cards and through e-finance transactions. The Central Bank of Tunisia sees it as a major problem for their economy that so many transactions take place in cash, outside of the banking system. They are actively encouraging the use of electronic payments. This effort, along with Tunisia’s trend toward modernization and the demands of millions of tourists that arrive every year, will most likely result in a more seamless experience when using your credit and debit card during your visit. Using ATMs in the City At the end of 2017, there were about 2,275 ATMs in Tunisia. All of these ATMs can also read chip cards (i.e. cards that are EMV compliant). In Tunis, there are a ton of ATM options just about anywhere you go. Tunis-Carthage Airport has several. In Tunis, as in the US, the banks and ATMs tend to be grouped together in certain neighborhoods. If you find one ATM, there’s probably another one on the same block or even right next to it. Finding ATMs Outside of the City Many of Tunisia’s coolest destinations and historical sites are off the beaten track, in small towns and even far from anything resembling civilization. Predictably, access to cash is limited in these remote areas. There is a balance to be struck here when it comes to making preparations for the cash you’ll carry. On the one hand, you don’t want to come upon a great deal on a traditional rug out in a small village and not have enough Dinars to make a purchase. On the other hand, you don’t want to be carrying around a load of cash and make yourself a target for pickpockets. In the medium-sized towns in southern Tunisia, you can expect to find ATMs. Tozeur has around 10 banks in town, and Douz has at least 3, not including the ATMs you’ll find in hotels. Medinine and Tatouine have plenty. Seaside towns like Djeriba and Zarzis also have several. But, to our knowledge, there are many cool villages that do not have ATMs, such as Chenini and Matmata. If you’re road tripping, or if you’re headed toward a remote attraction, bring cash with you. If you find yourself needing cash, you can always search Google Maps for ATMs and banks, but be sure to try the French spelling, “banque”. Finding an ATM that Works An important tip to be aware of is that many of the ATMs in Tunisia are out of order or out of cash. Even in Tunis, withdrawing cash often requires that you try more than one ATM. This can be frustrating, so we find it helps to adjust your expectations accordingly. Plan on visiting more than one ATM. When the first one doesn’t work, just move on to the next one. This uncertainty factor should play into your plans when traveling to smaller towns. Just because Google Maps shows there is a bank doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to come away with cash. ATM Fees All ATMs will charge you a fee if you’re using a foreign debit card. The most common and also most expensive fee we see is 10 Tunisian Dinars, which is about $3.50, or 2.75 British Pounds, or 3.20 Euros. Before you click “confirm”, the ATM will tell you the fee in Tunisian dinars. Considering the low withdrawal limit on most ATMs, these fees can add up pretty quickly. If you’re going to spend more than a few days or weeks in Tunis, or if you know you’re going to withdrawal cash from an ATM a few times, it is probably worth it to get a debit card that reimburses you for the international fees. Coming from America, we have used Charles Schwab and Capital One checking accounts successfully. You can also avoid fees by exchanging cash at a bank or hotel. See our other post on this subject for more info! Withdrawal Limits Another major downside to using ATMs in Tunisia is that most have a very low withdrawal limit. It seems that most of the ATMs we encounter limit a withdrawal to 300 Tunisian Dinars. Some of the banks have a higher limit. We have used BNA and also Amen Bank ATMs and got a limit of 700 or 800 Dinars. If you need to make a bigger withdrawal, it may be worth the time and hassle to find one of these options. Be Safe When Using an ATM As is the case anywhere, Tunisia has its fair share of pickpockets. You will want to use your street smarts and common sense when handling money in public. When you use an ATM on the street, you have your back turned to whoever is behind you. And you have to handle your card, your wallet, the cash, and your receipt at the same time. I prefer making an ATM withdrawal a two-person job. One person can help hold things and look out toward the street while the other withdraws cash. If people approach to stand in line behind you, make eye contact with them to let them know you’re aware that they’re there. We hope these tips help you as you plan your next visit to Tunisia! There are so many things to see, do, and buy, and we hope this post keeps you from encountering any inconveniences when it comes to spending your hard-earned vacation cash. For more money-related resources, check out our other posts!